Bat 21
Who’d be an entrepreneur in the small-business-hating Mecca that is the A.C.T.? A local block of shops is falling down in the leafy suburb of Curtin, and the local progressive activists who would usually expect us to believe that they would hypothetically welcome several million refugees into their community, have their knickers in a knot over what amounts to shallow minor building aesthetics.
According to the Canberra Times, the developer has committed the heinous crime of not wanting to ruin him- or herself financially by building an identical single-storey structure that would have been perfectly viable in the seventies, but a lot less so in 2017 when the price of everything, much less a commercial premises, has increased exponentially.
These people seemingly think that it’s hunky dory to throw a bunch of current businesses, homes, and livelihoods, and future businesses, homes, and livelihoods under the bus, just so that they can take in the sun in a courtyard for the few short weeks of the year that Canberra isn’t oppressively hot or bitterly cold.
No points for guessing that few of these loud and vocal opponents of the development seem to be from the private sector. And it’s a safe assumption that none of them take issue with the multi-storey sun-blocking behemoth eyesores that they themselves work in every day. There are new APS buildings going up all the time with scant regard for aesthetics or environmental impact, and never a murmur from public servants. My building for one. After all, they might want a promotion in one of those ugly buildings one day. But try lodging an application for a private development and community opposition materialises every single time. Funny that.
It’s your XYZ.
Photo by smjbk 