Blogawler

KNOCK-ON  EFFECT.

The Delfin publicity machine has been working overtime recently, producing glossy plans and rolling out the promises.

The devil is always in the detail and one of  the first of these is the effect on the residents of Sunnydale Avenue. It was pronounced recently that their street would become part of the gleaming new collector road between Lyndoch  and Calton Roads  and into the new development.

The residents held a meeting recently where they voiced their outrage about this rural road being turned into a major carriageway, whisking cars and trucks through and around Gawler.

The promise of new kerbs and gutters are no consolation for turning their lives upside down with increased noise, fumes and safety concerns.

Be under no illusions that urban growth around Gawler, with the potential of tripling the population, will have major negative effects on the whole town. Sunnydale Avenue is one of the first examples.

This is the time to demand that the Government show leadership and invest resources into detailed investigations and modelling of the effects of urban growth on the town.

It  would also be an act of openness and true community consultation if the Government and the developer released studies as they were completed, not just at the last minute which creates a flood of information. By doing this it would create an environment for open, ongoing discussion and dialogue instead of the situation we now have leading to community uncertainty and unrest.

Only after all investigations have been completed and discussed will we be anywhere near understanding the long-term effects and be able decide if it is feasible and/or reasonable to approve development plans.

The Government should stand up  for the community and not be held to the timetables of developers and their commercial interests.