Good decision on Patonga parking
It was disappointing to read the forum letter by Ed James last issue about the Patonga Beach Hotel.
Several points need correcting.
Firstly, council does have a parking policy which sets out guidelines for all developments and specifically refers to hotels.
These are guidelines only and to achieve the best result for both property owners and the rest of the community a host of other matters need to be considered.
I have been battling council's planners for some 10 years to achieve the best result possible in everyone's interests because, in my view, the council's planners are too inflexible in their approach to the application of these guidelines.
The car parking policy has a prescriptive base but contains numerous subjective elements to it.
This is where some, not all, of the officers and we disagreed.
After determining the theoretical maximum number of on-site car spaces required, the council is then required to consider other factors to assess the actual need for access to the venue by car.
For example, how many local residents in Patonga would walk to the hotel (answer: most); how many boaties visit the hotel (answer: many), how many people from the Palm Beach-Patonga ferry service travel to the hotel (answer: many) and because our hotel has no poker machines or TAB we attract large family groups who generally share a vehicle.
In 2002, a traffic engineer's report was produced for council's planners identifying these users and likely modes of transport and this report also highlighted the pedestrian nature of the village and the danger of pedestrian-vehicle conflict leading to the proposed car park area.
This latter issue is certainly not new as Ed states.
Unfortunately for us, the planners too narrowly restricted the application of the policy but that is why we have a system of local government and planning which enables rights of review to both an elected council and if needed a judicial right of appeal to a land and environment court.
These all form part of a democratic system of government.
Thankfully, our lives are not completely run by mandarins in a bureaucracy with no right of appeal and with a view that one shoe should fit all sizes and everything is either black or white.
It's not a totalitarian state.
Patonga is a unique environment with significant areas for public parking and with only a couple of commercial businesses and little or no prospect for any further development of commercial enterprises.
In these circumstances, I believe the councillors cannot be accused of short-term thinking.
The very nature of the compromise reached to provide a voluntary contribution for public works that could be better used and enjoyed by the wider community is an example of good government.
No offence to McDonald's or other hotel venues but I really don't think having an ugly hard-stand or bitumen-type car park of any size fits the natural beauty and scenic qualities of Patonga.
Given, we are a small village, aesthetics affects most residents and visitors alike.
Like most things in life, there are no perfect solutions, but I believe the hotel development and the decision reached by the nine councillors and our family has got it pretty right in the end.
Letter, 17 Nov 2009
Robert Osborne, Patonga