Veron Rd land swap rejected

A community proposal to swap council land in Dulkara Rd, Woy Woy, for land in Hillview St has been rejected by Gosford Council's environmental planning directorate.

The directorate undertook an assessment of the Dulkara Rd parkland to establish the feasibility of a land swap between the Catholic land in Hillview St and the parkland.

A land swap was one community proposal made to enable the preservation of the environmentally-sensitive Catholic land.

Environmental planning director Ms Louise Gee has confirmed that her directorate did not support this land swap idea for several reasons.

Referring to the Dulkara St parkland, Ms Gee has stated: "The site contains significant remnant mature trees (approx. 30).

"These occupy at least a third of the site and it is unlikely that they could all be retained if the land were developed as is proposed for the Hillview site."

Ms Gee further stated that "the trees may be a remnant of the endangered ecological community Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland."

The additional reason was: "Rezoning of this land and development would remove a parkland area, and the opportunity to enhance corridor linkages along the drainage channel to Correa Bay."

Shirley Hotchkiss, November 12