Roads and Rubbish

We all know the shire have failed us on roads, just take a look at the AMRMail to see how little respect the farmers of Warner Glen are receiving. So how are they doing on rubbish?

These are personal observations on how there are rubbish problems inherent in the proposal to develop investment/holiday homes at Karridale.

The strategic planners used an occupancy rate of 2 persons per house. Does this mean that the shire fail to learn anything about how investment/holiday homes are used throughout this shire?

Even for large blocks, that will have 4 bedroom homes built on them, our strategic planners decided 2 persons per dwelling would be the number occupying. The experience elsewhere in the shire is that residential houses used for holiday homes frequently have an occupancy rate of 10+.

Image how much more waste 10+ persons generate compared to 2, quite a lot more.

This could mean that the planners would not have got the requirements for a waste disposal strategy planned properly when they planned the houses.

Strategic planning needs to be considering what will be needed way into the future.

Or maybe there are other, secret, strategic plans that we are not allowed to see?

This year we, the rural land owners, have been penalised by our waste disposal charge being double that of the urban townsite dweller.

Ask why?

I asked; but Mr Evershed has not provided an explanation as to how this can possibly be anything but a clear case of discrimination.

Maybe this year’s doubling of our waste disposal charge is just the first step in a shire initiative to make the rural land owners provide more support for the tourism businesses of Margaret River? Or just drive us all away in frustration.

They must have had some reason to impose such a penalty.

If it was just an unintentional mistake he could have replied by now.

Then there is the puzzle regarding how the holiday homes will dispose of their rubbish. Will the new estates at Karridale be enjoying a kerbside collection? The proposed closure of transfer stations could prove a serious handicap to holiday visitors taking rubbish to the tip. Can’t see those “no birds” vehicles carting black sacks too far.

Have the extra collections required been costed in? Has the shire really thought about it?

Or maybe it’s one of those “not on my watch” problems that Gary is leaving for the CEO who has the job in say, five years time.

If every house needs a second wheelie of waste, as it seems most holiday houses do, will they get charged for it?

Rubbish is such a silly thing for me to get bothered about.

But underlying Mr Evershed’s decision, that the rural landowner must bear a disproportionate cost of his administration’s inadequate waste disposal strategies, is a serious social issue. A complete lack of respect for rural residents.

Mr Evershed should take a close look at his volunteers and acknowledge that when Margaret River next burns he might be dependent on Karridale, Rosa Brook, Alex Bridge, Molloy, Cowaramup and Witchcliffe.

Denial is no good, as an urban man living in a hostile landscape he must face up to the reality of his own dependency on the wit and wisdom of his rural neighbours. The townsite will need their country cousins, and when they do let’s hope we can feel genuine warmth and generosity of spirit towards them when they need help.

The residents of the townsite are not the ones treating rural landowners with disdain. Their dislike of the style of this shire administration is as great as our own.

What the shire are really wasting is the social capital of our community.