Council damaged heritage, committee member claims

A member of Gosford Council's heritage committee Ms Kay Williams of Pearl Beach has claimed that a section of the Old Pearl Beach Rd has been destroyed by works on Mt Ettalong Rd at Mt Ettalong.

She said the old road was listed as a local heritage item.

Ms Williams said that, despite claims to the contrary, the heritage road was under the main road and as a result was destroyed by the works.

"The new wall is not 'along the edge of the embankment' but extends on top of the road below," said Ms Williams in a letter to Cr Peter Freewater on November 6.

Gosford Council's engineering services manager Mr John Cragg said that no development consent was required for the retaining wall as the works involved improvement to a main road.

A Heritage Impact Statement would normally have been prepared to support development associated with a heritage item that requires development approval, but because no consent was required such a statement was not prepared.

The works did require an environmental assessment, he said.

This was prepared by external consultant Robert Payne of Ecological Surveys and Management, who considered potential impacts on the heritage item, according to Mr Cragg.

However, according to Ms Williams, Mr Payne was not asked to take heritage listing into consideration and there was no mention of awareness of the heritage listed road in his report.

Old Pearl Beach Rd is listed as a local heritage item on Schedule eight of the Gosford Planning Scheme Ordinance for its historic and social significance as a portion of the early access road to Pearl beach as well as being scientifically significant for its potential for research and education, providing an example of road construction methods of the 1920s.

Email, 17 Nov 2010 Kay Williams, Heritage Committee Letter, 4 November 2010 John Cragg, Gosford Council