Following a bumper attendance at the launch of its The Central Coast Deserves a Better Plan campaign on February 13, the Community Environment Network (CEN) has released a Call to Action.
It outlines steps for the community to take to make sure Central Coast Council and the NSW Government take urgent action to fix the region’s “broken planning and land use rules”.
“Over 70 residents and ratepayers attended our launch from across the Local Government Area and all were deeply concerned by our evidence of council’s adoption and implementation of planning and land use rules that are atypical from every other council in NSW and putting this region’s amenity, biodiversity, ability to cope with climate change and way of life at risk,” CEN Chair Gary Chestnut said.
“Now we are asking for the community’s help to tell the relevant NSW Ministers and local MPs that this is an urgent and important issue that the Central Coast community wants to see fixed.
“Throughout February and March, we will be encouraging the whole Central Coast community to take steps in support of our campaign.
“We are welcoming invitations from concerned community groups and residents’ associations to attend their meetings and present our findings and we are asking individuals and groups to phone or email their local NSW state MP and to email senior members of the NSW Government to set out their concerns.”
CEN has produced an online fact sheet and information guide that residents can use to help prepare their own emails, which is available at https://cen.org.au/resources/latest-news/new-campaign-the-central-coast-deserves-a-better-plan
“We need as many members of the community as possible to ask Premier Chris Minns if he will look at problems with our council’s main planning instrument – the Central Coast Local Environmental Plan (CCLEP 2022) – and call for the suspension of the council’s strategic planning powers until the CCLEP is fixed via a process that includes extensive community consultation,” Chestnut said.
“The Central Coast community was promised a brand new, comprehensive Local Environmental Plan as an outcome of council amalgamation almost eight years ago.
“We are urging the community to ask their Premier when they will be given a new, comprehensive LEP.
“The Central Coast Local Government Area has been under administration since October 2020 and all sorts of inappropriate planning decisions have been made without community representation.
“Will the Premier please authorise the Minister for Local Government and Minister for Planning to take steps to stop further inappropriate planning proposals, State Significant Developments and inappropriate uses on conservation land, at least until after the council election in September 2024?
“Will the Premier make a public statement to reassure the Central Coast Community that his government will review the inappropriate interpretations and uses of the Conservation Zones, C2, C3 and C4, on the Central Coast?
“Our online fact sheet and information guide includes similar questions that could be asked via email of Planning Minister Paul Scully.”
Chestnut said more than $500M worth of development has been derailed because the Central Coast Local Environmental Plan 2022 (CCLEP2022) is not fit for purpose.
CEN is asking Planning Minister Scully to commit to an independent review of the CCLEP and suspend the approval of any C2, C3 and C4 rezonings and clearing of native flora on any development sites that may have been given consent under CCLEP2022 in the interim.
It will also ask Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig to investigate concerns over the Administrator’s failure to address major issues raised by a respected community group in a timely manner.
And it will ask Environment Minister Penny Sharpe to work with the other relevant Ministers to ensure Central Coast Council is using the Conservation Zones (C2, C3 and C4) in an appropriate manner.
Chestnut said he was concerned that habitat for threatened species, environmental corridors and even Aboriginal heritage could have already been lost in the northern parts of the Central Coast LGA as a consequence of the weaknesses of the CCLEP2022.
“We also believe that implementation of a planning proposal to rezone Deferred Matters Lands in the old Gosford Local Government Area could result in the catastrophic and irreversible loss of habitat and heritage and change the whole character of the area,” he said.
“We do not believe this should be allowed to happen until we at least have elected representatives scrutinising the actions of Council.”