Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my shock at the act of environmental vandalism committed by Wollongong Council at Jim Allen Oval at Wombarra.

Council’s Act of Environmental Vandalism

Jim Allen Oval is an open space of green grass immediately beside the pristine Wombarra beach and bounded on the north by the natural bush headland of Scarborough. In the last few weeks Council has installed four enormous steel posts which will eventually provide a stand for floodlights. These four enormous steel posts are approximately two or three times the height of a telegraph pole and completely dominate what was previously a very beautiful and natural scene of the park, bushland and beach. 

The attached photograph demonstrates the extent to which these four enormous steel posts have entirely obliterated the former natural beauty of the beachside landscape creating a scene more like an industrial freight terminal or commercial football stadium.

Jim Allen Oval is currently surrounded by 11 telegraph poles which are relatively sympathetic and compatible with the current scale of the landscape.

Council’s Financial Mismanagement

Some of the existing 11 telegraph poles already support floodlights for the Oval and the remainder are available to add further floodlights if required. The floodlights that currently exist at Jim Allen Oval are used less than a handful of times each year for evening football training and Jim Allen Oval is used for daytime football matches maybe six times per year during a busy season.

There is no need for a massive, industrial scale floodlight installation.

Unfortunately for ratepayers, Council’s dirty deeds are NOT done dirt cheap.

Believe it or not Council’s dirty deed of environmental vandalism has cost ratepayers over $200,000.00 for Jim Allen Oval alone. These four entirely unnecessary enormous steel posts are a huge waste of money and have the singular effect of destroying the natural environment.

The simple and obvious solution is to remove the offending enormous steel posts and if any additional lighting is required place some additional lights on the existing telegraph poles.

Council – you need to do better!  Ratepayers are paying you an awful lot of money to protect the environment, not to destroy it.

– A resident concerned about the environment and Council waste.

Kind regards,

Mark Smith

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