If the location of a tax office on the waterfront precinct was not a death knell for sensible development in Gosford, then the approval to build three towers to 33 storeys, containing 550 apartments, on the old Froggy’s site, in what is supposedly the “arts and entertainments precinct”, surely is.
The fact that the Gosford Council, working with the Joint Regional Planning Panel, pushed this proposal through, against the desires of the clear majority of residents, testifies to the underhand system of governance that now faces communities seeking sustainable development.
These excessive building approvals are happening at the same time as the public is becoming aware of the health impacts of increasing congestion, air and water pollution, and the challenges of climate change, which will greatly compromise our quality of life.
The extensive community consultations for the Gosford Masterplan were supposed to guide Council’s actions, with residents clearly identifying that they wanted building heights of no greater than 14 storeys in the city.
These recommendations have been conveniently buried while the Council and other elected officials close ranks with the big end of town and claim “commercial in confidence” on decisions that are clearly not in the interests of the broader community, but simply designed to line the pockets of the developers and their vested interests.
Mr Wang of the New Hong Kong, Macau, Australian company, who has been given approval to build these three monstrosities, in a recent interview, said he likes Gosford and the surrounding environment, “It has everything – mountains, water and the potential for high density development.”
This is the future that developers plan for Gosford as they work hand in hand with our elected officials to construct a city that will soon resemble Guangzhou, rather than the charming, waterfront tourist and cultural hub that it could have been.
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Apr 12, 2017
Tahir Turk, Springfield