Central Coast Council could re-examine its committees structure after a public speaker at the February 3 meeting suggested membership of the COSS Committee was not truly representative of the community.
The COSS Committee recommended Council rejected any Coastal Open Space System (COSS) land being considered for mountain bike trails as it continued to develop a Mountain Biking Plan for the region.
Central Coast Mountain Bike Club (CCMTB) Secretary, Leif Arnebark, addressed the meeting at the public forum.
Arnebark completely rejected the notion that mountain biking was not compatible with COSS lands.
He claimed the COSS Committee did not include a fair selection of multiple stakeholders including environmentalists, tourism representatives, Traditional Owners and mountain bikers, as did the working group being formed to examine all options for the Mountain Bike Plan.
“Mountain bikers have been riding in COSS lands for over 30 years,” he told Council.
“Mountain biking has been shown to be one of the most ecologically sustainable forms of recreation available, with an environmental footprint very similar to that of bush walking.
“The recommendation is also completely counterproductive and at odds with the COSS strategy itself.
“COSS lands are community lands; they are used by tens of thousands of Central Coast residents every year for the purpose of recreation.
“The land is for all to enjoy; it is for both conservation and recreation.
“The COSS strategy outlines what activities are acceptable within COSS lands; mountain biking is clearly stated as a permitted activity.
“The COSS Committee provides advice to Council on the management of 6,000 hectares of bushland on the Central Coast; land that is used daily by thousands of Coasties for recreation – land that has been touted by many as being ideal for ecotourism.
“Unlike the mountain bike working group the COSS Committee does not have balance in membership nor do the members have specific knowledge of many forms of recreation and/or tourism opportunities.”
He said the committee could not provide “balanced insightful advice”.
“The advisory group providing recommendations on management and strategy to Council should reflect this diversity of needs,” he said.
He suggested more members should be added to the committee to provide “insight to the committee on areas of recreation and tourism”.
While Administrator Rik Hart noted the committee’s recommendation he acknowledged that the current committee structure didn’t help Council.
He said he would take time to decide whether or not to refresh the committee structure.
Council CEO David Farmer said after the meeting that it would be useful to have a “blueprint on best practice” in place before the next election of Councillors.
“I have led five councils and they all had different models for committees,” he said.
“Committees (can) consume a large amount of resources; sometimes particular task forces short-term are more effective.”
Terry Collins