report from the roundtable – 23rd september

This week was a bit quieter than the last meeting, but there’s not many meetings where you get over 400 people attending for one item, the Chirnside Park Golf Club (see blog entry: Friday, September 12, 2008 - report from the round table – 9th September).

There was an application for a church, additions to a winery, development of a function centre, a subdivision of green wedge land and a final draft report for the Chirnside Park Urban Design Master Plan.

There were also items about the Oxfam Close the Gap Campaign, a Drug and Alcohol Working Group and opportunities for Habitat for Humanity Housing.

I never cease to be amazed by the scope of issues Councillors deal with. There is no doubt that planning matters take up an awful lot of time and are probably the steepest learning curve but the range of social issues are enormous as well dealing with the continuing pressures around infrastructure.

Every council meeting allows councillors to raise issues through ‘items raised through the chair’, this time I reported back on correspondence with the Director of Liquor Licensing (LL). Earlier on I had written to the Director of LL outlining my concerns about the display of a liquor licence application for the old Flash Mechanics site in Tecoma (see blog entry: Saturday, August 23, 2008 - display not so flash) and requesting an extension in display time for the application.

I am advised that to date the liquor licence application has received 25 individual objections and a petition with approximately 300 signatures. The Director will continue to accept any further objections until such time as the applicant (BWS – Woolworths Ltd) has submitted all of the supporting documentation required.

I’m pleased that the Director continues to accept objections and that awareness of the application has been raised in the local community.