on the beat PAGE 8
life & style SPORT PAGE 12 PAGE 20
keeping your stuff safe
hold onto summer skin
the british are coming!
JUNE 5 2013 www.newcastlepost.com.au
PROUDLY INDEPENDENT PH: 49 610 310
Deemed appropriate
time to go green
Dismay over plans to build a tourist caravan park at Mount Dee Melissah Comber
M
aitland is one step closer to having a tourist caravan park after Council voted to rezone land that would be needed for the development. Despite community opposition, Council voted 8 to 1 to rezone a parcel of land on Mount Dee Road, Mount Dee, to allow for a caravan park to be permitted as an additional use of the land. Mount Dee is the small area of land next to Telarah, between the New England Highway and Cessnock Road. Several community submissions had been made during the public exhibition period, expressing concerns about potential issues, including flooding, the inability of the surrounding roads to cope with extra traffic and the possibility of the caravan park taking on long term residents. A 145-signature petition was also submitted objecting to the development. Councillor Steve Procter said that a tourist caravan park would be terrific for the city and a boost to the local economy. “It would do really well during festivals, weekends and holiday time,” he said. “Maitland is very central, so people could easily come here and set up for a couple weeks...and visit our pubs and clubs.” However, opponent and resident Diane Bischoff said that Mount Dee was not appropriate for a tourist caravan park.
A green waste bin service for the residents of Maitland will happen “sooner rather than later”, according to Maitland City Council’s David Simm. Mr Simm, Manager Development and Environment, said that there was a possibility that the bin collection could be introduced as soon 2014 or 2015, in response to prompts from Councillor Philip Penfold at last week’s meeting.
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no dummy run
Cessnock nurses train in simulated set-up Page 5
Concerned residents Wayne Bischoff, Diane Bischoff, Jacki Cassidy, Marianne Maher and Clem Maher at the proposed site
“Our beef is not with having a caravan park, it’s the site. “Council have been offered a free caravan park [by the developer], but someone always has to pay a price.” Mrs Bischoff said that not only would money need to be spent upgrading the roads to accommodate wider vehicles and improving the drainage and run off to cope with heavy rain, but there
would also be a personal cost to the residents, who she believes will need to install security measures on their properties. However, Mrs Bischoff said what was most disappointing was that Council were not willing to listen to residents. “Council were really pushing for the people of Maitland to have their say on local issues, but when we do speak up they don’t want to
hear us. We wouldn’t have wasted our time [fighting the tourist caravan park] if we didn’t think it was important.” In response to this criticism, Cr Procter said it was the classic ‘not in my backyard’ response. “Everyone wants it, as long as they don’t have to look at it. “I don’t disregard the comments, but we can’t stand in the way of progress.”
big city lights Hunter to get its own festival of light Page 10
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