The Community and Environment Network (CEN) is calling on Central Coast Council to defer its Draft Deferred Matters Lands Planning Proposal until after next year’s local government elections.
CEN Chair Gary Chestnut said the proposal, on public exhibition until November 8, would have a profoundly negative impact on the future liveability and sustainability of the region and lacked knowledge and awareness of the unique character of the southern part of the local government area (LGA).
“In its current form the Planning Proposal is evidence of Central Coast Council’s absolute lack of understanding that the southern part of the LGA has different planning needs and constraints to the northern part,” he said.
Chestnut said even the NSW State Government Biodiversity and Conservation Division in the Department of Planning had informed Central Coast Council that “… the new zonings do not adequately or equivalently address environmental matters or deal with Coastal Open Space System (COSS) land well”.
“Young families are moving to this area for housing but also because of our lifestyle and scenic qualities,” he said.
“It is quite ironic that a council touting its credentials as an ecotourism destination is prepared to take a wrecking ball to our green ridgelines and adversely impact any future expansion of the unique Coastal Open Space System.”
Chestnut said: lands currently zoned 7(a) Conservation should be zoned C2 Environmental Conservation; those zoned 7(c2) Scenic Protection Rural Small Holdings should be zoned C3 Environmental Management; and those zoned 7(c3) Scenic Protection – Tourist Accommodation should be zoned either C3 Environmental Management or, if tourist accommodation had already been constructed on the land, C4 Environmental Living.
“Those landholders wishing to further develop can then put forward their own planning proposal to rezone and the remainder of the community can retain its beauty, biodiversity and quality of life,” he said.
Chestnut said only small pockets of land were proposed for C2 zoning, with much land containing threatened flora or fauna outside an endangered Ecological Community (ECC) to be “downgraded by default” to a C3 or C4 zoning.
He said the Planning Proposal, if adopted, would open swathes of conservation land to new uses, smaller lot sizes and more development and lead to loss of local biodiversity.
“During this period of administration, we have had sensitive environmental land sold and then allegedly unlawfully cleared, we have had the protection of wetlands stripped back and now we have a planning proposal that completely alters the character of over half the local government area,” he said.
CEN will hold an information night on Monday, October 23, from 7pm in Lecture Theatre 101 at the Ourimbah Campus of the University of Newcastle to explain the implications of this proposal to members of the public.
“We are urging all residents who care about the Coast’s environmental future to come along to our information session but also to visit www.yourvoiceourcoast.com/deferredlands, register to attend a council information session and make a submission,” Chestnut said.
“We’d also encourage you to email or phone your local State MP and ask them to make representations to the Planning Minister, so this proposal is at least deferred until after the local government elections in September 2024.”
Chestnut said Council claims that the proposal aimed to assign “like for like” zoning and development standards based on the existing zones and environmental attributes of each land parcel was “misleading and verging upon deceiving or tricking the community”.
“This proposal again begs the question – is the current Central Coast Council administration being held captive by the development lobby?” he said.
“It shows little regard for the long-term liveability and sustainability of our region.”
Source:
Community Environment Network