The masterplan for Central Coast Airport at Warnervale does not provide enough accurate or sufficient information for Central Coast Council or the community to make an informed decision about the future of the airport, according to the Community Environment Network (CEN).
CEN Chair Gary Chestnut addressed the public forum prior to the April 23 Council meeting, outlining what the group says is shortcomings in the masterplan.
He said CEN had been writing to Council Administrator Rik Hart, CEO David Farmer and local politicians since 2021 about allegedly unlawful actions by Council on conservation land adjacent the airport site.
“Council’s Draft Airport Masterplan has six fundamental oversights,” Chestnut said.
“Having one or two oversights may not change the outcome of a public exhibition but six major oversights potentially means the plan may not provide accurate or sufficient information to make an informed decision when preparing submissions.”
Chestnut called on Council to defer adopting the current recommendation until it had sought independent legal advice on its actions in respect to the implications of “existing use” and its implementation of Part 5 Activity Assessment.
He said an analysis of historical aerial photographs of activities at the airport since the 1960s showed that the former Wyong Shire Council breached the Environment Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (The Act) on 12 occasions.
“The Department of Planning fined the former Council $3,000 and required it to undertake a formal remediation of unauthorised work,” he said.
“The unlawful behaviour of the former Wyong Council has continued with Central Coast Council.
“Based on public information this council appears to have breached the Act on no less than three occasions.”
After the meeting Chestnut said Hart had acknowledged that the CEN submission “has a different point of view that keeps staff on their toes”.
But he said the CEN presentation at the Council meeting was not a submission.
“If I did not know about Porters Creek Wetland, the current length of the authorised runway as defined under ‘existing use’ and ‘Part 5 Activity Assessment’ or the alleged unlawful actions of Council, I would conclude that this masterplan is in the best interests of the community but that is not the case,” Chestnut said.
“The Council report should have been deferred by Mr Hart, particularly given the fact no-one present at the Council meeting had the opportunity to review the 20-page letter to Mr Farmer.
“The letter to Mr Farmer presents prima facie evidence, which is evidence that speaks for itself, that Council has not considered the basic principles of ‘existing use’ at the site or Council’s abject failure to undertake a ‘Part 5 Activity Assessment’,” he said.
“No-one at the Council meeting had addressed or made any comment on any of the six major oversights in the exhibited draft masterplan or the fact that, by Council not undertaking a ‘Part 5 Activity Assessment’, it has allegedly cleared 2.25ha of endangered ecological community in the same area that the former Council was fined $3,000.”
Pretty pathetic comment from the administrator ! Arrogant to dismiss this as a ‘different point of view ‘& if council staff are ‘kept on their toes ‘ it means there’s something not right . Typical of this council under administration just gong ahead & not having true/ genuine community consultation .
Thank you Gary Chestnut and the CEN – Community Environment Network, they are watching Central Coast Council for all of the community while our only public representative, a non elected spin doctor pushes his own agenda not the communities. CEN have been bashing their heads against a wall with several issues over the years and council won’t listen, even though CEN volunteers have all the knowledge and experience needed.
Council are under staffed and under pressure to push ahead with policies and decisions that really need greater evaluation and skill sets. Rik Harts statement that Gary & CEN “has a different point of view that keeps staff on their toes” is a very derogatory comment from an Administrator who always deflects any criticism of council and refuses to look at the reality that he is in charge of one of the worst Councils in NSW.