Call for forums on rubbish sites

Press, 8 March 1978, Page 5

Call for forums on rubbish sites

The Metropolitan Refuse Committee should hold public forums on each proposed transfer station site even if town-planning approval was not legally required, the Paparua County Council said, last evening.

That would allow all sides in Sockbum, Bromley, and Redwood areas to hear all arguments about facilities which — though located in industrial zones — were unThe town-planning committee chairman (Cr A. Y. Shaker) said that a similar suggestion recently had been “rubbished” by a newspaper editorial, but the news media had devoted much space to an outcry from a residential group near the Redwoods site. | “They rubbish us, who re-1 present 30,000 people, and give the Redwoods protest! so much space.” Cr Shukeri

said. “It is time they realised the council represents the people.” Although he thought the refuse committee had a good case for its siting of transfer stations, the arguments should still be brought before a public forum because the idea was so new. Paparua County would actively support an application for either a specified departure, conditional use application or designation of the proposed Sockbum site as a public work to get the idea before a public meeting. By always pegging their stories to controversial issues, the news media were ignoring their duty to “inform people about everyday council mundane affairs which affect everyday people,” Cr Shuker said. “There is not sufficient publicity about what councils really do.”