Quarter-acre Living Not For All, Says Lake Mayor

Newcastle Herald

Monday June 27, 2005

By JACQUI JONES

AN expanded Charlestown Square and high-density residential areas are key to Charlestown's future, Lake Macquarie Mayor Greg Piper says.

Suitable development would add to Charlestown's potential as a major retail centre and give residents a range of housing and lifestyle options.

"It has a huge benefit to the community at large," Cr Piper said.

Boosting the economy and job creation were the direct benefits, he said.

"There's obviously huge opportunities if Charlestown Square can be redeveloped throughout.

"If [it is], that adds to the retail potential of Charlestown Square and also gives us an opportunity to to address some other sins of the past."

Cr Piper said that previous development had not created particularly good outcomes. There was potential for the mall to become an area that provided people with a space to relax or engage in community activities.

Traffic patterns could also be improved, he said.

Cr Piper said residential development was an issue the council would focus its attention on.

"Council has made that clear with the number of approvals for mixed use residential buildings," he said.

Cr Piper said the council did not intend to take away people's backyards but wanted to increase the range of choices available to residents.

He said a quarter-acre block may be suitable for young families, but high-density residential developments would provide benefits for older people, retirees or young, childless couples.

Not having to maintain a yard was a consideration for some people.

Those living in centrally located developments such as the Alto Apartments were close to amenities such as transport and medical services.

Charlestown's Smith Street Medical Practice is struggling to find general practitioners to replace two retiring doctors, but Cr Piper said the shortage was not exclusive to Charlestown.

"I think areas like Charlestown, [with] a high-density population around it and a dynamic retail and commercial centre, are more likely to be able to attract GPs and provide services efficiently than outlying areas," Cr Piper said.

"We've seen problems with the provision of GP services in Boolaroo and Argenton. There's certainly been problems in the Cardiff area and I'm aware of problems to the south-west in the Morisset area.

"GPs really are stretched to limits."

But he said the problem was something that the State and Federal governments were going to have to tackle, not the council.

© 2005 Newcastle Herald

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