Edition 462
29 January 2019
Retired geologist Charmaine Beckett and Save Woy Woy member Norm Harris addressed the panel.
Fire destroys Umina Mall Fire has destroyed Umina Mall shopping centre.
Fire broke out in the Umina eight-shop complex in the early hours of the morning on January 13. Police and fire officers were called to the centre on Ocean Beach Road about 2:15am Efforts were made to contain the blaze; but it had spread into the roof cavity where insulation continued to burn. Emergency services remained at the scene of the fire more than 12 hours after arriving to fight the fire. Shop tenant real estate agent Lois Jones praised the fire brigade officers who went into
the burning building to rescue valuable equipment and files for the businesses. “They are worth more money,’’ she said. Cr Richard Mehrtens said the said the situation presented an opportunity for renewal. He said the prime location between Woy Woy and Umina served as an important shopping point for nearby residents. “I hope that the owners of the site have a vision to keep the best bits of the site alive, such as its accessibility and convenience, and focus on the necessities of life that people rely on.” Anyone with information on the fire at Umina Mall is being urged to
come forward. The cause of the fire was being investigated and was being treated as suspicious, police said at the time, and have since confirmed it remains an ongoing active investigation. Any links with the fire at Woy Woy community garden the following week were also being investigated.
SOURCE: Media statement, 13 Jan 2019 Media Unit, NSW Police Phone call, 23 Jan 2019 NSW Police, Woy Woy Media statement, 25 Jan 2019 Cr RIchard Mehrtens, Central Coast Council See more P6-P9
Panel signals possible nursing home approval in rare bushland The Joint Regional Planning Panel has voted to support the concept of allowing a 160-bed nursing home in endangered bushland in Woy Woy.
The owner of land at 45 Hillview St, Woy Woy, containing Umina coastal sandplain woodland has been told to give the planning authority more detail after a public hearing last week. The four-member joint regional planning panel voted three to one to support the concept but they did not approve the proposal – as yet. Cr Kyle MacGregor was the dissenting member of the panel. The approval would not comply with planning provisions. The building would generally exceed height limits by 50 per cent and in the rear 25 per cent of the site being three times the limit. Panel chair Mr Jason Perica said the panel had a number of details they wanted from the developer and from Central Coast Council staff assessing the details. These included clarity about rules around development in areas with acid sulphide soils and whether previous consents about conservation considerations on this particular site had been complied with. They also asked for a review of the proposed boardwalk and senior housing requirements under State Environmental Plans. Mr Perica said they needed more time to digest information the developer had provided that day
relating to one variation against planning guidelines. Planning provisions require the development to be no higher than one storey within 25 metres of the rear boundary and two storey elsewhere. Mr Perica said the three storeys were higher but allowed the development to be concentrated on the cleared area and the density was less than the guidelines and given the significant setbacks of the building and characteristics of the site, there was enough conceptual support for not refusing but they would not approve “tonight”. The site currently has an active development approval for senior housing but the owner has come back with a variation to that original consent from 2007. The latest plan is to build a three storey 160-bed nursing home, which is one storey above planning guidelines. Many of the approvals from the previous consent are being carried over to the new proposal and the planning panel wanted some of these reviewed in light of current regulations. Mr Perica said he expected a decision in weeks rather than months. There would not be another public meeting but the information being sought would be published before a final decision was made. SOURCE: Hearing, 24 Jan 2019 Hunter Central Coast Joint Regional Planning Panel
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