The Council Fiddles and Hervey Bay Misses Out
When we first moved to Hervey Bay in 2003 we were told that the extensions to Centro Hervey Bay were “coming soon” and seven years later the extensions still haven’t been started.
Obviously some of that delay has been caused by the developers … there was a financial hiccup back around the time the global financial crisis looming but that’s been overcome and the developers are now eager to start. But now the Fraser Coast Regional Council wants to fiddle … they want more money from the developers … another $3 million according to today’s Chronicle … and quite understandably the developers have had enough.
While Hervey Bay cries out for jobs the Council wants someone who can provide those jobs to cough up $1.1 million for a public art levy and another million dollars for roads that already exist.
Nero is said to have fiddled while Rome burned and now it seems that the Fraser Coast Regional Council wants to emulate him while Hervey Bay goes down the drain.
January 16th, 2010 at 8:50 am
The problem here in Hervey bay is there is too much red tape. If council helped more then things might get done but they just make it too hard to do anything. It is no wonder no big buisness wants to come to Hervey Bay. Look at main st, it is almost like a ghost town as all the shops are closing down. There needs to be some incentive for big buisness to open up here so there will be more jobs for locals. But that wont happen now will it.
Come to Hervey Bay, the Ghost town.
January 16th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Brian,
Isn’t “big business” that kills local strip shops?
Do you really believe the “red tape” in Hervey Bay is any different to other
towns?
You elected this council, so you made a mistake did you?
Like Judas, some will sell their souls for thirty pieces of silver or it’s equivalent.
Legistlation regarding development is state wide, the only difference is that developers have had it too easy in this town fo too long.
What you wish for, might not be what you reallt want.
January 16th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
All this talk of developers struggling to get anything through Council raises an interesting point.
Back when this council … the very first fraser Coast Regional Council … was elected there were a lot of people (me included) who thought that a vote for Mick was vote for the developers.
It hasn’t quite turned out that way has it?
Stuart
January 17th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
Jonangel
NO, I did not vote for this council. I have only been up here for a short while and I can see and hear what is going on.
Are you a councilor and feel guilty???
January 18th, 2010 at 6:18 am
Brian,
In answer to your questions; No to both.
Now how about you answer my questions, or are they too hard?
January 18th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Jonangel, reluctant to do this but the only Councillor who was elected by a majority of voters was Barb Hovard. All the rest got less than 50% of the possible vote. So when you say to people, as is your habit, that ‘you’ elected this Council you do, in fact, have a better than 50% chance of talking to someone who voted for not more than 1 of the present members. Better maybe to say ‘we” elected this Council.
Red tape does vary greatly between Council’s. The state legislation you refer to is very subjective and very open to interpretation and each Council does just that. The attitude of the planning department to this situation will be set by the elected members clearly enunciating their policies to the staff.
January 19th, 2010 at 4:44 am
Jim,
This council is the peoples choice, you can hide behind the terms “you”, “we” or the “electorate”, but the end reult, is they are elected.
As to rules and fexibility. Without knowing the specifics of each individual application, it is impossible to know if the staff of our council are any better or worse than other councils.
I repeat, I doubt our “red tape” is any different to “red tape” in other parts of this state.
Based on the media there are whingers every where, it comes from not getting your own way.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
Some comments posted suggest that we should be apportioning blame or suggesting that red tape is inevitable no matter where one lives. These attitudes appear to be saying something to the effect that we should simply accept the pathetically slow council impediments because it is status quo. How about a different attitude of getting things done at lower costs, provide incentives for developers to invest the millions of dollars needed to get work underway without creating impossible hurdles to overcome in terms of money-grabs for completely irrelevant periphery issues. Developers risk money on viable projects. They do not want to be screwed, just as you and I don’t want to be ripped off by over-zealous councils, they have to return reasonable profits to shareholders that risk their money on company business. Head in the sand councils are rapacious delivering next to nothing oafs that will rip off once too often. Are they held accountable for stuffing our local economy? No. Do they care? Apparently not. What was the first item on the agenda of the new council after amalgamation? Something important? No – It was the top of the line Toyota with polished bullbar and spotlights for the Mayor. What a bloody waste of space