Press
State of confusion over planning call
28.11.2007 Goulburn Post, Written by Louise Thrower
MAYOR Paul Stephenson clearly recalls advice that the State Planning Minister once imparted to him. “If someone comes to you with a development proposal, and it’s a dog, tell them it’s a dog and to go away,” Frank Sartor had said. Now Cr Stephenson is wondering why the State Government didn’t share the same advice with a company that for the past six years has been planning a 1000-lot residential estate at Marulan. State Planners have just excluded the ambitious Medway Estate from Goulburn Mulwaree’s new planning laws, expected to be released for public exhibition this week. Instead, the director general approved a 600-lot residential estate, proposed by Tailored Property, as the staged land release in Marulan. “If I was the developer, I’d be asking for an explanation,” Cr Stephenson said. Sydney company, Xcel Properties, first came to the former Mulwaree Shire Council with the Medway Estate plan in 2001. The council approved it in principle, included it in a draft settlement strategy and the company subsequently spent millions on preliminary studies. But only recently the State Government told the company’s director, Kim Clarke that it didn’t want development on the eastern side of the Hume Highway, where Medway was planned. “If there was always a problem with having development on that side, then they should have told. If anything, that’s where the unfairness is,” Cr Stephenson said. The decision also contradicts previous council consultation and government statements that existing vacant lots at Marulan can absorb population growth up until 2020. Cr Stephenson said the director general had issued directive for the Marulan estate’s inclusion in the LEP. The Mayor said local planners estimated that Goulburn Mulwaree would need 2500 new homes by year 2020, and acknowledged not all of that could go to Marulan. Xcel Properties director Kim Clarke told the Post that State planners had never given him “a real reason” as to why development shouldn’t occur on the highway’s eastern side at Marulan. “I’m making approaches to the State Government (about Medway’s exclusion from the LEP),” he said. “I’m disappointed when the government consistently talks about job creates, that the 150 jobs in this development are not taken into consideration. Now are they considering that this is a different type of residential development, appealing to a different market.” The Department of Planning had not responded to questions about its reasons by the time of going to press. The draft planning laws imminent release comes after a year-long wait. The director general has signed off on allowing their public exhibition, but has not issued formal advice to the council. Even in the finishing stages, the council and government clashed over which authority should approve large land releases. “In the wording put to us, the director general (DG) would authorise them,: Cr Stephenson said. “It meant we’d be caught in a terrible financial bind, because if they didn’t give us enough warning, we’d be stuck with half of supplying the infrastructure. We’re saying that council should do the land releases and the DG can approve them.” The hiccup has since been ironed out, with initial approval placed firmly back with council. Cr Stephenson said the LEP was likely to be placed on public exhibition in mid December for five months, extending the planned three-month timeline, due to the Christmas break. Eight public forums, starting on January 31, are planned. See article here
Where safety and growth intersect
28.11.2007 Goulburn Post, Written by Louise Thrower
COUNCILLOR Maureen Eddy has seen too many accidents, including two recent deaths, at the Hume Highway crossing at Marulan. With the inclusion of a 600-lot residential estate near the town, she’s even more concerned about people’s safety. Along with council planners, she’s calling for the median to be closed at what’s known as the “at grade” intersection into the town’s main street allowing only left turning traffic to access Marulan’s main street from the highway. She also wants an alternate access created. The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA), police and the NSW Department of Planning will be consulted. “We pushed for years to keep it open, but with the number of accidents, it becomes a life and death situation and I can’t in all conscience continue that fight,” Cr Eddy said. “It was put on us by the RTA when the bypass opened and now the Department of Planning and the RTA have to do something better for the Marulan people if it is closed.” Cr Eddy acknowledges that the median’s closure will inconvenience people living on the east site, but says with added traffic pressure from the Tailored Property subdivision, there is little choice. When the 1000-lot Medway subdivision was proposed, Cr Eddy said people were happy that it included safe highway access and a means of crossing to the east. Now that development has been excluded from the new Local Environment Plan, in favour of Tailored Property’s 600-lot estate in Wilson Drive. “It will be very busy with that development, the three approved take away outlets and the new motel approved near the corner (of the intersection). It will be bedlam,” Cr Eddy said. At is meeting last week, councillors endorsed the chief planner’s recommendation that Tailored Property modify the “at grade” intersection of George St and the Hume Highway to left turning traffic only. “This is no longer simply a planning dilemma. It is essential that serious consideration be given to the potential for increased use and risks at the intersection,” planning and community services director Chris Berry said. See article here
Pushing traffic through a bypassed town once again
Dec 2007 Goulburn Post, Letters to the Editor
