<< Peninsula News 24 September 2002

Most disappointed

I was most disappointed when I saw the heading put to my letter (Peninsula News, September 10).

Your heading "The only way is up" puts my letter completely out of context, particularly with a photo of the Ettalong Beach War Memorial Club at the top.

My caption was "Terrigal towers for the Ettalong Beach waterfront?".

This was a question for the future which concerns us all including Gosford Council.

I am definitely not in favour of development of the Ettalong Beach Waterfront to a height of the proposed new club but I realise that perhaps the decision has already been made.

I stated that "I am not against the much needed hotel redevelopment or any necessary development".

The operative word being "necessary" which in itself is wide open for debate.

Gosford Council has sole control, subject to Government guidelines, over the height of developments.

It is obvious that by approving just one high rise in a particular area, creates a precedent for heights of future developments in that particular areas.

This automatically make the statement "based on legal advice, it was clear that council was never going to successfully defend the appeal" applicable to all proposed developments in the same area.

Could an assumption be made that one ought to have enough confidence in Gosford Council to assume that it would be fully aware of what would occur in the future as a direct result of what development applications they approve today?

Again, can one assume that council should have known that they had left themselves open to receive that advice when they approved the height of the new club?

Hence the reference to the "proverbial garden path".

AW Gorick, Ettalong Beach