Regional plan lacks practical suggestions

The article published on March 7 (Regional plan proposes more flats for the Peninsula), somewhat overstates the intentions of the plan.

What the plan actually says is that "the most viable housing will be residential flat buildings... and multi-dwelling housing in... Gosford Local Government Area" and that the "NSW Government will work with councils... to... identify... suitable... locations for infill housing such as... Woy Woy, Peninsula".

The plan does not propose flat buildings for the Peninsula, perhaps outside Woy Woy, as your article seems to imply.

While the 62 page report is largely flannel, it does have one or two nuggets of real information.

The population is projected to rise by 70,000 people most of whom will be over 65 years of age.

Yet, for the past decade, four bedroom houses have increased over 8000 while smaller units have decreased by nearly 2300.

However, beyond the pious hope that more diverse housing types will be built in the future, the plan seems to have no Warnervale or Wadalba which are probably the least desirable locations for small, elderly households.

How this disconnect is to be addressed does not appear in the plan.

The plan does identify Gosford as the regional capital with Wyong acting as "the main cultural, civic and administrative... centre... for the northern half" of the region.

This was, of course, written before the amalgamation was decided.

The reasons for this distinction are far from convincing.

It is said that "Gosford... has heavy rail line, schools, TAFE and Gosford Hospital", ignoring the fact that Wyong has heavy rail line, schools and Wyong hospital as well as better access to the M1 and better topography for future expansion.

Also given that the main educational campus is at Ourimbah, the presence of TAFE in Gosford does not seem particularly significant.

This arbitrary decision to place the regional capital at the southern end of the urban area also ignores the fact that "there are strong cross-border links between the southern parts of Lake Macquarie... and the northern part of Wyong Council".

This makes a strong case for at least a partial incorporation of Lake Macquarie into the new Central Coast City and the designation of Wyong as the regional capital.

It has always been my contention that Wyong should have been amalgamated with Lake Macquarie and Gosford with Hornsby, but that opportunity seems to have passed.

The plan designates two development areas in the Somersby/Erina and Tuggerah/Warnervale corridors and the need to "enhance connectivity to and through the Somersby/Erina corridor".

However, there is no practical suggestion for bringing this about, beyond a mention of the West Gosford intersection, already completed.

The implication is that significant road improvements will be required, further cutting off the Gosford CBD from the waterfront.

It is ironic that the document brags that the CCRDC "has advanced the redevelopment of the waterfront area through the relocation of Gosford Public School and the rezoning... to allow... for... community uses."

Much of the draft plan is about preparing to prepare plans and we seem to be far from any practical initiatives to improve conditions on the Peninsula or on the Central Coast as a whole.

Fortunately or unfortunately, private interests will decide most of the issues on which the plan pontificates, so government will have only a marginal role.

Let us recall when Port Stephens was going to be the commercial hub north of Sydney and not place too much reliance on governmental projections of future development patterns.

Email, 19 Mar 2016

Bruce Hyland, Woy Woy