LETTER : Council’s Bay Masterplan shot down by Probity Report:
What can be rescued?

The release of the damning Probity Report into Council’s Bateman’s Bay Masterplan last week and the Emergency Council meeting next Tuesday should be closely watched by ratepayers.

The Probity Report supports all the major criticisms by ratepayers and others of the Masterplan: ie, that it is not evidence based; lacks credible intellectual and procedural integrity; and is generally farcical in its assertions and conclusions. Our new General Manager Mark Ferguson is to be commended for obtaining an independent assessment of the Plan and making it available without sanitising it. There are a lot of questions that need to be addressed. The main ones would appear to be:

1. Who could have influenced the previous General Manager to go down the path of allowing for ‘Gold Coast’ skyscrapers on the Bay foreshore?

2. What can be rescued from the wreckage of this ‘Masterplan’?

The first question raises possible serious issues about undue influence by commercial interests and so should be independently reviewed with unrestricted access to Council records.

Answering question 2 would appear to be the first priority since we do have a housing crisis and Council has committed to the NSW Government to have a plan for delivering a grant-funded Plan with LEP amendment for up to 8000 units by 30 June 2026.

At the Council meeting next Tuesday there thus needs to be some prudent and practical steps taken by Council toward resolving short to medium term planning issues in the Bay regarding housing and other matters.

Council will also hopefully resolve to address the other Masterplan deficiencies outlined in the Probity Report. In particular there should be a focus on developing and implementing long term infrastructure to support sustainable development rather than the present focus on the sugar hit of high-rise development (benefitting the tourist businesses at the expense of the wider community and the environment) in the current draft of the Masterplan.

Frank Ross

Moruya