Central Coast Council has adopted a new region-wide Plan of Management (POM) for community land despite criticisms and pleas from community activists and environmental groups for more time to consider its implications.
The POM was adopted at Council’s April meeting and came into effect on Wednesday, May 3.
It covers nearly all Council-owned community land across the region, with a small number of areas excepted, including Kincumba Mountain, Central Coast Stadium and Gosford City Bowling Club, which retain their existing Plans of Management.
Council owns nearly 2500 parcels (lots) of community land with almost 95 per cent of them covered in the single POM.
An extended community consultation process held from mid-December to the start of March on the categorisation of more than 1000 lots as natural area, sportsground, park, or general community use saw community feedback leading to Council committing to review the categorisation of about 14 per cent of parcels in the adopted POM within the next 12 months.
Almost 350 community members and organisations made written submissions while just under 150 community members attended a series of independent public hearings held across the region.
Council Director of Environment and Planning Alice Howe said the adoption of the Plan of Management would give added security and clarity to the community and stakeholders.
“The Plan of Management will supersede the outdated plans currently existing and will allow us to extend leases for community organisations and sporting groups to existing services such as community halls and facilities,” Howe said.
The categorisation process ensures that community land is used in a manner that best reflects the community’s interest in it and also the characteristics of the land itself.
“The level of engagement by community members, both by making submissions and by attending public hearings, demonstrates just how much the community of the Central Coast cares about land management,” Howe said.
“We will continue to engage with the community about the most appropriate use of community land and will review how individual parcels of land are used over time to ensure that the most sustainable outcomes are achieved.”
Two speakers spoke against the POM at the public forum prior to the meeting.
Mark Ellis said public hearings and consultation on the draft were “just a tick the box exercise”.
“Many people are wondering how does the opening up and exploitation of natural bushland fit in with the community strategic plan focus of cherished and protected natural beauty, which has the objective to protect our rich environmental heritage by conserving beaches waterways, bushlands and wildlife corridors?” he said.
“The Plan of Management is an important tool for managing community land, which is written by Council in consultation with the community.”
Ellis said community comments had “largely been ignored”, with 35 pages of suggested changes rejected.
“There are many examples across the Coast of natural areas (bushland) that have been transferred (to the) community category.”
He cited Copacabana beach and sensitive dunes on The Esplanade at Umina Beach.
“Austin Butler (oval) at Woy Woy and the whole of that general area needs a separate POM,” he said.
He said there were many examples of incorrect classification.
“Apart from the failed allocation of categories and removal of existing POMs, this proposed policy fails in the directive of the act to outline how these areas will be maintained,” he said.
Activist Joy Cooper was the second speaker, asking Administrator Rik Hart if he had read the 343 submissions or simply relied on staff reports.
“It is wonderful that Central Coast Council has finally decided to promote this region as an Eco Tourism Destination,” she said.
“I just want to check though, that Council staff understand that Eco stands for ecological and not economic.
“One of the reasons why so many people wrote submissions about the community land plan of management and schedule is because Central Coast people care deeply about our community land.
“It is why we live here and we expect our Council to manage it properly.”
Cooper said the POM was “shallow, flimsy and open to interpretation”.
“The community does not have confidence it will result in the best practice management of our public land,” she said.
Cooper said many large sites should have their own POM, including the Copacabana sand dunes, Wyong Golf Course and the Landcom Gleneagles Estate at Green Point.
She criticised the timing of the consultation period over Christmas and the location of some of the public hearings.
On the eve of the April 26 meeting, the Community Environment Network (CEN) accused Council of setting aside more than 340 submissions from the community in adopting “a single generic plan of management for over 2000 lots”.
“The CEN made one of the comprehensive submissions that staff have set aside,” Chair Gary Chestnut said.
“In March we requested an urgent meeting with the Administrator to discuss our concerns, but our request was unsuccessful.
“CEN’s first submission concluded that the draft plan of management may not comply with Central Coast Council’s obligations under the Local Government Act 1993 (LG Act), particularly in relation to the management of natural areas (bushland, waterways, escarpment, foreshore and wetlands),” he said.
“CEN’s second submission found at least 200 lots that should have been natural areas incorrectly categorised as either general use, parks or sportsgrounds plus a failure to acknowledge a site of cultural significance that is identified in the Central Coast Local Environmental Plan 2022.”
Chestnut questioned why Council staff were “in such a hurry to push this through” and had chosen to ignore deep and long-term local knowledge.
He too said that the public consultation was nothing more than a “box ticking exercise”.
Chestnut said CEN was thankful that 22 natural area land parcels had been removed from the schedule, but many others deserved review and a significant number deserved their own plans of management.
Further information about how community land has been categorised and can be used, as well as the recently released independent public hearing report, can be viewed on Council’s website.
Terry Collins