Port Macquarie-Hastings Council appears to becoming grouped in the latter.

When will councillors hear the community pleas for routine repairs and maintenance to our disgusting roads, especially those immediately outside the Port Macquarie CBD.

More expensive landscaping and the tearing up of existing footpaths and guttering are of a low priority to the residents when right across the region roads are becoming so unsafe that state road authorities are recommending preferred routes to access certain areas of the Hastings.

As the beneficiaries of CBD redevelopment are primarily the businesses within the several blocks that make up the CBD it would be of interest to the residents to know just what will be the upfront contributions in real dollar terms that are made by CBD business owners and landlords.

More labour intensive gardens when council has insufficient staff to maintain existing parks and reserves is not warranted. 

In today’s fiscal climate please don’t even think of imposing further rate rises to fund this extravagance.

By all means consider the CBD redevelopment when we have nothing better to spend dollars on but at this point in time it’s not prudent to impose any of the costs onto the ratepayers.

Doug Sutton, Wauchope