Peninsula Community Access Edition 373
News Phone 4325 7369 Fax 4321 0940
3 August 2015
Council proceeds with review of environmental lands Gosford Council has decided to review of its environmental lands, despite the opposition of two councillors, the Central Coast Greens and the Community Environment Network. Recommendations from the Council’s strategy-policy workshop resulted in Coastal Open Spaces System land being excluded from the review. Land currently zoned E1 and E2, including national parks, nature reserves and ecologically endangered communities remain in the review. In speaking against the motion to go ahead with the review, Cr Morris said she was concerned the review would find land currently zoned as environmental suitable for green fields residential development. The Central Coast Greens and CEN have also opposed the intention to allow further green field development within the Gosford Local Government Area. They have stated that the Central Coast Regional Strategy recognised that Council should focus on urban infill rather than expand into rural or environmental lands. “We already have extensive urban sprawl east of the freeway, and too few green belts protecting our smaller villages and towns,” said Greens spokesperson Ms Kate da Costa. According to Ms Jane Smith from the Community Environment Network, Gosford Council is approaching the environmental zone review with a sense of urgency in order to ensure the State Government honours its commitment to have a new environmental zone that is appropriate for COSS. However, Ms Smith said the urban fringe review is not urgent and could put some environmentally sensitive land at risk of rezoning for future residential development. She said the council did not have to provide for future residential growth.
Peninsula land will be part of Gosford Council’s urban edge study
Cr Hillary Morris
“In the Central Coast Regional Strategy (2005), the state government planned for population growth of 100,000 by 2031 on the Central Coast with no new greenfield areas in Gosford LGA,” Ms Smith said. She said she believed the proposed urban fringe study was in direct conflict with Council’s own biodiversity strategy. She said that the Council’s own Biodiversity Strategy stated: “This concentration of urban development in the existing urban footprint assists in biodiversity conservation and management by minimising disturbance to the natural vegetated areas.” Ms Smith said: “The deferred land holds environmental and scenic values. “There is no strategic basis for the urban fringe study rather it appears to be a land grab for residential development into environmental sensitive lands that have been identified for over 30 years,” she said. Gosford Council agenda SF.13, 28 Jul 2015 Media release, 26 Jul 2015 Kate da Costa, Central Coast Greens Media release, 27 Jul 2015 Jane Smith, Community Environment Network Interview, 28 Jul 2015 Paul Anderson, Gosford Council Reporter: Jackie Pearson
Councillors and staff support COSS Both councillors and council staff are claiming to support Gosford’s unique Coastal Open Spaces System, as part of ongoing discussions about a proposal to review environmental zones and related issues. Councillors and staff discussed the review at a Gosford Council strategy-policy workshop held on Tuesday, July 21. Cr Hillary Morris reported that recommendations relating to the review of environmental zones had been amended to exclude both existing and proposed Coastal Open Spaces System land. The initial recommendations put to the Tuesday, July 14, meeting of Gosford Council stated that the 30 per cent of land yet-to-be-acquired for COSS and potentially existing COSS land, could have been subject to rezoning as part of a proposed Urban Edge Study. The amended recommendations that were presented to the July 28 meeting specifically excluded: “All land west of the M1; land owned by Gosford Council; crown land; and land that is existing or proposed COSS”. Gosford Council general manager Mr Paul Anderson said
the environmental zones review was necessary because when the Gosford Local Environment Plan was drawn up in 2014, some land was “deferred” from being zoned in accordance with new categories determined by the NSW Government. In particular, he said the then Minister for Planning, Mr Brad Hazzard “decided our COSS land was no different to any other environmental land across NSW. “We said we didn’t want educational establishments or dwellings that are allowed in some environmental zones in the COSS land. “So we said we were not going to rezone land into a temporary LEP zone and we are never going to do that until we get a zone suitable for COSS,” Mr Anderson said. According to Mr Anderson, the current Minister for Planning, Mr Rob Stokes, is prepared to work with Gosford Council to create a special zone for COSS. “So we finally got some sense out of State Government but we have to do the review because we are now running three different planning instruments and we want to go to one planning instrument,” Mr Anderson said.
He said the NSW Government is in the process of enacting the special zone. “In reality, our urban edge study gives a whole lot of protection to COSS because it reinforces our objectives and enhances what we have got in Gosford City,” he said. “I am pleased that I have been able to confirm that COSS lands are excluded from the review and the COSS strategy will be continued,” said Cr Morris. “I commend Council for persevering with seeking to convince the government to create a separate zoning for COSS (E5), as COSS lands are community owned nature reserves and not part of the E1 National Parks and Nature Reserves Zoning,” she said. Gosford Council Agenda SF.13, 28 Jul 2015 Media release, 26 Jul 2015 Kate da Costa, Central Coast Greens Media release, 27 Jul 2015 Jane Smith, Community Environment Network Interview, 28 Jul 2015 Paul Anderson, Gosford Council Reporter: Jackie Pearson
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