Ferry terminal gets go ahead

Gosford Council has approved Fast Ships development application for its ferry terminal building on the Esplanade at Ettalong.

The application proposed to demolish the existing toilet block and erect the terminal building in its place.

The building will have a floor area of 360 square metres and an additional 216 square metres of covered area outside the building as roof overhang.

The height of the building will be 4.5 metres above ground level with the centrepiece being 6.5 metres above ground.

The centrepiece is a raised concave roof feature.

Council's director of development and the environment, Mr John Murray, said the facilities within the building would include seating, a tourist booth, telephones, vending machines, toilets and operations office.

He said the external materials would be predominately blue tinted glass in powdercoat aluminum-framed windows and doors, with a curved off-white colorbond roof.

Fast Ships was required to build a new seawall because the current seawall did not provide enough protection.

During the public exhibition of the proposed terminal, 80 public submissions were received by Council.

Of these 12 were objections and 68 in favour of the proposal.

Mr Murray answered the suggestion that the existing public toilet block should be replaced elsewhere or the terminal's toilets should be accessible by the public 24 hours per day.

Mr Murray said the terminal's toilets were replacing the existing toilet block and would be available for the general public.

He said Council's recreation officer had no objection to the terminal toilets being open during the terminal building's operating hours, which were between 6am and 10pm.

Mr Murray answered objections that the size of the building be reduced to single story to minimise the loss of views to residents, saying only the centrepiece was above one-storey height.

"The size of the building is necessary for the number of people likely to use the fast ferry," he said.

Some objections were on the basis that the proposal would affect property values of nearby residences and Council should rezone or pay a monetary compensation.

Mr Murray said the Fast Ferry might increase property values.

Other objectors said that there would be conflict between users of the existing cycle path and those using the terminal.

Mr Murray said the cycle path passed between the terminal and the proposed jetty.

He said a condition of consent was that the cycle path was not to be obstructed.

Submissions in favour were similar with a general comment being the ferry would bring economic benefits to the Peninsula.

Carl Spears, November 9