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April 21, 2016
Your independent local newspaper
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Second building announced for former school site he NSW minister for finance, services and property, Mr Dominic Perrottet has initiated the latest flurry of debate about the regional performing arts centre and the former Gosford Public School land by announcing that a second office building was to be developed on that land.
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Mr Perrottet said the NSW Government would deliver on an election pledge to relocate more than 300 public service roles to Gosford, with Government Property NSW submitting a Development Application (DA) to Gosford Council for a proposed mixed-use commercial building to be located at 20 Mann St, Gosford. The 300 public servant jobs from the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation (DFSI), would be housed in the mixed-use building and Mr Perrottet said another 130 jobs would be created during the design, planning and construction phases, with an additional 330 ongoing indirect jobs being generated on top of the 300 permanent jobs announced by Mr Perrottet. The DA, submitted on Monday April 18, included the new six-storey, 7,000 square metre mixed use building, with an active street front and ground floor alfresco dining. Mr Perrottet said the DA was the first part of a broader plan that would seek to open the Mann St site to a mix of uses accessible by locals and tourists, including dining, residential, retail, accommodation, parking and public open spaces. Mr Perrottet said the DA lodgement would give Gosford locals an opportunity for a closer look at the first step in the government’s plan for the
Issue 131
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Senator upset by school site announcement he announcement that a second public service office is to be built on the Gosford waterfront is further proof that the Liberals ignored the wishes of the local community, according to Senator Deborah O’Neill.
T The latest NSW Government concept plan for the former Gosford Public School land with arrow pointing to NSW office building at 20 Mann St
site. “With the DA lodgement, we are starting a process that will give the local economy a real boost and deliver hundreds of jobs to the Gosford CBD,” he said. According to Mr Perrottet, the announcement would help to energise the local economy, extend and revitalise the CBD, and increase opportunities to live and work on the Central Coast. “The NSW Government is committed to the health and prosperity of the whole state, and today’s announcement is great news for Gosford and the Central Coast,” he said. “The influx of new public sector workers means millions in consumer spending on local businesses every year, which will be a fantastic economic injection for the local community. “Add to that the tens of millions in investment that development of the site will attract, and hundreds of new jobs in the construction phase and beyond, and you can see the flow-on effects of this relocation will be really significant for Gosford and the Coast.” The DFSI building will include some street-level retail and al-fresco dining as part of a broader plan for
the sale and redevelopment of the vacant 1.16 hectares making up the former school site, with proceeds from the sale to go to Restart NSW for reinvestment into new infrastructure. According to Mr Perrottet, Government Property NSW is engaging in ongoing consultation with community groups and organisations. Information about the development will also be posted on the GPNSW website and the community will have the opportunity to comment on the proposal when it is placed on public exhibition by Gosford Council. The government will also hold a community dropin day, with details to be advertised in the local media and on GPNSW’s website closer to the date. The DA will be assessed against the normal planning criteria, just like any other development, with Gosford Council assessing the application and the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) being the responsible determining authority. The timeframe for assessment will depend on Gosford Council, though it is expected that the DA will be determined by the end of 2016. An Expression of
Interest (EOI) process for the government to secure a development partner is expected to be released in May. The EOI will seek a development partner for the mixed use building in the DA, together with the future development of the remaining 1.1 hectares. Construction of the new DFSI building is expected to be completed by mid-2018, with the relocation of DFSI staff to follow. The DA announcement coincided with the NSW Government committing to a further 10 year lease at 92100 Donnison St, Gosford, where over 620 staff from the State Insurance Regulatory Authority, Safe Work NSW, Insurance and Care NSW and Legal Aid NSW are located. “Prior to the last election, we said we were committed to improving employment opportunities here on the Central Coast, and today’s announcements show we mean business,” Mr Perrottet concluded. Media release, Apr 6, 2016 Dominic Perrottet, minister for finance, services and property Media release, Apr 19, 2016 Kelly Burke, NSW Finance, Services and Innovation
NSW finance minister, Mr Dominic Perrottet announced recently that a six-storey mixed-use commercial building housing 300 finance department workers would be built next to the Australian Tax Office on the old Gosford Public School site. “The state and federal Liberals have once again proved they believe they are above consulting the people of the Central Coast, who have clearly indicated to Lucy Wicks they didn’t want the ATO building on the waterfront,” Senator O’Neill said. “The Gosford community welcomes the jobs, but this iconic waterfront precinct is not the place for public service buildings that will lock away land promised to the public. “There are many sites in the heart of the Gosford CBD that are begging for government buildings and the business they will bring to local commerce.” Documents requested from the Federal Government by Senator O’Neill late last year regarding the procurement of the school site for the ATO building include a letter from Mr Perrottet to federal finance minister, Mr Mathias Cormann pitching the school land for federal projects. “Mr Perrottet steamrolled the school site through for use for
government buildings with scant regard for the community’s vision for the picturesque site,” Sen O’Neill said. “My office and those of state MPs David Harris and Kathy Smith have been inundated with calls from concerned citizens who demand to know who is pulling the levers to hand over a proposed arts and cultural precinct to be used for government buildings instead. “The blame lies solely at the feet of the federal Liberals in cahoots with their NSW counterparts, and the people of the Coast have an impending opportunity to tell them what they think of such disdain for their views.” The member for Terrigal, Mr Adam Crouch said: ”Sen O’Neill’s hype knows no boundaries”. Mr Crouch has held a series of meetings at his Erina office to ensure community leaders were aware of “the facts” surrounding the NSW Government’s plans for the former Gosford Public School site. He said the combined footprint of the DomaAustralian Taxation Office building and the recently-announced state government office building was 40 per cent of the available Gosford Public School land. Conunied P3
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