A residential estate on the bus depot land at Bateau Bay is a plan by The Entrance Red Bus Services Pty Ltd to future-proof its business.
The bus company has been operating between Gosford, Wyong and The Entrance since 1923 and holds a contract with Transport for NSW until June 2024.
For the first time, Red Bus will be forced to compete in an open tender process for contract renewal which they believe raises the likelihood of a large foreign-owned multinational company taking over, as has happened across Sydney and Newcastle.
Red Bus has occupied the Bateau Bay site at 682a Coleridge Rd since 1981 and will continue local bus services, however, should their contract with Transport for NSW not be renewed, rezoning of the site enables alternative development options.
A planning proposal before Central Coast Council is to rezone the 5.261ha site for 35 future home sites and in the meantime allows the bus company to continue operating.
The planning proposal is being considered by the Local Planning Panel at its meeting on September 23 and will then go before Central Coast Council’s meeting on October 11 for a final decision.
A Council report says that the proposal aligns with the direction of the regionally significant Karagi growth area (in the Central Coast Regional Plan 2041) for urban activation, future rapid transport bus routes, harnessing of green infrastructure for residential use and the expansion of housing stock alongside neighbourhood centres.
The concept plan is for a 35 residential lot subdivision with a minimum size of 450sqm.
A public reserve access track to Council’s water reservoir along the eastern boundary will be retained as well as the dam and four hollow-bearing trees, while the Swift Parrot habitat areas along the north-eastern and eastern boundaries will be restricted and conserved as a buffer to Wyrrabalong National Park.
Council staff are backing the Planning Proposal and say in a report to the October 11 meeting that it is suitable to forward to the Minister of Planning requesting a Gateway Determination, pending final approval by Administrator Rik Hart.
Sue Murray