So, there we have it. Yesterday Maitland City Council opened up Expressions of Interest for a ‘Community Liaison Group’ (not a ‘Community Reference Panel as they had promised’) for the Walka redevelopment. A ‘Community Liaison Group’ of 15 will be formed, the accepted members of which are to “Consider and comment on information pertaining to Stage 1 that is presented”; “be open minded”; and “share the knowledge they gain with the wider community”.
It is worse than we expected. We don't need a piecemeal group of 15 hand selected by MCC who will have zero influence. We need either a town hall meeting or an independent survey involving the whole of our community.
They have also released the “scope of works” – Stage 1.
A Reflections Holiday Park for 40 Powered sites (caravans) and 10-12 cabins, partial restoration of the Pumphouse “to allow for activation” and Council taking out a $2 million dollar loan to enable this. [$10 million in State Govt funding was granted with a $5 million co-contribution required from the joint partnership of MCC, Crown Lands and Reflections, $2 million of which is coming from MCC].
There is NOTHING in this for our community. It takes AWAY from our community.
There is still no public disclosure of the actual perimeter of the Reflections Holiday Park, or the Environmental Impact Statement.
We do not support ANY accommodation on site at Walka. It will diminish the amenity and appeal of the site for our community, and impact its wildlife through introducing night lights, noise and more infrastructure to a fragile environment.
Not only this, but Walka was originally established as a public reserve as an offset for housing development in the 1980s, because Maitland didn’t have enough green space.Council knows this. We need our green space more than ever, nature unimpeded by the built environment, for the mental health and physical wellbeing of our community.
We have to question the integrity of our council when our responding Facebook comment from the Save Walka Reserve Community Alliance Page was blocked yesterday by MCC so the general public couldn't see it (only group members can view it).
Please join the Facebook Group to have your say and see how you can get involved in the campaign - large or small, we have a role for you. The campaign is about to grow and we need voices like yours and lots of them!
Thank you!
Join the group here...
#savewalka
�: Beautiful photo of Walka by Les Morgan