FIX THIS MESS
Hill wants drunks out of suburb
MAYOR Jenny Hill has launched an extraordinary att tack on the deterioration of a s section of the Aitkenvale busin ness precinct
Cr Hill has threatened to put certain agencies and organisations “on the mat” for not responding to the issue of vagrants plaguing parts of the suburb. She also accused “a major Australian company” of contributing to the problem by sitting on development approvals.
MAYOR Jenny Hill has threatened to put certain agencies and organisations “on the mat” for not responding to the issue of vagrants plaguing parts of Aitkenvale.
The powerful comments came as Townsville City Council signed off on a co-ordinated plan to make the community safer.
The Townsville Bulletin last week reported that businesses and residents wanted action to tackle a volatile mix of roaming youths and squatters gathering in and around the Stockland precinct on Ross River Rd.
Cr Hill ripped into the “agencies” that were responsible for responding to the community’s concerns, accusing them of not doing enough and instead “acting more as enablers”.
“Fundamentally, law and order is the responsibility of the State Government,” she said.
“(But) some of the agencies that are meant to be assisting us in terms of public drunkenness and things like that, we’d like to see exactly what they’re doing and where their assistance really is.
“And I’m concerned some of the agencies are acting more as enablers rather than attempting to solve some of the key issues we have around public drunkenness.
“There’s a couple I’m going to visit this week and literally put them on the mat.”
Cr Hill declined to name the parties she was referring to but directly referenced the area around Ross River Rd and Elizabeth St in Aitkenvale.
“People are feeling very much uncomfortable and unsafe in these areas,” she said.
She then accused “a major Australian company” of sitting on development approvals.
“We can’t make them develop the site but they have asked businesses to leave that site and what we have now is a derelict area where people can congregate in the dark and I don’t think it’s acceptable anymore,” Cr Hill said.
Property giant Stockland has said it was reviewing plans for land holdings adjacent to its Aitkenvale shopping centre and a series of development opportunities in Townsville.
The former Westpac Bank site on Ross River Rd, owned by Stockland has been boarded up and vacant for nearly two years.
The council, at a full meeting on Tuesday, signed off on its Community Safety Plan, spruiked as a “co-ordinated approach to community across council” with the help of community partnerships.
“The clear objective of the Community Safety Plan is to bring together existing programs, identify trends and issues in the community and develop appropriate responses to safeguard public safety,” Cr Hill said.
The safety plan includes adding to the 300-strong council CCTV network over the next two years, adding a public duress button at Riverway, street lighting, and programs to support youth development.
The council set aside $13.3 million in funding for public safety in its recent budget.