In what was a well run public meeting, attended by three of the nine invited councillors to listen to the concerns of Friends of Pretty Point (FoPP) regarding the proposed re classification of the Reserve at 35-37 Illabunda Drive at Malua Bay.
Above: Members of the Pretty Point and wider Malua Bay community say NO to the council's proposed sell off of Pretty Point Public Reserve, a local open green space dedicated as community reserve.
Attending the meeting were Councillors McGinlay, Mayne and Constable with only an apology from received from the Mayor. While the other councillors might have considered this to be a localised issue it was put in rather strong words by Councillor Mayne that the Council's intention to sell the public reserve might at first appear to be a micro issue across the shire with more than 30 other public owned reserved earmarked for sale it was very much a macro issue worthy of asking the question of the Mayor "just what is Council's vision to green space?" There was a strong sense of Déjà vu for those who stood on the same lot in 1995 with a busload of councillors who swore, on site to a similar group of concerned residents that Council would NOT be selling the public reserve. Then ten years later, when requested for a statement on Council's possible intent in selling the Pretty Point Public Reserve Council formally responded saying:
Above: The Mayor and her councillors will need to explain to the community this letter sent by Council to a Malua Bay resident in regards to the Pretty Point Public Reserve.
However only eight years later on February 2nd 2018 Councillors Pollock and Brown moved that Council commence a planning proposal process to rezone Lot 1110 DP 236653 located at (35-37 Illabunda Drive, Malua Bay) from E2 Environmental Conservation to R2 Low Density residential and reclassify the subject land from community to operational to enable the sale of the land. Of interest to those assembled today was that it was Councillor Pollock who moved the motion to sell the public reserve and it was Councillor Pollock in 19195 who said the reserve would NOT be sold.
VIDEO: Public meeting at Pretty Point, Malua Bay over Council's intention to sell a public reserve open green space Feb 10th 2019
Above: The dedicated Pretty Point Public Reserve that is now in Council's sights as they begin a process of selling of community owned land that staff deem as "not being used".
The Friends of Pretty Point (FoPP) committee will, in the strongest possible terms present their objections to the proposed rezoning of the area to next Tuesday's Council meeting and hopefully provide to Council very compelling reasons to keep dedicated public reserve open and free for community use.
With a written petition already in place The Friends of Pretty Point (FoPP) have also setup a petition online to enable non-resident Malua Bay ratepayers to also indicate their support in saving the Public Reserve
