EDITOR,
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EDITOR,
I feel I must comment on last week’s Ulladulla and Districts Community Forum meeting, in which Peter Cosgrove outlined his “amendments” to his DA for a motel with conference facilities in Tallwood Street, Mollymook.
While the community had previously supported this application based on the belief that the development was to be centred around a much-needed state-of-the-art conference centre which would be an asset and hopefully bring more business to our area, we now find Mr Cosgrove stating there is “no money” in conference facilities and instead amending his application to replace the conference facility with extra motel rooms.
Ten extra motel rooms, it seems, apparently bringing the total number of rooms to 32, though even Mr Cosgrove didn’t seem to be clear on exactly how many rooms his proposal now had.
Similarly, he avoided questions about whether the parking was adequate for the now at least 32 rooms, up to 100 outside guests and staff, and it still remains unclear whether his 50 parking spaces include the current Mollymook shopping centre parking and public spaces on Tallwood Street.
If these were not concerns enough for the community, Mr Cosgrove has now amended the barbecue area on the roof to a bar and a wading pool.
This area is to have only minimal walling and will be open to the air, and will house 100 guests or the public.
In truth the “wading pool” is actually over 70 square metres and 1.2m deep – hardly a “wading pool” by anyone’s standards. A party venue perhaps?
So Mr Cosgrove is simply now building another motel with entertainment facilities for functions on the open air roof with a pool in a residential area of Mollymook.
Unbelievably, the Mayor Joanna Gash took the floor and loudly and forcefully spoke her support for Mr Cosgrove’s amended application.
In her opinion “any development that would bring business and jobs to the area is good for the Shoalhaven”.
Well, Mayor Gash, I for one cannot see how another motel, with its sole attraction being an open roofed pool bar, is going to attract more visitors to the Shoalhaven.
As the mayor should be well aware by now, the motel industry is struggling in the Shoalhaven due to the GFC and the over abundance of unregulated holiday homes.
Mayor Gash stated a new motel would increase competition, which it may or may not depending on the desirability of Mr Cosgrove’s new development, however if there is no increase in visitor numbers it is of little benefit to the community as people will merely lose their jobs with current employers to go and work for Mr Cosgrove, and accommodation tariffs will likely fall further in the area.
This is neither increasing visitor numbers, jobs, nor income to our area.
While a conference venue could well have attracted more business, and provided a much-needed asset to our community, I fear Mr Cosgrove’s revised plan will provide nothing more than noise problems, parking problems, and possible public drunkenness in a residential area of Mollymook.
I fear Mr Cosgrove is creating more of the problems many community members already face with noise, vandalism and public drunkenness when local entertainment establishments close.
Perhaps if Mayor Gash is genuinely convinced Mr Cosgrove’s motel will benefit the Shoalhaven, she can persuade him to move his motel closer to where she lives, rather than imposing it on the poor residents of Mollymook.
R Davis
Ulladulla