~Victoria Square

So, it's been a long time, but I blame it largely on not having the internet at home as I adjust to my new lodgings in Ascot Park. 

I've still been reading news papers, however, and I am now back to blogging about City issues. The Victoria Square proposal has captured a bit of attention, but less than Treasurer Foley's antics surrounding the Commonwealth Games (about which I will blog at a later date).

The proposal has two central tenets: excavating the entire area to a depth of about 7m (two storeys) and build a tower in the centre. There are several problems with this. The first is the obvious removal of dirt. Where is it going? How much would that cost? Why? The second, is the dust/sound bowl effect. The Square, with little ventilation and at a depression to the rest of the city, would concentrate sound and dust. Far from convenient and quiet for pedestrians, it would be awful. 

Thirdly, I have grown quite attacted to the Square's namesake, and to remove her would make me sad. And finally, to replace her with Australia's most same tower seems to defeat the purpose of attracting tourists. 

While some of the other ideas are attractive: proper toilets, a sound shell, open-air amphitheatre and so on, I don't want it excivated, and I don't want a tower. If elected, I would vote in accordance with these guiding principles. While I do want a taller skyline, I don't want a tower for its own sake.