THE future of the Jetty Foreshores has been thrust back into public awareness after Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh took exception to an advertisement placed in News Of The Area on November 11 by City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Paul Amos.

The advertisement asked the community, ‘Do you think something like this general concept would be a better outcome for our whole community?’ and clearly stated that it was ‘purely to generate discussion and opinion and is in no way a final resolved position’.

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The accompanying graphic had a range of options displayed on it, with the most notable being the absence of any residential development.

Mr Singh rose in State Parliament last week to criticise aspects of the plan in the paper and question the process.

“Is this just the Mayor’s personal sketch, or did others approve this sketch or this ad?”

Mr Singh said the advertisement “attempts to influence the community on behalf of the Mayor”.

“I see this sketch for what it is, a desperate, last minute attempt to derail a process that has produced the most detailed survey in Coffs Harbour’s history,” Mr Singh said.

“How can he legitimately say he has a more unbiased view than a survey of 3,600 people?”

Cr Amos responded, pointing to the resolution passed by City of Coffs Harbour on June 9.

The Council passed, six votes to three, that it did not support the State Government’s draft Master Plan for the Jetty Foreshore Precinct ‘Coffs Jetty Revitalisation’ on a number of grounds.

Chief amongst them were that the draft plan does not adequately reflect community views about open space and residential development.

The motion also allocated up to $20,000 to be spent informing the community of Council’s reservations, and Cr Amos told News Of The Area that the advertisement was part of this process.

He noted that Mr Singh appeared to intimate that diminishing of sightlines from Cr Amos’ home was a motivating factor in placing the advertisement.

“I live in the Jetty area and Mr Singh used parliamentary privilege to indicate that this was a prime consideration,” Cr Amos said.

“I’ve invited him (Mr Singh) to my house on radio to see that residential development would have to be about fifteen stories high for it to be a problem.”

In response to criticisms that the public was asked for input with no apparent means to provide it, Cr Amos said, “We will just monitor the input from the community.

“We want something to happen quickly, and the best way for that to occur is if Council is in control of its own destiny.”

By Andrew VIVIAN