Robbo "missed out" - in every sense

Robertson, this forgotten corner of the Wingecarribee Shire, has "missed out" yet again. The Council has funded a Landscape Planner to develop a plan for our central area of playing fields - known as Hampden Park.

Here is a panoramic image of the Park being used
for a "Band" performance,
as part of the 2007 "Springtime in Robertson" Festival.

Most of the playing fields were developed by teams of locals, with their tractors, levelling the playing surfaces, etc. The Wingecarribee Shire Council is taking an interest in Hampden Park, and so the local community has assisted the planner to develop a formal plan for the Park. There are funds set aside for the development of the Park.

Sound good?
Oh, dear. How little you understand, dear reader.

The plot goes like this:

1. Council wants to sell two blocks off the side of the park;
2. Before it can do this, it has to vary the plan;
3. But there is no "plan" (remember the locals built most of the park themselves, in true Aussie fashion).
4. So, Council has commissioned a "Plan";
5. So that they can then vary the "Plan",
   
6. In order to sell off part of the Park.
7. Proceeds of the sale of land are destined to fund an "Indoor Leisure Centre" in Bowral, which was "promised" by a leading Councillor - who is about to retire, and wishes to see his "Leisure Centre" approved before he steps down.

So. Robertson people, who have co-operated with Council on the formal Plan for Hampden Park, are about to be "dudded" again.

Oh, by the way, the funds set aside for the "development" of Hampden Park are likely to be used up in fixing "drainage problems" in the Park, which Council will be required to fix, before the land adjacent to the Park can be sold. The drainage problems are not from within the park, but come from residential land east (uphill) from the Park (and the two blocks of land concerned).

The Net Result is likely to be:

• Some work might be done in the Park,
  
• but only to fix problems created by Council's own poor standard of development work (i.e., lack of appropriate Storm Water controls).
  
• Council will then sell the two blocks from the Park for "residential use",
  
• it will pocket approximately $500, 000 and
  
• use that money outside of Robertson - for a "leisure centre" 40 Km away, which is likely to be little used by Robertson people.

But don't worry, we will have a Plan for Hampden Park.

*****

Robertson lives perpetually in the Mist. This time, Robertson is about to have "Missed Out" (mist-out) again.

We shall see if the people of Robertson care enough to make some noise on this issue. In every sense, it is up to them.