New plan will deny us open space

Gosford Council's recent decision to place on exhibit "Amendment No.2 to Contributions Plan No 31C Peninsula Open Space and Recreation" contains some detail that has serious consequences for residents.

It was resolved at a council meeting on April 1 to engage yet another consultant to "further review opportunities for additional open space on the Woy Woy Peninsula".

Further, the councillors resolved that "this review not include consideration of currently private(sic) owned land".

We do not want another fiasco similar to what developed when council ham-fistedly tried to acquire private land surrounding the netball courts at Ettalong and proposed recreational facility at Woy Woy.

However, this recommendation will deny us the right to purchase environmentally-sensitive land that may come onto the market and the provision and expansion of neighbourhood parks throughout the Peninsula.

Continued overdevelopment on the Peninsula has left us with inadequate passive and active open space for the current population.

Closing the option of buying privately-owned property on the Peninsula as it comes onto the market is selling future generations short while relying on future developers to provide their own open space, which none do, and council won't be able to.

This plan to rob future generations of adequate open space will see money collected for open space used to bail out Council's bungled Peninsula recreational facility development.

The land that is currently on the market at the foot of Bull's Hill on Correa Bay and bushland owned by the Catholic church in Hillview St will be bulldozed for more overdevelopment.

Both these environmentally sensitive blocks should be purchased now with money that council has, which was collected for this purpose.

Residents should be aware that three of the councillors that supported this short-sighted theft - Bell, Holstein and Doyle - are seeking re-election and a mandate to force this flawed plan upon the Peninsula.

Save Our Suburbs candidates will oppose this plan when elected and will be available for questioning at our next meeting at South Woy Woy Progress Hall on Saturday the March 13 at 1pm.

Bryan Ellis, Save Our Suburbs, Umina