Residents challenged to photograph any street that shows architectural merit

Letter to the editor

Kerrie Edwards’ complaint that the Council is approving ugly new buildings (“New ugly buildings not wanted”, Coast Community News 11/8/16) would carry more weight if it weren’t for the fact that practically all the existing buildings on the Central Coast are already ugly, so that, except in unusual cases, new buildings don’t detract noticeably from the urban-scape.

In fact, my impression is that new villas are generally a considerable architectural improvement on the buildings they replace and that the streetscape on blocks that have been substantially renewed with villas represents a more attractive environment than most. Of course, it is true that buildings such as the proposed Atlantis development in Ettalong Beach will be a permanent, distressing eyesore for everybody who has to suffer it (if only it would go the way of the original Atlantis), but this is in a commercial area, the impact will be largely on the unfortunates who have to view it across the water, and the area has already been damaged by the Council’s approval of the Mantra resort. I have previously challenged Central Coast residents to provide a photograph of any street in the municipality that shows any architectural merit, but nobody has yet been able to meet the challenge.

Email, Aug 22, 2016 Bruce Hyland, Woy Woy