YOUR SAY: Craig Kelly says 'thank you for pointing out how productive I am'

It's also great to see that Mr Peters is such an avid reader of my Facebook posts, as I know many other constituents are, which is exactly the purpose of social media. Accordingly, I'm grateful to Mr Peters for demonstrating through his letter how effective social media is as a means of engaging with my constituents.

I would also like to thank Mr Peters for pointing out the fact that I don't frivolously use social media for mere self-promotion, nor to duplicate information readily available elsewhere, but rather that I use Facebook to discuss the important and relevant issues of the day that directly affect the constituents of Hughes.

Craig Kelly, Sutherland

Having just received 'The Heathcote Herald' from Lee Evans I notice there is no update or even a mention of the most important issue facing the Sutherland Shire concerning our drinking water. We, the voters, expect our representatives to explain where they stand on issues and so far even after letters and appeals we hear nothing. I would like to see an article for or against this issue written and printed in The Leader by Lee Evans so we can make a considered choice next election.

Zuzu Burford

Heathcote

Regarding the Leader front page 22/7 Speedy approval

I agree this will lead to excessive development. This year alone, I have submitted against three DA applications in our area as the developers have a good imagination. Without this process, the developer is and has written what they like to get the approval and then build a different outcome. Each application contained over 20 errors hoping that the Council will see a fairy tale picture rather than the true picture or don't have time. So bypassing this means developers can continue to bend the regulations to suit them rather than the neighbourhood. They have stated they are following the BCA in one part of the application but paint a different picture in another part. Once approved by a private certifier (not the Council whom I pay rates and notifies us)

Examples of "bending the rules are:

Removal of some small trees 28 trees over at least 15 metres. As Como has well-established trees, I can see over 55 trees large trees (my judgement by actually looking at them are about 30 m) being removed in just three applications but use words like several or a couple hoping the DA section would take their word.

I believe this will be the norm but understand progress is needed, but these developers believe our roads will cater to the shortfalls of their land and use fairy tales to comply.

Roy Beer, Como

Be careful what you wish for folks. Having experienced the 'children's water play feature' in a Perth Mall in WA and observed parents endeavours in maintaining their attire in a fit state for travel home etc. by public transport or the family car, I could only be sympathetic in the distractions that confronted them.

The proposal for 'central alignment of outdoor dining and all infrastructure in the Mall highlights the current battle between 'food outlets etc.' and 'shopfront retailers' who are competing for foot traffic alongside their shop windows. In a modern development of Street Dining and the need to provide table service to the adjoining premises the relocation of the tables and chairs to the centre of the mall is going to create competition for pedestrian space with staff servicing their customers or those citizens travelling along the centre of the mall on foot not wishing to enter into some cross country event caused by the new obstacles being created to restore foot traffic to the retailer's front window.

Unfortunately, nothing stays the same, many retailers have fled from streetscapes to large shopping malls for this very reason and people who wish to 'eat and greet' enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere of outdoor eating without the collisions likely to be witnessed as everybody tries to utilise this valuable space. A compromise to satisfy all concerned is difficult.

James Ley,

Cronulla

I think Cr Steve Simpson is dreaming when he reckons he was part of the public battles of the 1990s, against his Liberal Government's refusal then to build roads first at Menai, before spending on "mega-bridges" (Leader, August 5 2020).

Running behind band-wagons is common in politics, but is a poor option to good planning. A new river crossing by itself at Heathcote Rd will kill many more motorists than today because the two-lane road is too steep and narrow to handle speed safely. The deadly cliffs are Nature's speed control, while head-on crashes are man-made.

To those of us who won a four-lane Bangor Bypass in the 1990s -- and battled to fix Heathcote Rd "Roads Before Bridges" were our priority then as residents. We knew better than the policies which lined the pockets of big construction companies. One metre of a bridge can cost as much as a kilometre of vital local roads.

We won better roads for the western shire. The mega-buck bridge at Woronora is still a "peak-hour carpark", as predicted by us three decades ago because cars grind to a halt at many traffic lights in Sutherland.

Community groups won a notable victory -- to get the Bangor Bypass built early, a name which we created, and which the Government pinched because it resonated so strongly with locals. We also tried to "get through traffic off local roads", which inspired home-owners in Menai, while Sutherland voters still suffer because most were transient renters instead.

Sadly, we all endure that same bottleneck in peak-hour, bumper to bumper, with no plans and just platitudes from our politicians.

The Leader's Murray Trembath will remember who the real "road warriors"were.

Don Pagé,

Woronora