Glen Innes Severn councillors and staff met with a contingent of the public on Tuesday evening at Town Hall to present information regarding the proposed central business district (CBD) upgrade. The opportunity was also taken to address growing concerns in regard to the possibility of a shared zone or public square, the planting of trees in the Grey Street precinct and the hotly-debated fate of the Grey Street concrete slabs commonly referred to as Ward’s Mistake.
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While there were plenty of spare seats, the evening attracted around 120 community members, activist groups and business owners all with varying opinions in regard to the proposed works.
Director of development, regulatory and sustainability services Graham Price gave a lengthy history of the proposed works, dating back to late 2009 when the concept for a renewed CBD first came to light.
Mr Price thanked the community for attending and for presenting their varied opinions, before shedding light on the complex history of the proposed works and the key areas that the project aimed to address. These were seen as the promotion of the Grey Street CBD as the heart of the community and the importance of maintaining business establishments in Grey Street, complementing the heritage appearance of the Grey Street precinct, encouraging future development (including the possibility of commercial and residential development), the possible inclusion of public spaces with particular attention to a town square or shared zone, while maximising on the facilitation of people movement throughout the CBD with particular attention given to access.
Mr Price explained how the draft master plans created by King and Campbell Surveying had gone on public display at the time as part of a preliminary community engagement with 60 people attending, 41 of which reportedly registered their enthusiasm for the project to go ahead.
In April of 2010 the “all-encompassing” master plans went to public exhibition for a period of 28 days in which time council received 122 submissions, in which 17 per cent were in in support of the project, 31per cent indicated they were neither for nor against but indicated concerns with certain aspects, 44 per cent were specifically against tree planting in Grey Street, 18 per cent thought the shared zone in front of Town Hall was an unwarranted expense, 47 per cent were generally against loss of car parking and 11 per cent of submissions called for the lighting to stay as it was, according to Mr Price.
Since that time the issue of Grey Street has been hotly contested in the community. A handful of Grey Street business owners attended on Tuesday night, with a number of them indicating their support for the upgrade but noting concerns for the time in which access to Grey Street would be affected by works.
Local businessman Greg Burgess suggested penalty taxes on council for failure to meet deadlines, while local realtor Diana Corcoran envisioned the possibility of a highly successful town square given the close-knit community spirit and the cultural hub of Grey Street —reminiscent of European villages – seeing the boost that such a square could give to local businesses.
Other community members — including activists Rod and Wendy Ennor — were adamantly against the possibility of a public square, considering it an unwarranted expense. One objected to the inclusion of public art on the grounds that “it is not compatible with Glen Innes” and suggested that funds be directed elsewhere, such as the Nine Mile Bridge at Dundee.
Mayor Colin Price, who chaired the meeting, said that the diversion of Local Infrastructural Renewal Scheme (LIRS) funding — designed to limit the back log of council works and obtained through low interest borrowing from state government — was impossible given that the funds are project-specific, directed to such projects as the CBD upgrade.
Further community objection was raised on the loss of parking spaces in the CBD and the reduced size of centre parking spaces to a minimum of 2.6 metre widths and the movement of loading zones. Council responded that the availability of recently upgraded off-street parking containing more than 50 parking spaces, while the most recent proposal towards the upgrade maintains the number of existing parking spaces including disabled parking spaces and loading zones.
Council general manager Hein Basson addressed the meeting, detailing the responsibilities of councillors in serving the community and the dual role councillors undertake in representing the community.
Speaking of the exercise of due diligence by councillors, Mr Basson said that the standard of care that is considered reasonable in a council decision is relative to the circumstances of the decision and that a council decision must represent the public interest.
Mr Basson also noted however that, “The public interest is not the same as the interest of the public. It may sometimes be very different.”
“Councillors find themselves in a difficult position at times,” Mr Basson said, noting that decisions must be made in the best interest of the community both here and now, and into the future.
“Council will always listen to what the community wants, but they may not always do what the community wants.”
Cr Price noted the fate of the Grey Street concrete as being “practically certain” that it will be retained, with a final decision to be voted on during tonight’s council meeting.
In response to comments as to the amount of information presented at the meeting, Cr Price said the meeting was designed to provide the community with full access to the information on which councillors would make a final decision as to the CDB beautification and revitalisation of Grey Street concrete.
Cr Price said the amount of information demonstrates the complexity of the issue from the position of Glen Innes Severn councillors, and thanked the community for the diverse range of opinions voiced on the night.
See Tuesday’s Examiner for a continued report on the rehabilitation of Grey Street concrete and further public opinion in regard to the CBD upgrade.
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