Engagement to be considered before master planning

Gosford Council has agreed to prepare a community and stakeholder engagement strategy before it forms a Peninsula Master Planning Committee or reviews the Peninsula Urban Directions Strategy.

Its review of the strategy will be delayed until after it has considered the implications of sea level rise for the Peninsula.

The decision followed consideration of a staff report giving "the context of the most recent strategic planning undertaken by both Council and the State Government".

The report stated that it would be "premature to review (the strategy) and/or undertake any other strategic planning for the Peninsula" before these planning processes had come to a resolution.

Among the considerations, the report said that a State planning guideline on sea level rise recommended that no increase in development density occur in areas, such as the Peninsula, affected by sea level rise.

It stated that a review of the Central Coast Regional Strategy was due next year and that this was likely to have to take sea level rise into account.

Further strategic and risk management planning for sea level rise was required before Local Environment Plans for affected areas could be adopted.

This planning was currently under way and would involve community engagement.

As well as this, staff were still assessing 1500 submissions on Gosford Council's current draft Local Environment Plan, which would implement the Peninsula Urban Directions Strategy.

The report stated that once adopted, this would "provide more development opportunities for business and medium density housing on the Peninsula with improved urban design outcomes".

Council Agenda, ENV.76, 7 Dec 2010