Toronto to protest
IN the late 1980s, Lake Macquarie City Council “encouraged” land owners from Bath Street and along the Toroto foreshore in front of the railway station to sell their land to council. They were told it would be zoned for community use, like the rest of the foreshore park.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Imagine the Toronto community’s surprise in late April when they were told the council had passed a motion to spend up to $1 million of ratepayers’ money on developing a DA for the Bath Street portion of the site.
The DA is for a multi-storey building, for tourist accommodation, and retail, going almost to the lake’s edge. In the late 1990s the council rezoned the area they had bought, from “community” to “operational”.
Last year, activists in the community had been trying to stop a multi-storey development on the Hirecraft site, at the southern end of the foreshore park. This should have alerted council to how much the community opposed any more commercial development on its limited foreshore.
These activists led to four community groups combining to start a petition. Over 2000 people have signed the petition which asks that council stop action on their motion until the community has had input.
Residents fear if this development goes ahead then all foreshore areas within the city would be at risk of such development.
The first protest is being organised for early September. I hope for a large turn-out to show the council that ratepayers want foreshore land to be kept in community hands for perpetuity.
- Wendy Davidson, Toronto
Plea for foreshore rethink
ARE these the same civic leaders who claim their mantra is ‘Love the Lake’?
What a shock it was to learn that our councillors are currently proposing a six-storey block of units on the Toronto foreshore.
This could well be the first brick in a wall of high foreshore construction around the lake. Lake Macquarie residents will be the losers. Development around the lake is simple logic. It makes sense to rise in steps from a green buffer zone protecting the immediate shoreline, through a zone of a few storeys to higher buildings at the rear.
Everyone wins, development goes ahead, there’s open space and a view, tourism opportunities are enhanced, the lake has a chance of survival and the people have access to their city’s most valuable asset.
Councillors, the decisions you make today will affect our city aesthetically, socially and environmentally for generations to come, if not forever. We have entrusted our city’s welfare to you.
- Lois Simpson, Toronto
No poo problem
I WRITE to comment on the letter 'Now for a poo explosion' from Brad Hill of Singleton, published in your July 5 edition. Firstly, I'm not sure how you create a poo explosion unless you accidentally eat dynamite instead of Vegemite. Secondly, I'm not sure what happens in Singleton, but dog poo is acceptable in the new green waste collection system in Lake Macquarie, so dog walkers only have to pick it up in compostable bags rather than single-use plastic bags, and put it into their green waste collection bin.
- Richard Edmonds, Balcolyn
Where are we going?
FROM the mid-1970s the state government concentrated on residential growth on the Central Coast, but many problems arose with traffic issues, and the provision of health care and hospitals took a back seat.
Today seems no different in Lake Macquarie. Thousands of homes are going to soon be built in and around the city.
Where is the employment going to come from for these people? Where are the car parking spaces? And how is the extra traffic going to be accommodated? Public transport is limited, so when is transport on the lake (ferry) going to be developed?
- Alec Howard, Rathmines
