Housing for seniors or for developers?

My crime? I dared to stand as an independent against them at the last council Ward 2 by-election. I also gave them ammunition by speaking up about the need for better seniors' housing and aged care facilities in the Mountains after personally experiencing the acute difficulties of helping my parents make the transition through their old age.

Developer? I don't think so. I am a light aircraft engineer and have only owned one house in my life. Everyone who knows how much I value our fragile environment laughs at the suggestion.

Sadly Blue Mountains Council is a school for trainee career party politicians. The whole puppet show is run by the party headquarters in Sydney and they are determined to keep it that way by any means available to them.  Anyone is welcome to genuinely criticise me. There are 49 pages of my policies and issues at rrt4bmcc.com. Please comment on these rather than making up politically motivated fairy tales about me.

Thank you Rob Thompson for acknowledging the acute shortage of suitable housing for Blue Mountains  seniors and the absence of council consideration of the housing needs for seniors. I am 73 in June. I have lived here since 1996 and unlike Wyn Jones I know the difference between "medium" and "high density " development. I currently live in a house with many stairs on 3200 square metres of garden that I cannot continue to maintain nor pay a gardener to maintain. I also do not want to spend my age pension on the council rates. These issues are very important to me as they will determine whether I will be forced to move out. They have nothing to do with any chamber of commerce candidates at the next local government election.

Roza Sage, you talk about council’s hidden agenda being exposed (BMG, 27.4.12). Thank goodness you have enlightened us by revealing where their views stand on medium to high density development in the Blue Mountains and an airport in western Sydney. They oppose both.  All I can say is that we, the community, are in safe hands then. I think Roza’s letter goes a long way towards explaining why she is no longer our local MP. And never again will be.

Listen up, people of the Blue Mountains: it is possible to build seniors housing in at least 80 per cent of Blue Mountains residential zones. This includes R1 General Residential, R2 Low Density Residential and R3 Medium Density Residential. This is legislated by the State Environment Planning Policy (SEPP) for Seniors or People with a Disability 2004 (amended).

Our R3 medium density zones are mainly close to town centres, especially the largest centres with the most services -  Katoomba and Springwood. These zones present opportunities for developers to build townhouses, blocks of flats and the like for oldies and youngies, in walking distance from shops, public transport and health services.

Strangely, the developers are not lining up to meet the alleged need. For example, Lurline and Parke Street on either side of Katoomba town centre are zoned R3. There are many under-used properties on both streets just waiting for developers who are presumably waiting for a spike in demand.

So why all the crocodile tears that could fill Katoomba pool about zoning that prevents seniors housing or strategic town planning? And who is leading the outcry?

The campaign is led by Mountains Combined Chambers and Community (MCCC). MCCC officeholders made numerous group and personal submissions that opposed the zones of the Draft Local Environment Plan and requested changes that would increase land values. The MCCC claims to represent business chambers and community groups of the Mountains. As a business member of the Katoomba Chamber of Commerce and Community, I have no say in the election of MCCC officeholders nor have I ever been invited or notified of a meeting or been consulted on planning submissions.

Transport for NSW is proposing an upgrade to Leura Station. They direct people to their website where they supply four very pretty photo montages. It's not until you dig deeper that you see a photo montage of the whole disaster – a view from the station itself. Never mind the fact that this may look like an attempt to hide the true extent of their "upgrade". The upgrade is totally devoid of any sensitivity to the character of Leura. It not only does not belong in Leura Station, it does not belong in Leura or anywhere in the Blue Mountains. Part of the appeal of the Blue Mountains is the village charm that "upgrades" like this seem intent on destroying.

I have been getting a bit confused lately – I am 76 after all. I thought the government was keen on housing being affordable for young people like my grandchildren.  Then I heard the prime minister saying to reduce negative gearing would result in a fall in property values. In my confusion, I had been thinking that lower property prices would actually make them more affordable.

Something else: if a young person is on the dole, then they have to report to Centrelink and prove they have made a specified number of job applications. Well, fair enough, the community is funding them. Yet I have never heard of negative gearing property investors, also at community expense, and whose properties are deliberately kept unoccupied (for whatever reason), being required to report to Centrelink to prove they have made a specified  number of attempts to let out their properties. Does this confuse you too, or am I just a silly old man? Before I go to vote at the July 2  “privatewealth” elections, can someone shine some light on my confusion?