No, Bob, mayor’s win was not a CST endorsement

RE the push for the cruise ship terminal made in Bob Janssen’s letter (GCB Feb 23), it is rather fanciful nonsense for him to say that the Mayor’s election success a few years ago justifies the latter’s endless promotion of this development.

Janssen conveniently ignores the fact that since then an expensive report (summarised in the GCB on May 16, 2018) has noted 23 “risk factors” that should make people think more realistically and more deeply about this proposed project instead of blindly accepting the Mayor’s hypedup thought bubble.

Moreover, any sensible voter knows that pre-election promises can be notoriously unreliable.

The location of a CST in the Broadwater has been rightly dismissed, mainly because of inadequate water depth (and so constantly requiring expensive dredging) as well as inadequate turning space.

Put simply, we do not have a large, deep-water harbour.

The need for all-weather access is one of many stumbling blocks for the open ocean favoured by the Mayor.

Another of the 23 problems identified is the difficulty of transporting thousands of passengers along a narrow access point, apparently too narrow for mini buses – the suggestion was “several carriages coupled to a main vehicle” – the mind boggles.

It is ridiculous to claim “the private sector” will resolve any problems for the CST, if their current construction of inappropriate and badly situated lumps of buildings ruining Palm location Beach is anything to go by.

No one can change the lack of a proper natural, deep-water harbour or the bouts of wild weather we encounter.

In the light of those 23 risk factors which were kept hidden from the public for so long, any sensible voter would not endorse this white elephant of a project.

It could cost ratepayers a fortune, and should go the same way as the inappropriately talked-up ASF development.

DOROTHY LLOYD PALM BEACH