Home Springwood Forum

Richard Jackson-Hope
P.O. Box 14
BLAXLAND NSW 2774

The General Manager
Blue Mountains City Council
Civic Place
KATOOMBA 2780

23.05.2010

Dear Sir,

Springwood Community & Cultural Facilities Upgrade

My first comment on the information pack is the lack of a survey form with the pack for residents to complete.

While a percentage of the residents may have access to the internet by leaving out a survey form from the information pack council has disenfranchised residents from participating in the consultative process.

It was my understanding during the public consultations that a survey form would be sent to all the households with the information pack and one would be rightly suspicious of the motivation of the council having spent a considerable amount of funds on producing an information pack as to why a survey form was not included.

I also found the online survey of the so called independent consultant to be lacking in objectivity. While not a member of the SOS community action group I support their full page advertisement in the gazette of the 19th May 2010 where they high lighted the fact an option (C) was not included in the information pack.

Knowing the poor state of the finances in the city one would have thought council would be opting for an incremental upgrade of the building and facilities in question not a nock down and rebuild option.

However I note option (C) is listed as an option in the Market Research Company survey and the question one must ask is WHY there and not in the information pack?

I support option (A) concept in the information pack on the grounds;

  1. It allows council to integrate all the community facilities over a long term time scale.
  2. The concept for fills the objectives of the community consultative process.
  3. It gives Springwood an upgrade performance space
  4. It allows for other community activities undercover with in a covered court yard.
  5. The library is enhanced as a community facility and brings it into line with modern community expectation of what a library is now and in the future.
  6. The neighbourhood centre is expanded to meet community group needs.
  7. It meets the council's environmental policy of recycling
  8. There is little difference in the cost of recycling the existing facilities against building new facilities.

The one major aspect of option (A) is it provides a focal point within the townscape without destroying the character of the village.

Successive councils have destroyed the village and historical buildings in the name of progress.

  1. The School of Arts building
  2. The destruction of the first school in the mountains and what was a beautiful sandstone building.

To my mind there is no requirement for another large Super Market and shopping complex in Springwood.

The residents of Springwood and the surrounding areas are well served by the existing supermarkets and any expansion would severely affect the Winmalee shopping complex.

The other issue in regards to another shopping complex is the traffic flow within the township. Council has not address this issue in any of the option or during community discussions.

Yours faithfully

Richard Jackson-Hope