The Peninsula Chamber of Commerce has called on Central Coast Council to re-invest in the Ettalong Beach Town Centre as local streets and footpaths crack under the weeks of heavy wet weather.
Chamber president, Matthew Wales, said there has been a significant decline in street infrastructure and maintenance in Ettalong.
“A recent inspection by the Chamber of Commerce has confirmed what we already knew. Ettalong Beach town centre maintenance is at an all-time low,” Wales said.
“Ocean View Rd is badly potholed, landscaping is in poor condition, tree guards are being lifted out of the ground, pedestrian crossings are crumbling, trees have not been pruned, the beachfront is overgrown, and graffiti is epidemic.
“What disappoints the Chamber, and the business community is that Council can spend thousands of dollars on an Art Program called ‘Changing Faces’ in Ettalong Beach but can’t find the dollars to look after the street infrastructure.”
Wales said Council should “take a back seat” on funding arts and culture, and instead focus on maintaining existing footpaths and roads.
“It’s pointless for Council to commission expensive art works and produce glossy photos and advertising when visitors arriving via the Palm Beach Ferry or coming up the freeway see crumbling roads, weed infested beachfronts, grubby footpaths and graffitied buildings,” Wales said.
“Sadly, after 20 years of hard work by the Chamber and local business to create the real face of Ettalong Beach, the Council is letting this slip away through lack of maintenance and literally no prospect in the foreseeable future of new capital works.
“We all understand Council’s budget constraints but as the Administrator has recently confirmed, the budget is now back in the black and more attention should be paid to improving town centre maintenance.”
A Council spokesperson said Council is aware of an increase in the number of potholes and similar defects impacting the road network, with crews responding to 265 individual road work jobs across the Peninsula and 1,275 potholes repaired.
“There is no specific levy collected for town centre improvements in the Ettalong Beach area and therefore any landscaping, amenity improvements and maintenance, including the repair of potholes and removal of graffiti, are managed by the responsible areas within Council,” the spokesperson said.
“Council staff are continuing to inspect the road network and associated infrastructure to identify any defects, such as potholes etc. Defects or safety concerns that meet Council’s current service levels, are placed in Council’s maintenance management system and scheduled for repairs on a priority risk basis.
“Council crews are currently working additional hours to carry out pothole patching and attending to repairs to ensure the road network and associated infrastructure is fit-for-purpose and keeps our community safe.
“Council exhibited an early draft of the Delivery Program 2022-2025 and Operational Plan 2022-2023 in December and January which includes upcoming capital works projects and sought feedback from the community.
“These documents are being refined following the early exhibition and are proposed to be re-exhibited in May prior to Council adopting them in June 2022.”
Council said scheduled capital works to be delivered in the upcoming 2022/23 financial year will be available on Council’s website in July.
To report any potholes or other safety concerns, contact Council’s Customer Service Centre on 1300 463 954 or by accessing Council’s online Customer Service Centre at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/council/contact/online-services.
Maisy Rae
I have to walk under the rip bridge at least twice a day and it is disgusting, the footpath is dangerous, I had had one fall already. People throw rubbish under it and nearly every week there is a bag or two of chicken bones, bottles, cans, doggy poop bags. They put bitumen outside the bus shed and just left the rest. It’s been like that for years now. There is graffiti on the bridge supports. Have a look sometime, we are lucky to get it tidied up by the council clearing up by mowing once a year.