In regards to the article “Council rejects push for more consultation over CBD plan” (Inverell Times, Tuesday September 2), I would like to correct Paul Harmon on the paraphrased comment that he had provided information on the Town Centre Renewal Plan and “thought it had been ignored because it had not offered the right answers to the [Concerned Inverell Ratepayer’s Association’s] questions.”
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As chairperson of CIRA I submitted a letter to Mayor Harmon of which I received a response on the 5th August. I also submitted letters to most of the councilors who had voted for the TCRP asking for them to clarify their understanding as to what they thought it entailed. In return I received only two emails: one from Harold Castledine who indicated that he had no intention of responding to my questions, but instead suggested that I direct my questions to the General Manager. The second was from Jackie Watts who also indicated she had no intention of answering my questions but instead suggested I direct my enquiries to the Mayor. Shortly after on the 20th August, I received a letter from the Mayor which I assumed that as the councilors were unwilling to respond, was a response that represented the collective voice of all the assenting councilors.
Rather than ignore this letter, I replied to it on the 25th and voiced my concerns regarding issues that I believed had been left unaddressed. These entailed the following: in the latter letter concerning the issue of cost, Mayor Harmon conceded that the future costs of the TCRP would have to “compete with other projects.” On the issue as to whether the Raised Street Crossings would be removed, the response was that “discussions with the RMS are continuing.” Such an admission is perplexing as it suggests that the ISC would like to remove the RSC but cannot because of legalistic issues and that in itself raises the question, that if their removal is integral to the installation of the median strips, why would the Council be hasty in announcing the TCRP?
On the issue as to whether the mature Plane trees from Evans St to Henderson St would be removed the response was that they might be, “depend[ing] if Council wished to apply the TCRP concept to this area at some future point in time.”
In the two letters from the Mayor other answers were presented in a similar vague and non-committal manner and left us with the feeling that our concerns were being ignored. We have made our concerns clear and we still await a further response from the Mayor.
What also cannot be ignored is Cr Barry Johnston’s assumption that, people who have complained to him, “have not read the report,” as if to imply that if dissenters cannot complete a ten out of ten test on the subject then their opinion is valueless. Good for him that this matter “has been before the council for almost three years.” What cannot be ignored is that while he has had knowledge of the Plan for almost three years, the citizens of Inverell were only given an opportunity of three months to become acquainted with it. Now that is a discrepancy that cannot be ignored!
Caroline Wilson
Chairperson, Concerned Inverell Ratepayer’s Association