Gosford is in the grip of a State Government takeover, so wake up Gosford and voice your opinion now.
The State Government is proposing, under the recently released ‘Go Gosford’ plans, to take away planning controls off Council, allow overshadowing of parks, eliminate planning controls on both the maximum height and bulk (FSR) on large sites, and reduce parking requirements for specific developments and on specific sites.
In other words, the State Government is opening the door to developers, where the State Government is both the assessing authority and the determining authority.
What check and balance does the community have?
Have your say now.
Unelected bureaucrats will determine the future of Gosford, not the community, nor our recently merged Central Coast Council.
What is their role now?
We the public don’t know and nor do our Councillors.
Democracy is out the back door—not even via the front door.
The Minister for Planning recently released three plans and documents dividing the Civic Centre into three focus areas: Place Report 1: The Civic Heart around Kibble Park; Place Report 2: City North, which centres around Gosford Hospital; and, Place Report 3: City South, located towards the waterfront.
Overall, 30 per cent of the plan has merit, especially City North.
The other 70 per cent is appalling, if not deceitful.
The NSW Government was elected in 2011 after it promised to repeal Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, and return planning control for major developments to Councils, and implicitly, allow greater resident participation in planning decisions.
The proposed State Environmental Planning Policy for Gosford City Centre will introduce a development assessment process that will be as potentially corrupt as Part 3A, because it will bypass the Council and allow developments to be assessed and determined by unelected personnel.
The draft of proposed changes are of such magnitude, that as a total package, it is undemocratic, and if implemented, will further diminish our quality of life.
Email, Jul 14
Malcolm Brooks, Point Frederick