A 24-hour food store is overdue

Last week I was sounded out about what I thought of the prospect of a 24-hour McDonalds next to the Woolworths service station which is already well under way on the corner of West St and Ocean Beach Rd, Umina.

I am a 100 percent in favour of the commercial development of another food outlet and I believe Umina has a chance to become the place to eat on the south end of the Central Coast.

It is long overdue.

It will strengthen the resolve of already unhappy locals to insist on a stronger police presence in the Umina CBD over night.

Friday, August 14, confirmed what I have told all those who would listen.

Another vandalism attack, this time at the TAB, by drunken youths hanging around the Umina CBD inflicting anti-social behaviour in the early hours of the morning.

Without 24x7 monitoring and a proper quick response, the expensive recently-installed CCTV will do nothing but provide a record of what happened in the small hours of the night.

Until we have a strong police presence right here on the Woy Woy Peninsula, we will continue to endure an increase in attacks on what is laughingly identified as our "quiet enjoyment".

In the meantime, our Central Business District needs to grow, and that will be much more productive experience with constructive community involvement at the grass roots level. Don't continue to sit back and let community leaders direct things the way they have in the past.

Edward James, Umina