Plan placed on exhibition

Gosford Council is to exhibit the Draft City Management Plan for 2004-2008 from April 19 to May 17.

The City Management Plan (CMP) includes the corporate plan, capital works program, annual budget, revenue policy, state of the environment report, community plan and Equal Employment Opportunity management plan.

Over the exhibition period copies of the draft CMP can be viewed at the Council inquiry counter at Gosford Council, branch libraries and customer service centres.

Council is inviting local organisation to two public workshops on May 3 where senior management will outline key achievements of the past year and outline the works and studies that are planned for the year ahead.

It is expected council will formally review the draft CMP in late may 2004.

The draft CMP lists recently completed projects by Council, such as the Spikefest comedy festival, annual reports for Peninsula Theatre, construction of Killcare Fire Station, Woy Woy leg of the Gosford to Woy Woy cycleway and the design for the reconstruction of the boat ramp at Pretty Beach.

It lists projects currently in progress such as the Peninsula Leisure Centre due to be completed in 2005, Ettalong and Umina Beach town centre revitalisation plans to be implemented from 2005-2006, and the Surf club upgrades for Umina and Ocean Beach due to be finished by 2007.

It also lists the current development of a cultural program including a mini art film festival which includes a showing at Woy Woy over a one year trial, sewer provision to areas such as Patonga Creek, Bar Point and Empire Bay from 2004-2008, pedestrian access and mobility plans and the Peninsula Urban Direction Strategy.

The draft plan also lists projects that should be completed up to 2008 including construction of the Pretty Beach Boat Ramp, the planned closure of Woy Woy tip by June 2009, and a medium density housing review based on Peninsula Urban Direction Strategy by June 2005.

Environmentally, it lists a Brisbane Water Estuary process study and a similar biodiversity study to be completed by mid 2006 and management of alligator weed.

Council will also implement preparation of floodplain risk management plan for Turo reserve creek, Pretty Beach, and the preparation of floodplain risk management plan for Middle Creek, Pearl Beach by 2006.

They also plan to commission a three-dimension virtual reality computer model for Terrigal bowl or the Peninsula.

The model identifies existing and future development proposals and will be completed nine months from the budget application.

Council is also investigating implementing an electronic Development Application system and electronic receipt of all correspondence.

Plan, April 2004