MEDIA RELEASES

DECISION THE THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE

Contact Details : Aina Ranke 0402 225 563 Jan Davis 0417 422 738

Maitland Council's decision tonight to build the new East Maitland library on a section of public parkland in the Green Hills Gardens Reserve is very disappointing and could lead to further incursions on the precious green lung in the East Maitland area.

" One of the location criteria for the library is that it is able to accommodate future expansion. This criteria vindicates the concerns held that this is the beginning of the thin edge of the wedge, in the future we can look to losing more parkland in the Maitland Local Government area." said Aina Ranke, The Greens candidate for the State seat of Maitland.

East Maitland library suited many people - the mobile elderly of the east of the city, readily accessible to all modes of public transport, but these library-friendly folk will be hard pressed to access this new you-beaut edifice.

Less than 1% of public lands in the Maitland LGA has any bushland or parkland on it- this decision sets a dangerous precedent of further eating into our precious open-space resource. "Here we are with the fastest growing LGA in the State, and we are intent on removing out tiny reserve of parkland areas that supply us with fresh air and green space." Ms Ranke said.

It is not as if there were no other options to this land-grabbing proposal, the pity is, Maitland City Council Officers did not see fit to explore all the possibilities. There remains strong community opposition in the east of the City to losing their open space areas. The Greens are there to support the community in this concern.

Contact Details : Aina Ranke Mobile : 0402 225 563

Jan Davis Mobile : 0417 422 738

 

Last updated February 4, 2003

© 2003 Maitland Greens