Don’t hijack CBD paper
The CBD newspaper seems like a really good little newspaper for people who live in the city and Docklands areas.
However, I must say that I was surprised at the attention given to the We Live Here lobby group.
Actually it's a great name for a group that truly represents the interests of residents in these areas but the name in this case is a misnomer. It seems to me that their only goal is to remove short-term visitors from apartment buildings in the area when really there are lots of issues for city residents such as traffic and construction noise, conservation, etc which should be considered.
To me, the short-stay people are the least of our concerns. I lived in one of the buildings in Docklands the organisation will cite, being 8 Waterview Walk.
I lived there for 18 months (in two different apartments on different floors) and not once did I encounter any issues with the short-term stayers.
The only time I ever heard of any issues was in the newspaper after both parties had been to court.
I have since moved to another apartment building, that being in the CBD where I see evidence of short-term stayers but, once again, we have no problems with them.
I think that perhaps the members of the group are jealous of the operators who are probably deriving a reasonable profit from their troubles and that's why they're kicking up.
Anyway, I don't think it's an organisation that should be allowed to hijack the CBD newspaper with a regular column as quoted on page 23.
By the way, I am not personally involved in any of the short-time accommodation myself. Boy, I'd like to, but my residence is purely for me – being just one bedroom.
I do hope you take my views into consideration when thinking about continuing on with their regular column. They are not a general residents issues support group just a group doing all they can to stop short -term stay apartments.
Mandy Oldham