Peninsula No 44
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News
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PAPER INC Print Post Approved PP255003/04388 18 June 2002
Davistown ferry service set to resume The Davistown ferry will resume service in October under the operation of Palm Beach Ferries. The Minister for Transport Mr Carl Scully came to Woy Woy wharf last Thursday, June 13, to announce that authority had been granted to provide ferry services. The Minister was accompanied by the Member for Peats Ms Marie Andrews and Gosford Mayor Cr Robert Bell. "Palm Beach Ferries will run daily services between Woy Woy, Saratoga, Davistown and Empire Bay, resuming a service which ceased operating in August last year," Mr Scully said. "This provides an important public transport option for an area which is experiencing an increase in population. "It will provide commuters, families, tourists and others with improved access to a range of services." Mr Scully said that he had received many requests for the restoration of the ferry service from Member for Peats Marie Andrews. Ms Andrews said that she was pleased that the Government had given the green light for a return of services. "This is good news for ferry commuters," Ms Andrews said. "The new ferry will be a 24m catamaran, currently under construction in Queensland.
"It will be an environmentallyfriendly low-wash vessel, with a capacity to carry 140 passengers." Ms Andrews said that the ferry would operate 10 daily return journeys between Monday and Friday from Woy Woy to Davistown and six return journeys on weekends and public holidays, plus a number of one-way journeys from Woy Woy. The Government go ahead for a new commuter ferry service is most welcome," said Cr Bell. "Residents in Davistown, Empire Bay, and Saratoga will have the option of going to Woy Woy to catch the train or going to Woy Woy by ferry to do some shopping. "This means a few less cars on the road and an alternative form of transport is provided to residents. "The saving in time of residents not being on the road is significant. "A trip from Davistown to Woy Woy takes 15 minutes by ferry and no car worries whereas to drive to Gosford is 15 to 20 minutes or Woy Woy 20 to 25 minutes and you have to leave the car in the carpark. "Many more residents will be able to catch the ferry to work and leave the car at home," he said. "The other big advantage of the new service is expanded tourist
Transport Minister, Carl Scully, Member for Peats, Marie Andrews and Gosford Mayor, Robert Bell inspect the new Woy Woy to Davistown ferry. opportunities and potential linkage to a fast ferry from Ettalong to Sydney," Cr Bell said. "I thank residents for constantly reminding me through letters, petitions and phone calls about the need for a ferry service and I congratulate them for achieving this outcome. "The Minister has responded to
the calls and personal representations we made to the Minister's office," he said. "This is where I wanted to make sure bureaucracy and government didn't get in the way of services the community wanted and are prepared to pay for," said Mr Scully. Palm Beach Ferry Service
managing director Mr Peter Verrills said that the new ferry had been under construction for 11 weeks and another 13 weeks of construction is foreseen, with completion expected in midSeptember. Following trials, an October 1 launch is anticipated. Robert Whiteman, June 13
Nursing home approved for Railway St Gosford Council has approved a plan for a nursing home on Railway St, Woy Woy, in the area between Shoalhaven Dr and the Hillview St reserve. The council approved the development application for the aged care facility which will house up to 84 residents with dementia. The facility will consist of six dwellings, all single storey, each housing 14 residents all linked by a secure enclosed staff and services walkway. A central building will house common areas including social and meeting rooms, coffee shop, hairdresser, staff room and toilets.
Each residence will have a ‘Y’ shaped plan with two wings of accommodation linked to a central activity area and the third wing to a front door for visitor access. The building is designed to make it easy for residents to find their way around and for staff to supervise patients without being obtrusive. Member for Peats Ms Marie Andrews has welcomed the unanimous approval by Gosford Council for the construction of the $5.7million facility. Ms Andrews said that she believed that the big demand for dementia care places on the Woy Woy Peninsula would be partly addressed by the construction of
the new dementia care facility. "There will still be a need for further specialised care facilities on the Woy Woy Peninsula as the waiting list is continuing to grow," she said. She stated that people living on the Woy Woy Peninsula suffering with dementia had to be placed in nursing homes either in other parts of the Central Coast or in the Sydney metropolitan area. "I have heard of some instances where residents have been allocated a nursing home as far away as the Blue Mountains," she said. A local community committee, chaired by Ms Marie Andrews, had previously determined that the proposed site, formerly
Everglades
owned by the Department of Education and Training, was to be sold under the condition that the land be used for an aged care facility. Ms Marie Andrews stated that it was fortunate for the local community that the Hammond Care Group saw the need in the area and purchased the land for facility. "Now, at long last, the community's wishes are coming to fruition and I couldn't be more delighted," she said. The site covers approximately 1.9 hectares of flat to gently sloping land. A drainage reserve adjoins the site to the east, residential land is to the south and west, and the
main northern railway separated by Railway St is located to the north. About half the site is below the 1-in-100-year floodline. The proposal will involve filling in part of the site, moving the floodline so only a small area in the north eastern corner of the site would be flood-prone. This would be used for landscape and open space area and eight car parking spaces. A condition has therefore been included in the recommended consent requiring a landscaping plan to be submitted, for approval of the tree management officer, p r i o r to r e l ea se o f t h e construction certificate. Council agenda DH.070, June 4