Annie Radermacher, Brunswick Heads
Here in Bayside Brunswick Heads, we have The Kollective developers pushing to develop a parcel of land. The Kollective have in the past, and continue to, use a scheme under the Affordable Housing SEPP.
The Kollective wish to have community consultation, during COVID-19; the flyer I received stated that we are to email or to make an appointment, but there was no phone contact or email provided. Bayside also has a significant number of retirees, some of whom are computer illiterate.
The development proposes a grocery store, cafe, a 48 room boarding house with six shop fronts with units on top. This is nothing less than massive compared to what is here now. Now we have some homes with granny flats, young families, and many retirees living together in a tree surrounded quiet community.
The leaflets distributed have caused so much anxiety. I am very concerned about the health impacts on the elderly and the young families who have invested in living in this quiet community. Does that concern developers? No, it’s just business as usual. This business as usual often seems to mean putting forward to the community an unacceptable plan of development – then they pull back the plan, supposedly appeasing the demographic, and coming to a so-called resolution.
This is at a time in history where things are not so hot, we are all facing a very uncertain future, COVID-19 has turned our world upside down, causing angst – supposedly this is ok. Well not from this end – we are saying goodbye quiet community, because The Kollective needs to do what they do, under the pretext of supplying affordable housing for those who want to live and work here. But where are these jobs? Where are the facilities?
