Central Coast Council director of planning Mr Scott Cox has told the Rotary Club of Woy Woy that the Council wanted to work with “representative bodies” such as the club “to get information both in and out to the broader community”, according to a report in the club newsletter.
Club president Ms Jayne Mote said Mr Cox stood in for Council chief Mr Gary Murphy who was unable to attend due to illness.
“Scott turned out to be just the right person to answer a barrage of questions that addressed his role in environment and planning,” she said
“Scott covered the dredging issue which is being resolved in conjunction with the State Government and went on to detail a number of expenditures that were to be undertaken this coming year,” Ms Mote said. “Question time was very active, with Scott answering a number of questions about issues of concern across the Peninsula, including: Crown Land at Sporties, the number of lanes on the Rip Bridge, parking around town centres, housing strategy review, water supply, Council funds investment and management strategies and policy consolidation.”
Ms Mote said that Mr Cox described the council’s role in planning. “First, he detailed the Council’s approach to developing a long-term plan for the Coast communities,” she said. “He mentioned a master plan for the business centres, land use policy for the next 20 years, development applications, building certifi cation, environmental compliance and parking rangers.”
Mr Cox was reported to have said: “The Central Coast is a big region that is no longer a country town. “We need to engage with all levels of government. “In Sydney, with 1681 square kilometres, we are the third largest council by population, largest council by revenue, sixth largest urban area in Australia and it is predicted that our population will increase by 80,000 by 2030. “We have a strategic plan that was developed in conjunction with the community. “It is based on five key themes that the community identified: Belonging, Green, Liveable, Smart and Responsible. “Some challenges our region faces include, youth unemployment (18 per cent), a transient work force (25 per cent of Coasties have told Council they commute elsewhere for work) and a high percentage of population with no qualifi cations (48 per cent).
“But things are changing,” Mr Cox said. “At the last count there were 10 cranes over Gosford, a tangible indicator of economic activity. “We now have a regional leadership group made up of the Parliamentary Secretary, the Department of Premier and Cabinet and a representative of Roads and Maritime Services, Health NSW and Transport NSW plus other agencies working together to develop the future of the region,” Mr Cox said.
SOURCE: Newsletter, 25 Sep 2018 Vic Deeble, Rotary Club of Woy Woy