IN relation to a recent Goulburn Post article with comments made from Cr Maureen Eddy in regards to ‘Where Safety and Growth Intersect’ Marulan Rural Fire Brigade members want to comment on remarks seeking closure of the southern end of Marulan’s access. We don’t feel that much thought has been spent of the closure of this exit, as well as much thought has been given in making this intersection more safer. Marulan Rural Fire Brigade attended in excess of 40 callouts being motor vehicle accidents, grass and house fires, and a major gas leak at a highway service centre since January 1, 2007. We are regularly called to numerous critical hazardous materials spills. With the above callouts in mind all to the south of the township and various times of the day and night including during school 40km/h zones, we would be forced to travel another 3.5km extra and costing an extra four minutes of crucial time wasted, whilst someone is trapped in an accident or bushfire. At the moment where possible we currently use Portland Ave, rather than using George Street. Marulan Rural Fire Brigade already has to deal with the closure of Stoney Creek Road crossing, causing separation of one town into two, causing delays responding to callouts and further more, pushing vehicles into the main street, through school zones. With his proposed closure, no one except for Marulan Rural Fire Brigade objected to its closure. Everyone just sat back and didn’t even try and prevent it from happening. Marulan has a Village Fire Plan in place, which includes an evacuation plan in the event of a major bushfire threatening Marulan, which includes the said closure. With the medium closure this would make an evacuation task a lot more difficult. If the above road was closed, it would provide no exit from Marulan to the south. And the was a incident in main street, such as there was in January 2007 when the main street was closed due to a incident, or when the exit and ingress was closed due to a accident underneath the highway bridge, and another underneath the railway bridge on a separate occasion. If there was a problem with the outdated railway bridge in George Street and there was weight limits put on the bridge that would prevent trucks entering or leaving town. If Marulan brigade vehicles are forced to use the southbound exit under the highway bridge more time will be lost from having to slow down to the sharp left hand bend than trying to enter three lanes of traffic, two from the highway and one from the weighbridge which is all up hill. Also if the above road was closed, traffic wishing to visit Truckstop 31 or KFC or any other business will be made to go a further kilometre to complete a u-turn at with South Marulan corner or the intersection in front of the Feltham’s property, which is far more dangerous. The intersection at Marulan southern exit is not more dangerous than the Highland Way intersection or the Marulan South intersection. The Highland Way intersection is on a crest of a hill, also on a slight bend, which you need your wits about when crossing, and more cars frequent is and it has claims lives and many accidents. The South Marulan intersection is on a sharp bend with quite a few accidents in all conditions. The Marulan township exit intersection only needs the bottlebrush removing from the centre medium strip in either direction and the medium strip kept mowed and visibility can be seen for many kilometres in both directions. Furthermore the closure of the southbound exit is not just closing off the exit from the town it’s also closing off the entrance to the town for industrial traffic going to the industrial area, pushing this traffic thought the once bypassed town yet again. And, since we are the only emergency group in Marulan, it would have been nice to be consulted. See article here
A frank look at Goulburn
17.12.2007 Goulburn Post
THE draft IRIS Economic Development Plan report on the Goulburn Mulwaree council area is fairly frank in its assessment of the region. And in our eyes, it’s $60,000 well spent. While the area has many bright spots, primarily our location and logistical and warehouse potential, the council area has a long way to go to overcome its ”key tourism challenges” and attract more visitors to the region. The list is lengthy, but includes the need for more interesting and engaging attractions, appropriate signage and poor or inconsistent opening hours access to visitor attractions. The report also makes for interesting reading when it lists three main reasons why some development proposals and relocations are lost; our “perceived lack of water, the reluctance of current business employees to move to Goulburn Mulwaree, and the lack of government funding (particularly incentives and subsidies)”. “One of the key issues holding back the further development of tourism in the area is a severe lack of industry cooperation and collaboration. Successful tourism regions invariably have strong industry networks, and implement cooperative marketing initiatives. “The separate roles of the Goulburn Chamber of Commerce and Goulburn District Tourism should be reviewed as both serve substantially the same member base and have similar aims.” The report nailed it on the head here; there are too many groups or individuals in our town pulling in opposite directions. We need to focus, as a city, on the same goals and move towards them. And for a start, to attract these visitors and potential businesses, Goulburn needs to drastically improve its self-promotion. While Goulburn’s population may be buoyed by the off “tree-changer” moving into the area, the gain is offset by the mass exodus of our youth to Canberra, Wollongong and Sydney. Dr Ivan Wilden-Constantin’s comments in the November 21 edition of the Goulburn Post have certainly been validated by this report. “Many of the local youth feel that Goulburn Mulwaree has nothing to offer them, with no access to work or training, and a clack of engaging activities to cater for their needs. This issue is of a high priority, because, if a large proportion of the local youth continue to leave the region and not come back in the future, Goulburn Mulwaree’s economic future will be in jeopardy as current workers move into retirement,” the report says. We can only hope that the appropriate people look at this report, and take heed of its advice. After all, $60,000 is a lot of money to ignore. See article here.