THE people always get it right and they got it right in Orange. We can only hope the result will refocus the NSW Government on the needs of the restofnsw.
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A cabinet reshuffle needs to consider:
- Regional Ministers focusing on primary concerns of regions (there’s no need for the Nationals leader to be Minister for Arts anymore).
- Land and Water and Primary Industries need a junior minister (leave Niall Blair there for continuity but there is too much to do for one minister).
- Local Government needs a fresh start under a new minister who will listen to the concerns of regional NSW.
- Restore Minister for Western NSW (the best example of neglect of Western NSW is that remains the only area of the state with no Regional Growth Plan).
Currently Mr Baird is not the the Premier of NSW but the Premier of Sydney as he has little interest in the rest of NSW.
If Mr Baird is not prepared to start governing for the whole state then he should do the honourable thing and join Mr Grant in resigning.
Yours sincerely,
Bob Wheeldon, Chair of restofnsw
OVERGROWTH CONCERNS
I’M sure that other Orange residents are just as concerned as I am about the many overgrown blocks of land in our city. Because of all the rain in recent months, grass in many, overgrown blocks is almost as tall as I am.
Apart from hiding snakes, the real concern is fire risk as the thick growth dries out. I hope that the appropriate authorities take action by reminding owners of these blocks, of their responsibilities.
Keith Curry
NOT IN THE RE-ZONE
AS the chairperson for the Spring Hill and Surrounding Districts Consultative Committee I would like to echo the sentiment expressed in the Central Western Daily on Wednesday, November 23 regarding the proposal put forward by the Orange City Council to re-zone 114 hectares of primary production and environmental management land south of the airport to a mix of industrial and industrial business.
Indeed, there is a long way to go to convince stakeholders that this is a rational and well-planned decision within an area that will be situated in the vulnerable water catchment for Orange.
Water catchment areas are designated as Environmental Management (E3) and have always been protected areas because of possible contamination to the drinking water of Orange.
Orange City Council is proposing to go against its own rules and rezone this protected area to industrial which may well include heavy industry.
We deserve more than the obvious error in planning when vacant existing designated industrial sites exist within the Orange and regional areas and already have the infrastructure and services to support industrial development.
We do not need to develop another wasteland. Thank you, Mr Donato and the Blayney and Cabonne councils for standing firm on the need to carefully review the proposal.
NSW Planning are well aware of the need for the mutual agreement of all three councils prior to the submission of the amended planning proposal. We need to protect our water, our valuable land and our resources.