Mosman Village Community has written again to our local member of state parliament, Felicity Wilson, repeating our request for her support in opposing a Woolworths’ development in Mosman.
The letter expressed our extreme disappointment at her previous dismissive responses to community concerns, and asked that she acknowledge her responsibilities as a local member and honour her publicly expressed commitment to “preserve our local character and environment through planning protections.”
The letter was sent to Ms Wilson in early May. We have not yet received a response (as at end of June).
MOSMAN VILLAGE COMMUNITY
14/05/2019
Felicity Wilson, MP
Member for North Shore
Dear Ms Wilson,
Subject: Woolworths Planned Entry into Mosman
I have been asked by the Committee of Mosman Village Community group, which opposes any entry by Woolworths into Mosman, to respond to the email from your office which was received in late January this year. The delay in our response is a result of the State elections.
The Group found the response extremely disappointing, dismissive and unsatisfactory as it did not address our concerns and ignored our request for support from our elected state representative. The final sentence in the letter to you of January 17 stated: “We would be most disappointed if this lack of a detailed plan formed the basis of inaction by those who represent us”.
We acknowledged in our letter to you that, as yet, no DA has been submitted, but strongly believe by the time it is submitted it will be too late to mobilise the community. The issue is not what will be detailed in their DA plans but how their presence will impact on traffic, the village community atmosphere and local shops.
Notwithstanding this point, when the DA is submitted it is highly improbable that it will be a decision for the local council. More than likely the DA will be determined by a panel appointed by the Minister for Planning. This removal of local decision making powers was introduced by your government – it is a key matter for your consideration. Your response stated “If our office can assist you with any State government matter, please don’t hesitate to get in touch”. This is a State matter which needs to be reviewed with local decision making returned to local communities and their councils.
Finally we note that in an appeal to voters for support at the recent state election, published in the March NL magazine, you are quoted as saying “I’ve also increased funding for our public open space and preserved our local character and environment through planning protections.” We ask you to demonstrate your conviction on this issue by publicly opposing any Woolworths development in Mosman and supporting our efforts to stop it.
You should be aware that we intend to publish this letter and your response on our website mosmanvillagecommunity.org.
Yours sincerely,
Jim Slavin
Let Felicity Wilson know about your personal opposition to a massive Woolworths’ development in Mosman and your expectation that she support the community in this matter by contacting her at:
| A | Ms Felicity Wilson, MP Suite 3 40 Yeo Street NEUTRAL BAY NSW 2089 |
|---|---|
| P | (02) 9909 2594 |
| F | (02) 9909 2654 |
| E | northshore@parliament.nsw.gov.au |