It was with some surprise and interest that I read Orange City Councillor Stephen Nugent's suggestion that signage should be added to a proposed rest stop on the eastern entrance to Orange to promote a restaurant and adventure playground in north Orange.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Perhaps a sign for the playground would be a good idea, however a sign built at our expense for a privately-owned-and-run restaurant would not.
Such a sign would divert potential customers away from our CBD, an area that is suffering enough as it is and needs all the help it can get for businesses to survive.
It is a matter for this restaurant owner to apply to council for permission to locate a sign in this area and also to pay for it.
It is not ratepayers’ responsibility to pay for signage for particular private businesses, a shopping centre is a different matter.
As for the western entrance to Orange the most suitable site for a rest stop that would service most incoming visitors to our city would be Esso Park, currently an under-utilised facility.
Anything further west would not cater for most visitors to Orange coming via Forbes Road and Escort Way.
As this park adjoins the block of land on the Summer Street corner with Woodward Street now owned by council, it would be ideal for this block to be added to the park.
This park has lighting, water and sewer available, as it used to have a public toilet.
Certainly traffic control would need to be sorted, however with computerised traffic lights this should not be a major issue, and perhaps Hamer Street could be utilised.
Currently this park does not appear to be fully utilised and would make an ideal rest area.
Yours sincerely,
