I wish to object to the sale of every park, reserve and hall currently on ‘the list’ and future lists for proposed reclassification and sale by council.
I find the reasons for the sale to be flawed. I find the comments made by former Gosford mayor, Mr Laurie McKinna, at the time of the initiation of this sell off, also to be incorrect. While it was claimed Gosford Council had over 3,000 blocks of land, on closer examination I can clearly see these blocks included Mardi Dam, drainage reserves, resumed house blocks due to flooding, Crown Land, bequeathed land, Section 94 contribution land, Bushfire Brigade buildings, land privately leased long term, and future youth centres (Cnr. James Sea Dve and Green Point) where the block is marked as a Youth Centre while in fact it is bush land.
I have been a long term resident of the area and have always been interested in public land. Once the blocks I know to be essential for services are removed from the list, Gosford Council may well fall very short of parks and reserves needed for the current residents and for future residents. On the current list is 50 Wells St, East Gosford. This green space is close to my family home and I have enjoyed the space for more than 35 years.
East Gosford
To sell off this space would cause more danger while driving along Lushington St due to the poor edging of the road, the narrowness of the road and the geography of the area. There would also be danger with residents and guests parking on Wells St due to a long area of no stopping along that section of Wells St and the further congestion at the intersection of Russell St. There is also a natural creek which flows on this block and at times the flow of water off the hill is quite heavy. This block is perfect as it is to facilitate the safe fl ow of water and prevent flooding in neighbouring houses. With the current zoning of this area, there should be more parks created rather than being sold off.
Also on the list: 40A George St, East Gosford. This block is on the inside of a sweeping corner and would be unsuitable to develop. The road accommodates the current fl ow of traffic, but with projected increases in population, there may well be a future need to widen this section of the road. To sell it off now would only result in the need, in the not too distant future, to buy it back. This block is a prefect space for future residents of the area to have a community garden. It is my belief council should not only be catering for the current needs of residents, but also considering the future residents of the area.
West Gosford
Another space includes 1 Hely St (corner of Fielder and Hely) West Gosford. Clearly this space is a perfect space for a future ‘pocket park’ which will serve the needs of residents in the West Gosford area. This is a safe space for residents to relax in a green space and for children to run about. While there is a walk way through the mangroves nearby (across the Central Coast Highway), it is not suitable for small children to play, nor is it safe to cross the six lane highway for residents to walk there. This space is needed for current residents in the many units surrounding this park and for future residents of the future units likely to be built in the area.
Wyoming
Further sites are 6 Isis St and 12 Jerribin St, Wyoming. Both of these parks have been part of the Wyoming community for many years. While they are open green space amongst well established homes, there has not been any recent purchases of land in the area to justify any sale of these blocks. If council seriously looked at the socio-economics of this area, they would in fact provide facilities in these parks for the community, rather than even consider any sale. The reserve at 32A Dover Rd, Wamberal (Benjamin Parker Reserve) is also on the list. This park was bequeathed to the Wamberal community How can council consider the sale of this park and at the same time hope there are future gifts of property to the council? This park is enjoyed by all in the community.
Tascott
A reserve at 2 Kateena Ave, Tascott also features on the list. Tascott is a suburb with a number of homes which do not receive a lot of sun in winter and a suburb with many sloping blocks. Residents deserve an open, green, level space to enjoy the sun. This has been a green space for many years and there is no change in the community or increase in purchase of alternate level green space to justify the sale of this land. In writing this objection to all the blocks on this list, I need to express my deep disappointment with the poor execution of this land sales strategy at each and every stage. This exercise has left many residents angry and upset with the lack of information and the misinformation supplied to them. Hopefully council will reconsider this poorly executed, haphazard sell off and consider residents and their needs for parks, reserves and halls in the future.
Email, Jul 20, 2016 Joy Cooper, Green Point