Liberal call to purchase bushland

State Liberal representative for Peats, Ms Debra Wales, has called on Gosford Council to purchase the Catholic School land on the corner of Veron Rd and Hillview St for public open space.

The land is currently subject to a development application that would see it become a residential aged unit development.

Ms Wales said she would be taking up the battle to save the land which is the last of the natural sandplain land in private ownership on the Peninsula.

"It is actually the last remnants of what the Peninsula used to look like before people took up residence, so it must be preserved," she said.

"I had been asking council to purchase the site for the past two years as the Catholic Church were willing to sell and council never did anything about it.

"Now we find aged care units are proposed.

"This is exactly why I opposed the changes to the Contribution Plan 31 as those developer contributions are to purchase land for open space and recreation.

"There is $5.4 million in the kitty now but the amendments to the plan will allow the money to be transferred to the aquatic centre.

"This land is one of the few remaining parcels of pristine Woy Woy sandplain forest left on the Peninsula and it is about to be destroyed by wall-to-wall retirement units," Ms Wales said.

"The community cannot allow this to happen.

"I first approached Council on the purchase of this land using developer contributions over two years ago when possible residential use of the site came to light.

"However, Council has done nothing to purchase this land and now there is a development application for 44 residential aged care units that will result in the wholesale clearing of the land.

"This would be a real environmental tragedy.

"The irony is that Cr Chris Holstein wants to use the existing $5 million in the open space acquisition fund under the Peninsula Contribution Plan to pay for the massive budget blowout in the Regional Aquatic Centre.

"This would leave no money whatsoever to purchase sensitive bushland such as the Hillview St site for open space.

"The developer contribution fund for the acquisition of open space land was specifically set up to ensure that developers paid money to Council for the purchase of land for community use.

"There is $5 million available in that account which could be used to purchase the land before we lose the sand plain forest forever," Ms Wales said.

She said that the plans were to construct 41 residential aged care units on the corner of Hillview St and Veron Rd opposite the Everglades Golf Course on land adjacent to the St John the Baptist Primary School.

"At a time when the Peninsula is under enormous pressure from over development, we should be ensuring that highly sensitive land is brought under public ownership wherever possible.

"This is especially the case when we actually have money available with which to negotiate a purchase.

"Gosford Council should be entering into serious negotiations with the Broken Bay Diocese immediately so as to save the Hillview St site.

"We have the money.

"Let's put it to the use which it was intended," she said.

Press release, May 10