From the Far End of the Council Table - 24 May 2009
Date: 24-May-09
Author: Councillor James Ryan
There was plenty going on a Council last week. Probably the biggest issue is the development around Heddon Greta. There are two proposals for development and add to that the funding announced for the F3 which will make that area a traffic jam.
The Cliftleigh residents are worried that the proposed 900 lots opposite their houses will not have good enough roadworks to allow smooth traffic flow. There will be traffic lights just near where the Servo is and the residents believe queues of cars will form at peak hour. Added to that they will be forced to drive past their houses and do a dangerous U-turn to get back to where they live.
As well as the Cliftleigh development whatever happens at Heddon Greta (Averys Lane) will add to the general traffic confusion. There the profit driven developers want to develop houses on farmland along Averys Lane - some of this traffic will go along Averys Lane to John Renshaw Drive, but a lot would come off the Freeway off-ramps. This development is not required to meet housing demand.
Both of these development proposals have been put forward to operate without an F3 in the for-seeable future. Now that that funding has been committed the situation needs to be reassessed. Sensibly the Council has seen that it must look at the big picture and try to predict what the traffic will be like at Heddon Greta in 10 years time - and make sure we have enough roads to handle it. Personally I think a lot of Maitland people will be driving to Heddon Greta to get on the F3 to go to Sydney or Gosford. There are going to be big changes to peoples lifestyle in Cliftleigh and Heddon Greta!
Yet again Council approved development in the HEZ which broke its promises to the people of Kurri and Pelaw Main.
This time it was a proposed maintenance workshop for heavy machinery. This is not big industry and should not be in the HEZ anyway. If it ever goes ahead it will employ less than 70 people. However the biggest issue is the approval to bring heavy mining equipment through Pelaw Main on low loaders. One of the biggest reasons for Council promising the Pelaw Main bypass in the first place was to keep the vibrations from heavy vehicles from cracking the foundations of the houses in Pelaw Main.
The developers own study for the Bypass said the size and condition of the existing Pelaw Main bridge is not considered to be sufficient to support the tonnage and frequency of heavy vehicles accessing and leaving the HEZ........
So why did Council approve a development which is based on regular and frequent low loaders going across that bridge? I can understand the old ALP Council being blind but it will be very disappointing if the new Council turns out to be blind as well.
Make sure you have your say?
