Listen to people

The population of Baw Baw Shire is currently over 45,000 and according to Baw Baw Shire’s qwebsite it is estimated to grow to 74,500 residents by 2036, which is less than 20 years away.

Due to Warragul and Drouin’s good access to Melbourne through the direct rail line and the Princes Freeway and the affordable price of houses in the shire, the growth of West Gippsland will almost double in the next two decades.

Council is already looking to build new kindergartens and have identified sites for half a dozen new schools in the Warragul/Drouin area to cater for population surge.

The council and members of parliament have been lobbying for a new West Gippsland Hospital to be buitl to cater for the needs of this growing community and the large number of babies (over 1000) being born here each year.

So imagine my surprise to read David Cann’s comments (Gaz 23/5) stating that he did not believe the town would have a population ig enough in the next 20,30 or 40 years to support a major shopping centre development.

By 2036 the popoulation of this shire will be the same at Latrobe’s current population which contains the towns of Moe, Morwell and Traralgon which currently all contain large shopping precincts.

Warragul does need a larger shopping precinct and the planning needs to be done now.

Many families are leaving the shire now just to buy basic clothing or home supplies that cannot be sourced in Warragul.

Millions of dollars are leaving the shire as a select few cling to the notion that we can continue to stay as a small rural shopping community.

Also needed to be taken into consideration are the hundreds of teens who are unable to find work locally.

When a local business has a rare junior position available they are absolutley swamped with resumes as eager young adults attempt to find local work after school.

Imagine how much more the unemployment youth rate will be when the population balloons in the next two decades.

Get real people. Check your facts business owners and start listening to the real needs of the wider community Baw Baw Shire Council.

Tanya van Praag, Warragul