Like death and taxes, progress is inevitable. But how that progress looks is something in which we all have a stake. Not too long ago, we saw progress do its worst as it ate away the beautiful, rolling pasture land and became Shellharbour.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Once lush green hills became housing estates, roofs shimmering in the summer heat where cows once grazed and trees provided shade. Years later and the big houses on small blocks are so crammed together, barely a plant grows. The streets are narrow, the yards small, confined by Colorbond.
Few who knew the South Coast before this part of it succumbed to the march of suburbia would welcome a similar blight on the landscape around Berry.
Tucked under the escarpment, this part of the Shoalhaven is renowned for its rural loveliness. Berry itself is known as the town of trees and having endured the construction of the highway bypass is now enjoying the peace and quiet that has come with it.
So it is understandable there is considerable unease at the prospect of more suburbia slated for the township on the western side of the highway.
Although the latest subdivision proposal is for 117 new homes, much smaller than Shellharbour, the fear is that it will alter the rural amenity of Berry on the other side of the bypass. Residents who have enjoyed views of pastures naturally baulk at the prospect of overlooking a dense housing estate.
Of course, there are arguments for and against.
There is no doubt the construction of a subdivision is good for the local economy. There are not only jobs when it is being built but also extra demand for goods and services from the residents who move in. Growth is always good for local economies.
We know demand for housing in this part of the world remains strong. Despite the market showing signs of cooling in Sydney, it is still robust in the Shoalhaven.
The counter argument is that by allowing large scale residential development we risk diminishing the qualities of life that make the Shoalhaven so special. If Berry were to be hemmed in by housing estates, would its essential character be lost forever?
These questions are worth discussion. Somewhere between remaining static and not allowing any further development and sanctioning large scale subdivision lies a way forward. We should ask ourselves do we we really want to look like Shellharbour? Then we should scale back from there.
