New carpark will doom Woy Woy

I was recently called a grumpy old man by my dearest, to which I responded with barely suppressed malevolence.

It wasn't so much the "grumpy" part that upset me but the hurtful reference to "old".

Be that as it may, I do honestly admit having a grumpy moment after reading in the local press that a few more storeys will be added to that ugly monument to the motor car, namely the carpark at Woy Woy.

This monstrous monolithic carbuncle occupies what is undoubtedly the most valuable piece of real estate in Woy Woy.

It is a blight on the landscape and will forever doom Woy Woy to a second rate town.

Wherever you travel in Australia or overseas, you will notice that the centre of any town or village is usually defined by a town hall, a civic building, a cathedral or other place of worship and, in most cases, there will be a park or open space providing a spatial aspect highlighting the buildings' architectural or heritage features.

Imagine if you will that a park had been created linking Deepwater Plaza with the rear of the commercial premises situated along Blackwall Rd.

Access could have been provided by attractive walkways linking both areas.

A playground for children, an amphitheatre or rotunda for entertainment, and plenty of trees, shrubs and seating for weary shoppers would have provided a wonderful amenity for the public.

Let me put it this way.

Sydney is regarded as one of the finest cities in the world.

Not just because of its harbour but because of its achingly beautiful gardens and parks that surround and bisect the city.

Think of Hyde Park, the Domain, the Botanical Gardens and Centennial Park.

If our present day municipal fathers had been in charge at the time the colony was being established instead of Governor Phillip, Lachlan Macquarie and Francis Greenway, in all likelihood there would have been parking stations for horse-drawn carriages and landaus instead of gardens or, worse still, the land would have been zoned medium density housing and lost to the public forever.

Regrettably it is all too late and the car park will serve as a lasting reminder of the lack of proper planning and lack of foresight by our city fathers.

Parking stations should either be on the fringes of towns (park and ride) or integrated and form part of shopping centres.

While I am in the mood, I might also mention the disgraceful state of the approaches to the Rip Bridge.

Sadly the bridge is never mentioned or seen in any tourist brochure, yet it is in fact a great tourist attraction.

It is superbly designed with a single high span.

The view from the bridge is exquisite whether you are looking south towards Hardy's Bay or north towards Woy Woy and beyond.

You frequently see visitors taking photos in both directions.

At this time of year in particular, with an autumn sunset turning both sky and water brilliant hues of colour, the view simply takes your breath away.

Yet access to the bridge is an absolute nightmare for anyone on foot.

On the western side, the provision of a footpath across the bridge spanning Orange Grove Rd has rather inconveniently been overlooked in the design, so you either have to walk along a narrow ledge or take your chances with traffic zooming past at 70 km/h.

However, it is the eastern side where years of neglect are so clearly evident.

The footpath is almost completely covered with weeds, pine needles and rubbish and has now subsided to such an alarming degree it is almost impassable except for those people with one leg significantly shorter than the other.

When one considers the total rates revenue extracted by council from residents of St Hubert's Island and surrounding areas, there is absolutely no excuse for council not to fix the footpath and generally clean up the area.

Well, I got that off my chest and I haven't even mentioned leaf blowers, jet skis, call centres or, my latest nemesis, self-service checkouts.

Perhaps next time!

Email, 18 Apr 2010 Fred Landman, Daley's Point