Sugar addiction
I congratulate the MNW for its August 1 editorial warning about sugar addiction.
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We also need to recognise that sugar has a major effect on dental health, especially with children. The response from politicians is to add fluoride to our drinking water, a toxic fertiliser residue proved to be at best ineffective, at worst detrimental to human health.
While a sugar tax may be part of the solution the most effective way to reduce sugar consumption would be to impose severe restrictions on the amount of sugar and artificial sweeteners added to all food and drink.
Have our politicians got the courage to take on the sugar industry?
Bernard Lagarenne, Merimbula
Aldi concession
Why is everyone so surprised that Aldi wants further financial concessions from Bega Valley Shire Council before proceeding with the purchase of the old library site in Merimbula (MNW, 1/8)?
The residents and ratepayers of the Bega Valley have had to sit around for two years while Aldi decided whether it was really serious about its $1.3m purchase of the site, while Aldi paid not a dime for its squatter’s rights.
Aldi has not contributed a cent to the cost of the major road infrastructure being built to provide the original development partners – Club Sapphire, Woolworths and their patrons – with access to its facilities and now expects the shire to roll over and continue to let it enjoy a free ride.
It is no secret the Bega Valley Shire Residents and Ratepayers Association (BVSRRA) believes that the proposed sale of the prime site in Main Street to Aldi was one of the very worst deals council has ever done.
Last week council continued its abuse of the Merimbula community by again attempting to pull the wool over its eyes by pretending that it owes the town nothing when it comes to public parking.
For its part, the BVSRRA has calculated that council owes the Merimbula community at least 200 public car parking spaces.
Two years ago the BVSRRA argued that council should walk away from the sale of the Main Street site to Aldi and provide 140 public car parking spaces there until such time as alternate parking facilities were made available in the wider CBD.
The financial sense of this proposal is based on the understanding that to provide the equivalent amount of parking elsewhere in the community would cost ratepayers around $5m.
In other words, forego the $1.3m in sales revenue and create parking that would otherwise cost four times that amount.
Given Aldi’s readiness to abuse the hospitality of our community, the BVSRRA believes council should immediately terminate negotiations to sell the Main Street site and pursue the conversion of the site into public car parking.
John Richardson, BVSR&RA
Consolidated opposition
In a recent phone conversation with Pam Allan, chairperson of the Southern Joint Regional Planning Panel, she advised me that a Frogs Hollow DA community briefing is planned for noon, Wednesday, August 29. It will be held in the Bega Valley Commemorative Civic Centre. She emphasised that this will not be the determination meeting, but rather an opportunity for all concerned residents to openly voice their valid concerns, directly to the decision-making panel.
This is almost a month away, but it is essential that as many people as possible attend the meeting to express the consolidated opposition to the proposed monstrosity!
I just hope the civic centre is big enough.
Ian Gordon, Toothdale
- Letters to the editor on any topic are welcome. Use the submission form on our website or email ben.smyth@fairfaxmedia.com.au with your name and home town for publication and a contact number for verification.