CRIGHTON CALL TO WALK AWAY REBUFFED

CALLS from Jamberoo residents group JRoo Forum to Crighton Properties boss Geoff Cox to stand and deliver on his public declaration to walk away if his plans for a lifestyle resort on land at Jamberoo were rejected by the local community have fallen on deaf ears, with the Central Coast developer saying it would be inappropriate to comment until the development application (DA) has been heard by Kiama Municipal Council.

In an open letter to Mr Cox and the Kiama Independent, JROO Forum member Ron Murrell calls upon Mr Cox to make that walk after finding that 84 percent of submissions received by Kiama Council in relation to the resort were opposing the development.

A Kiama Council staffer confirmed this week that the figure sounded accurate but said a final count had not yet been completed as the submission merit assessment period was still underway.

You did say to the people of Jamberoo, more than once, that if your proposal did not receive widespread support you would walk away, said Mr Murrell.

The results are irrefutable and you might like now to show us that you are a man of your word.

Mr Cox responded swiftly to the letter, replying via the Kiama Independent to say that he felt it would be inappropriate to comment.

It would be inappropriate for us to be debating the merits of Woodstock at Jamberoo in public, at least until such time as Kiama Council has had the opportunity of assessing our companys

development application, stated Mr Cox.

In a separate letter, Mr Cox also responded to the Independents recent article concerning possible changes to the company's DA relating to water reuse on the Jamberoo site.

On the 18th of July our company supplied council with further information with regard to water

and sewer provision for our

development.

The information provided to council confirmed that up to 100 percent of the waste sewer and water on the site was able to be reused - compared with our previous target of 70 percent of waste sewer and water.

Council wrote to us on the 15th of August questioning whether there would be a need to consider the reuse on nearby agricultural lands not currently owned by the proponent, an option that could have necessitated a change to the original application, wrote Mr Cox.

Our company advised council on the 24th of August that as no land outside the site was required to be used, the application did not need to be amended.

In our letter to council we enclosed details of the staging of the effluent disposal system, in response to a request by council for details of any staging as requested in Councils letter to us on the 15th of August.

The company advising Crighton Properties on their water treatment solutions is Agsol, a company which provided advice to Sydney Water during the preparation of the recent Jamberoo Sewerage Scheme Environmental Impact Statement.

Mr Cox concluded his letter by pointing out that when the resort development application goes to councils October meeting, the plans will have been with council for 154 days.