DEAR News Of The Area,

I HAVE been following the news in NOTA regarding Coffs Council attempting to purchase land at the Jetty from the NSW Government and am disgusted to think that Council wishes to spend our ratepayers fund on a battle to do so, particularly when the NSW Government has developed a revitalisation master plan that appears to meet all the requirements that the Mayor Paul Amos mentioned in his column on 16 February.

The NSW Government’s Coffs Harbour Jetty Foreshore Refined Masterplan December 2022 was presented following community consultation earlier that year regarding their initial masterplan, and having looked through the plan I felt that it would be a great development for the area.

I was particularly impressed with the idea of a four storey residential building for affordable, diverse and key worker housing.

After all, why should all development in the area be only for wealthier people who can afford to erect their homes there.

I wrote to the Mayor on Wednesday 21 February expressing my concerns and suggested that any surplus funds, as well as money considered being spent on attempting to purchase the Jetty land, be spent instead on facilities in the northern and southern suburbs.

I particularly stressed the urgent need of revitalisation of the swimming pools at Woolgoolga and Sawtell, which were originally to be done in 2022.

The Mayor’s response to my email was “Thank you, Joan”, I had hoped for more discussion than that!

As Robert Crain wrote in NOTA on 23 February, ‘What do ratepayers want from Councils’, we want “consultation” and for councils “to concentrate and fund local issues”.

Regards,
Joan ANDERSON,
Toormina.