DLEP should be more realistic

The Gosford Draft Local Environment Plan (DLEP) is flawed for two main reasons.

Firstly, it does not take into account climate change and rising sea levels.

Secondly, it makes inadequate provision for the protection of highly sensitive public lands and coastal foreshores.

Since the vision for the DLEP was formulated circumstances have radically changed.

The State Government and Gosford Council have accepted for planning purposes sea level rises of 0.9 metres by 2100 while a national assessment of coastal vulnerability has ranked Gosford as the third most "at risk" council area.

The Federal Government has also accepted a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of five per cent by 2020 and a detailed sea level rise mapping for the Gosford area has become available in 2009.

The DLEP ignores climate change issues.

Council has released no independent expert input (if it has any) so residents may understand the implications of these matters on the plan.

For example, with a planned 20 to 30 per cent population increase for the Peninsula, the reduction target of five per cent for greenhouse gas emissions means per capita levels will need to fall by 25 to 30 per cent by 2020.

This will have major repercussions for the community.

The implications must be spelt out.

Detailed sea level rise mapping now available to council shows the low-lying Peninsula will be at risk.

Woy Woy business district and surrounds will be subject to regular flooding.

Yet Woy Woy is planned to be a major business centre with building heights of 19.8 metres plus extra for consolidation bonus.

Is this a realistic plan with the information now available?

Protection of highly sensitive environmental lands Gosford is rightly proud of its history of acquiring Coastal Open Space System lands and its vision to ensure that sensitive environmental and recreational lands are properly protected.

It has available detailed vegetation maps for all such areas which were updated in 2009. Unfortunately, perhaps in the rush to get the DLEP finished, the new zonings now proposed by council provide inadequate protection.

The COSS lands, the Pearl Beach Arboretum and coastal foreshores are all zoned RE 1 - Recreation: such proposed zoning exposes them to unacceptable development such as go-kart tracks and the like.

Other councils have protected their sensitive areas by zoning them E2 - Environmental Conservation.

There is no reason why Gosford cannot do the same.

Council must revise the DLEP to ensure proper protection is provided for all highly sensitive environmental lands.

It has available all the information needed to do so and has examples from other councils on how this can be done.

The new DLEP is a long-term planning document.

Such planning warrants taking into account up-to-date professional advice and expertise on the matters outlined above.

It is likely that such input will require real changes to a flawed vision.

The DLEP must be withdrawn and the community provided with factual information to allow it to determine a more realistic plan for the future.

Email, 16 Mar 2010 Michael Gillian, Ettalong