Archive:   Helensville, Gisborne

Last Updated  9/7/06

'Recycled' Councillors Blame Residents For Disastrous Development At Helensville

(19/4/06 - P)  Cowardly but not necessarily unexpected finger-pointing as Councillors ignore the role they played

At last Wednesday's Planning Committee meeting, in debate relating to an application to carve up the last of Helensville in Gisborne, three of our 'recycled' Councillors (Letchford, Harvey and Neil) made it very clear that the cramped, towering over-development that now blights the once beautiful Helensville site was very firmly the fault of residents who objected to the original proposal.  According to our recycled Councillors, self serving, self-important residents should have accepted a compromise, and the result of not doing that was a 'shocking mess'.  Cr. Noel Harvey went so far as to say he wasn't prepared to put his name to any further disastrous development on the site (isn't it just a bit late for that?).   Councillors Neil, Relph, Letchford, McGregor, Bleeck and Connor voted for the subdivision, Councillors Harvey and  Gyorffy opposed.  Councillor Guthrie declared an interest and left the chamber.

MRRA Says:

Well, well - see them duck for cover.  What gall these pompous, short-memoried Councillors have, to blame several hundred residents for objecting to what they (the Councillors) now call 'shocking' and 'disastrous'.  Hello???? 

Who supported and approved the original proposals, saying what a great thing these developments were, how we had to have somewhere for people to live?  Not the objectors. 

Who ignored the repetitive broad hints from numerous VCAT decisions (note: both approvals and refusals), that Council should produce a plan for how the once-rural Helensville site should be developed and integrated with the rest of the Gisborne Township?  That wasn't the objectors either.  IT WAS OUR COUNCILLORS.  Councillors who had six years to prepare a plan.  Councillors who wouldn't listen to the people, who just couldn't see what hundreds in the Macedon Ranges' community could see was coming. 

So, Councillors, instead of attacking those who put in a huge amount of time and money and effort and emotion trying to convince you to change your mind, isn't it time you starting taking responsibility and being accountable for the decisions (and disasters) you make?