PAUL

Weston’s reporting on the Attorney-General granting approval for the Court case to save the Bruce Bishop Carpark to proceed has been excellent, but slightly inaccurate on one point.

The suggestion (GCB, 11 September, page 9) that the cultural centre cannot proceed without council borrowing money if the Bruce Bishop Carpark is not sold is erroneous.

Mayor Tate has stated publicly that the council can easily raise the funds from savings in other areas.

Why then is the council continuing to try to flog this valuable community asset, an asset that produces substantial annual profits?

Why is it prepared to accept a fire sale price of well under half of its replacement cost?

Why then is it causing so much unnecessary angst for workers, business owners and residents in Surfers Paradise?

Why is it spending hundreds of thousands of ratepayer dollars on a court action to fight Save Surfers Paradise?

After stating publicly a month ago that the council has a sale contract and that it intended to settle that contract by the end of the month, CEO Dickson now says there is no contract after all.

What is really going on? DEBORAH KELLY, SECRETARY, SAVE SURFERS PARADISE INC.