THE debate about where the new Bathurst Integrated Medical Centre should go is a non-starter.
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The alternative to this proposal isn't that it'll be moved to another location. It's that it doesn't happen at all. Full stop.
This medical centre is what Bathurst needs. Not only will it deliver critical health services and take pressure off the public hospital system, it'll activate the town centre.
It'll bring people into town who would otherwise probably go elsewhere.
They can shop at our small businesses, drive foot-traffic in our dying arcades and streets, and enjoy all the heritage assets Bathurst has to offer.
That part of town is dying - it has been for many years. You'd be mad to want to start a new business there reliant on foot-traffic.
So many small businesses, even those who were thought of as local institutions, have come and gone.
The more people we can get into that part of town, the better - and the proposed car park behind the RSL will provide the capacity to support more people coming into the CBD.
The confidence the RSL have placed in this project through their contribution, and that of the developer in securing the land, ready for a further $70 million investment, shows you the economic impact this project stands to have.
Those who need to come in to see a specialist, have tests, wait for results and spend some time around the centre can nip up the street for a coffee, or do a bit of shopping before or after their appointments.
That simply wouldn't happen if we had a centre as far out of town as Bloomfield in Orange, or even co-located at the Bathurst Base Hospital - assuming the development even went ahead at sites like that at all, which is highly unlikely.
There are some loud voices crying out against this proposal. It's too intrusive, it's too high, it'll mean congestion, it'll destroy heritage.
Let's not forget this isn't a plan to bulldoze the courthouse or old TAFE building - rather, it'll bring more people in to enjoy them.
We must respect our heritage, invest in it and look after it - at the same time as delivering the amenities, services and infrastructure locals deserve.
Let's not be held hostage by heritage, but embrace it along with the major projects our town needs to see completed.
Despite the voices which say otherwise, we can do both.
Let's get on with the Medical Centre, bring more activity into Bathurst and use this as an example to show we can go after and deliver the big projects.
The rest of the Central West is leaving us behind. Who on earth would want to live here if we can't provide essential services - and who would be crazy enough to invest here if the activist brigade are going to dedicate years of their life to shouting down every proposal to better our community.
Let's do the right thing by the majority, and get on with it.