With the possibility of a Bunnings store plus others at Tura Beach and housing development at Mirador, Sapphire Coast Drive will need to be four lanes beyond Tura Beach to cope with larger volumes of traffic. Also open the road through to Mirador.

The monies spent with Merimbula was a waste. It would have been better put towards a bypass from Princes Hwy-Merimbula Drive area through to Sapphire Coast Drive about the tip. This would then have three in-and-out roads to and from Merimbula.  Also think of the heavy freight and haulage trucks plus caravaners who would welcome a bypass of Merimbula.

I realise it would be a big cost, but if you want to increase the population and have big stores you must have roads to accommodate them.

Why is it that some people in councils, state and federal politics sit on their brains and don’t think of the future?

I would like to wish the bright spring sun and all the colours of the rainbow to shine on the lovely mystery man who paid for my Weeties in the Merimbula supermarket on Saturday morning. 

It was a moment of magic and until the penny dropped I was unaware of what was happening. I hope that he sees this letter and is able to learn that I am writing to thank him for his thoughtfulness and generosity. 

It was a bit confusing, a really funny event in a way but one that deserves acknowledgement.

So Mystery Man, your good deed is very much appreciated and it is nice to know that there are people such as yourself living in this area. Again, many thanks.

This week’s announcement that a development application for an Aldi supermarket in Merimbula has been lodged has once again acted to remind the community of council’s practice of placing the commercial interests of developers ahead of those of the community, as well as its grievous mismanagement of the town’s parking needs.

For those with short memories, BVSC initially provided associates of Aldi with a lucrative incentive to invest in Merimbula in the form of a 12-month, obligation-free option to purchase the old Main Street library site. Council then offered a further extension of that option, while falsely suggesting to ratepayers they would be the real beneficiaries of the arrangement, as the town would have access to the 26 car spaces available on the site over the holiday season, ahead of the development commencing.

The 26 car spaces that council alleges will be available to the community are already being used by builders and tradesmen involved in the neighbouring Woolworths development, so there is no community benefit but rather for the developer. The spaces on the old library site are ‘small beer’.

To add insult to injury, through an amendment to the development consent, council removed the obligation for Merimbula nominees to meet its obligation to provide 127 car spaces (part of the 180 spaces previously available on the Woolworths site) throughout the course of the development, while cleverly trying to argue that those spaces were not ‘public spaces’ but rather belonged to the RSL.

Whatever the parking shortfall, what seems very clear is that while council covers its eyes and pretends  “there is nothing to see here”, Merimbula businesses will soon be asked to pay a very high price in lost turnover and profits, purely as a result of council’s irresponsible policies and incompetent management.