April 15, 2015
The South Burnett Residents Action Group’s Nanango Branch has slammed the South Burnett Regional Council over claims it consulted widely with local businesses before the Nanango streetscaping project began.
S-BRAG spokesman Grant Newson – who stood for The Greens at the last Federal and State elections – was responding to a statement by Mayor Wayne Kratzmann to southburnett.com.au yesterday that:
“After the initial consultation undertaken with a static display of the plans in the CBD manned by Council staff and Cr Barry Green, all businesses in Drayton Street were invited to a meeting at the Cultural Centre in January which was well attended”.
“(There are) several points to raise on this reported quote from the mayor,” Mr Newson said.
“The initial static display bares (sic) absolutely no resemblance to this current plan. What does the Mayor classify as ‘well attended’?
“For those businesses owners who were in attendance, what was their opinion and were any concerns addressed by the Mayor or Cr Green way back then?
“If so much consultation has been conducted, then why is the Mayor currently going around changing the plan on the spot to appease business activities? For example, two-way traffic in lane ways.
“The Mayor seems to have forgotten that the residents of Nanango are also affected by this streetscape debacle and since his alleged initial consultation, none has been properly conducted to reach this current plan.
“The businesses are directly affected by the continual disruption to the main street lately and this of course is a result from the inability of Nanango residents to be able to get to a local shop.
“The continual wasting of ratepayers’ money, either by recently installing concrete medium (sic) strips or now ripping them back up, laying pavers and then ripping them up or installing 16 unessential flag poles. Will this latest round of destruction and construction be deemed ineffective and have to be changed again shortly?
“If the Mayor believes that Nanango residents are all able and willing to park in Scott St car park or further away from the main street, he is mistaken. Many have the inability or missing the luxury of good health and mobility to carry goods such a distance.
“This absolute shambles and disgrace from the Council on the handling of the Nanango streetscape could easily have been avoided.
“It should have been an award-winning, brownie point-gaining, full community involvement exercise for all Councillors and the Mayor.
“Sadly, it has had the complete opposite effect on our local township.
“Business confidence has been continually eroded, businesses and residents totally fed up and having talked to some tourists about the issue, they are unhappy also.
“The Mayor has only one acceptable course of action he should take presently. Halt all destruction of the Nanango CBD until full public consultation has been conducted and get this project 100 per cent right before any further progress.
“How many public meetings has the mayor called in Blackbutt over a single shopping centre compared to an entire Nanango CBD facelift?”
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