Residents of the southern part of Wollongong City yesterday went ahead with their public meeting demanding answers to their flooding problems – without the Lord Mayor and council staff they had invited to attend.
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Residents are angry that an area which did not used to flood is now regularly inundated, and they blame planning failures as that part of the city has developed.
Wollongong resident and flooding activist Ian Young had asked Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery to attend, along with council staff responsible for flooding issues.
He had asked them to bring reports from the inspection of the area following flooding in June 2016 and March this year.
But they did not show. Mr Bradbery instead, through his secretary, suggested they make an appointment to have a private meeting with him on the issue.
Tempers frayed the last time Mr Bradbery and council staff met this group of residents, accusing council staff of mocking them and dismissing their concerns.
Mr Young said about 30 people attended the meeting, including Labor candidate for Wollongong Paul Scully who said he would take the issue up with council.
“They’re fed up with it,” Mr Young said.
He wanted to know whether the actual rainfall from the flood days matched with the council’s flood modelling, and the flooding that occurred on March 16, 2017, and June 5, 2016.
Long-time resident Ada Rayner told the Mercury she had lived down the south end of Church St since mid-last century.
“Until recent times this water problem on Kembla St did not occur,” she said.
“I know – we do not get floods.
“Don’t blame the residents for this being a flood plain – it wasn’t a flood plain until all this concrete development was built.”
“The council has to have better planning, to take all that water away when it rains. Where does the water go?”
Council has said it had consulted residents and is considering plans for better flood mitigation.