Councillors, the local member, planners and the editor of MNW, were inundated with overwhelming support for such a development.

Now that Wesfarmers, the owner of Bunnings, has purchased the two lots from the corner of Sapphire Coast and Tura Beach Drives, bringing the project closer to reality, I suspect support has only increased.

What is proposed is not a full-sized Bunnings Warehouse, but a smaller version equivalent to that in Ulladulla.

While you may not be able to purchase every Bunnings item on-site, you will be able to order it in.

This will enable the people of this region to have access to a broader range of goods at cheaper prices on their doorstep.

This is exactly what I predicted in 2004 when encouraging the rezoning of land for what eventually became Tura Woolworths.

Then, there were dire predictions of the end of the world as we knew it. What actually happened was the proprietor of Tura IGA moved on to work elsewhere, and Tura residents rejoiced in that wider range of goods at cheaper prices.

Tura Woolworths is now the best trading Woolworths in the shire and is a much-loved shopping destination that has added close to 90 net jobs to the local economy.

Bunnings will do exactly the same – and like Tura Woolworths will have zero negative impact on our residential life, as the population is located east of these developments.

Many residents of this area have had to shop at Bunnings and Aldi when in Canberra or Bateman’s Bay. We need both these iconic businesses, locally.

A Bunnings at Tura is a significant step that will not only give us more jobs and cheaper prices on our doorstep, but will encourage others to move to this area, increasing the value of property investment, should people need to leave.

It is disgraceful that Tura Woolworths has been the only major development in decades in our coastal region. I encourage everyone to get behind this Bunnings proposal and give us all a brighter and more positive future!

Chris Kunz, Tura Beach