Let the naysayers hold their tongues.
Camera IconLet the naysayers hold their tongues. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Opinion: Naysayers should say no more about Scarbrough twin towers

Albert Koenig, Watermans BayStirling Times

ONCE again the naysayers have come out in force, this time over the proposal for a 40-storey twin tower project near Scarborough Beach.

The letter headlines in the Stirling Times on February 6 were “Right To Reject High Rise” and “Not Gold Coast”.

The same old, tired opposition to change just like when the Hillarys Marina and the Observation City building projects were proposed in the early 1980s.

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Yet these developments have provided great benefits for people in the northern beach suburbs, and I’m saying that as one who has lived there for more than 30 years.

Yet neither project fit the development rule-book of the time.

Prior to the Observation City building development the area surrounding the Scarborough beachfront was inhabited by forgettable, tired old premises frequented mainly by louts.

The hotel’s development greatly improved the nature of the area as well as available social and tourist facilities.

Before the marina, Hillarys beach was a set of unexciting sand dunes (our coastline has no shortage of these) – a complete contrast to the wonderful atmosphere of today’s Hillarys Marina, which provides highly popular facilities for social activities, tourism, entertainment, boating, ferries to Rottnest, shopping and even a kiddies beach.

We need to recognise that the relevant government approval bodies are now dealing with a major and possibly stand-out development that might deliver something special for

the future of Scarborough, if handled well.

So let’s give the approval bodies and the developer the opportunity to come to agreement on the scale and detail of this important project, without weighing in with a lot of cheap and worn out arguments, since these don’t help anyone.

ALBERT KOENIG,

Watermans Bay