The Central Coast Branch of the Australian Conservation Foundation has called on the Central Coast Council to re-assess their planned location of the Regional Performing Arts Centre (RPAC) in Gosford.
“The Central Coast Leagues Club Park is the largest remaining green open space within the Gosford CBD and needs to be protected for the greater benefit of the community,” said ACF Central Coast Spokesperson, Mr Mark Ellis.
“It has come to be understood that green spaces support a higher quality of life within cities for residents and families to recreate, rest and enjoy,” Mr Ellis said.
“Over the past 20 years, many epidemiological studies have found that people living in environments with more green space, report better physical and mental health than those with less green spaces,” he said.
“The Central Coast Leagues Club Park is currently used for sports training, community events and activities, and many other social activities, and the site is also listed to be inundated by sea rise.
“So why build a long term facility there?
“One of the characteristics of high-density cities is low open space ratios, and as the Gosford CBD moves in that direction, we must preserve what open space we currently have for the existing residents, and provide access to parklands and open space for future population growth.
“Limited open spaces will become highly contested between the different demographics of families that may live there, younger people who need it for socialising and sport, older people who want it for peace and quiet, and those who simply need space to socialise or exercise their dogs.
“The Branch members are asking, ‘Where is the Master Plan that the RPAC fits into?’
“What is the rationale for using this green space location and where is the analysis of other locations, such as the old Mitre10 site in the actual CBD?
“We must plan better for urban green spaces to meet the challenge of the increasing density and the impact of the growing population on green spaces.
“There is already an open space deficit in the city, so why increase that deficit?
As Malcom Turnbull stated during the release of the Smart City Policy in 2016: “A great city needs great parks.
“Unless they are set aside in the city’s youth, they are hard to retrofit after development has taken over”.
Media release,
Mar 6, 2017
Mark Ellis, Australian Conservation Foundation, Central Coast Branch