Buyer beware: Development without infrastructure

Jim Martin's real estate experience (Peninsula News, "For sale: Bullion St carpark") should enable him to answer the question: "Should I sell up and buy a motorhome or stay put and watch the Peninsula implode with a potential 32,000 residents between Umina and Woy Woy?"

Will he tell potential buyers that the Local Government and State Government had failed to replace a simple metal frame to ease road congestion in three months?

The government' strateg is to approve developments, while allowing infrastructure to deteriorate.

How the additional 32,000 residents will influence housing affordability, property valuation and infrastructure is unknown.

Springwood St and Trafalga Ave will need to be upgraded to provide an alternative to Ocean Beach Rd which will be unable to cope with the added demand by all road users.

Safety will become a major issue.

Train services will need to be reviewed with additional services throughout the day, not just at the am/pm peaks.

Service travelling time will be longer not shorter.

Local bus service use will be promoted as an alternative to personal transport to ease congestion.

The council has failed to plan to maintain roads and drainage, for storm water flooding ahead of sea level rise.

Water tables will rise across the Peninsula adding to costs, resource use, management, maintenance of infrastructure etc.

Open space, already inadequate, will continue to be a possible revenue source for the council, which will continue to ignore the growing social and health problems due to the over-development.

The chances of Local Government and State Government addressing these issues in real terms in zero.

Recently I collected signatures for action on flooding.

All residents commented on the council's lack of action on roads, drainage, storm water, maintenance schedule, roads patchwork strategy, safety and the need to constantly request council to carry out basic infrastructure maintenance.

Imagine this situation with an additional 32,000 residents.

The strategy is to develop the Peninsula to the max and beyond while providing minimum infrastructure for the maximum financial return.

Jim Martin's predictions for the future also support this strategy.

Real estate purchase and/or investing will become riskier and more contentious on the low lying coastal sandplain.

Buyer beware.

My investigation into local flooding forced me to consider residents living on the escarpment above Lone Pine Ave.

It would appear that these residents are safe from flooding issues - not so.

With only one access road that passes close to a known flood area at Shepherd St it is possible in the future that residents may be marooned until such time as the flood water disperses below the escarpment.

Letter, 28 July 2016

Norman Harris, Umina