Umina plan options will be presented

Gosford Council will present options for a Transport Management and Accessibility Plan and Civic Place Masterplan for Umina Beach Village to a public consultation meeting at a date to be announced.

It expected the plans will provide for increased residential density around the retail centre as well as a "civic space" centred around a relocated library.

A report to the council has justified the plan, say that the Central Coast Regional Strategy provided for existing commercial-retail centres to be "locations for increased residential development".

The report said the strategy aimed to "capitalise on the locational benefits" of the centres with their access to services and as public transport nodes.

It said the Woy Woy Peninsula centres would be the focus of future increased development activity and that it was necessary to develop plans to maximise the benefits from this new development for the centres.

Such plans would integrate building design, traffic management, public domain improvements, improved sustainability outcomes and community planning to achieve the goal of providing attractive development and importantly, the physical and commercial renewal of the centres, the report said.

Council was told that the planning for the centres started with the Peninsula Urban Directions Strategy (PUDS), which was being implemented through the Standard Instrument LEP (draft Gosford LEP 2009).

The PUDS recommendation of extending the Umina zoned business area north to Wellington St was adopted in 2006.

The report said that Council has been undertaking two studies to further implement the PUDS recommendations in relation to planning for the Umina Beach Village.

The provision and integration of accessible, safe and sufficient pedestrian, cycle-vehicle routes and parking is a major component in the operation of a successful commercial-retail centre, according to Council's director of environment and planning Ms Colleen Worthy-Jennings.

"For the Umina Beach Village Centre to fully benefit from the additional development opportunities provided by PUDS, it was necessary that the supporting movement systems enable the community to see the centre as a convenient and attractive place to visit.

"For example, proposed car parking locations need to be well connected by way of pedestrian linkages to the attractors of people to the centre such as supermarkets.

"Traffic flows in and around the centre need to be efficient so that access to attractors in the centre can be easily achieved.

"Cycle routes to and within the centre need to be encouraged to create a more sustainable living environment.

"Particular emphasis needs to be placed upon maintaining the existing supply of off street car parking.

"The ribbon or strip development style of the Umina Beach Village Centre has meant that the centre has lacked the public focal point that characterises many successful traditional commercial centres," said Ms Worthy-Jennings in the report.

Council had previously considered the possibility of moving the existing Council Library in West St to the public car park located between Alfred and Bullion Sts, she said.

Such an action could create a civic focal point for the Umina Beach Village Centre, she said.

"The elements that could make up the development of a Civic place are the library, along with community area and meeting room, as well as a public open space area that forms a Civic space.

"The key element of the Civic Place would be the Civic open space.

"This public open space area needs to have a potential for use for civic functions, to be visible from streets and residential development to promote the feeling of safety, contain high amenity to promote use through sunlight access and protection from unpleasant winds, have good connection to the attractors of people to the centre through pedestrian linkages and be subject to a high level of finishes to promote attraction and reinforce the civic role," said Ms Worthy-Jennings.

The possible development of the Council car park to create a Civic Place would provide the opportunity to develop residential and commercial development on the remaining land.

Community consultation meetings took place on Tuesday, March 20, to identify the issues associated with pedestrian, cycle-vehicle routes and parking movement in Umina and to canvass the community's views on the idea of creating a Civic Place on the Bullion St car park.

Council has maintained a community forum on its website to gain further community opinion.

Gosford Council Agenda SF.16, 3 Jul 2012