STATE MP Gurmesh Singh passionately espoused the benefits of the Jetty Foreshores revitalisation plan in parliament on Thursday, 26 June.
The Member for Coffs Harbour spoke of the project’s potential to secure jobs into the future, and the impacts of the Coffs Harbour bypass, which is set for completion in 18 months.
“In a very short time from now, the Coffs Harbour bypass will open to traffic,” he said.
“That is great. But let’s not kid ourselves.
“Bypasses do not just remove traffic; they also remove opportunity.
“If we do not give people a reason to stop, we risk being nothing more than another name on a green highway sign.”
Mr Singh said cities who have “embraced their waterfronts” have flourished in recent years, citing Ballina and Port Macquarie as examples, arguing that Coffs Harbour risked being left behind due to being “paralysed by fear and misinformation”.
“Let’s talk plainly,” he said.
“The jetty precinct is a mess – a dusty gravel car park, an old transport depot, a neglected space sitting idle while some tear down any attempt to fix it.
“It is embarrassing.”
Mr Singh said the whole community could agree that the foreshore land is too important to “sit unused and unimproved”.
“Unfortunately, Coffs Harbour is unique among coastal cities because, rather than seeing improving our waterfront as an opportunity, attempts at improvement have been heavily resisted by some.
“It is time to release the handbrake on our future, where our children will have amazing opportunities, where we have a thriving tourism and hospitality industry and where our green open spaces are beautified and protected.”
Mr Singh also claimed that “most residents quietly support the project, even if they have been drowned out by the noisy minority”.
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