The change of a street name in Marulan is causing anger and anguish for a local businessman.
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Goulburn Mulwaree Council changed the name of Portland Avenue to Armitt Street and it was gazetted by the Geographic Names Board on July 1. The trouble is, no one in Marulan seemed to know about it, despite the council maintaining they sent letters to nearby land owners in May.
Now Daniel Muller, who runs Marulan Rural Supplies, says the change is affecting his business. “The first I became aware of the name change was when I received a rates notice with the street name changed to Armitt Street,” Mr Muller said.
“I was gobsmacked. I rang the council thinking it was an administrative error, but they advised me that they had changed the name of the street.
“The ramifications of this on a small family business like mine is quite significant. I have a lot of freight and transport companies sending and delivering me stuff.
“They all know my address as Portland Avenue. I have A-framed signs and vinyl banners with my company logo and the Portland Avenue address printed on it. My business stationery also uses it. It will not be a cheap task for me to change it all over.”
Mr Muller said he did not feel due process had been followed, even though he leased the land rather than owned it.
“There was nothing about in the paper. Also, the Marulan Chamber of Commerce did not know about it.”
Mr Muller addressed the Goulburn Mulwaree Council meeting of October 3 with his concerns in a public forum.
A discussion ensued in which Cr Andrew Banfield urged the council to revisit the issue.
“I think our process has fallen over somewhere. I would have thought the Chamber of Commerce would have been the first port of call,” Cr Banfield said.
“It might be a bit of egg on our face with the Geographic Names Board, but I think we have to go back. I don’t think we got the process right and we need to learn from it.”
He raised a new motion to: “revisit this decision by retaining the name Portland Avenue instead of Armitt Street and investigate renaming the current Portland Avenue as an extension of Wilson Drive.”
The motion was carried.