DCP that does not control is no improvement
I am a resident of Umina and have lived here since 1985.
I regularly visit or travel through Gosford and consider it to be the administrative centre of the Central Coast.
It can also once again become the town centre of the Central Coast with some well-designed development.
I have the following objections to the Gosford Draft Development Control Plan (DCP) 2018 that in my view, does not contribute to this growth and advancement.
There is no traffic or parking study.
Such a study should be undertaken and implemented prior to any changes in zoning or planning criteria.
Lack of attention to parking does not provide confidence that the developers of the DCP have even been to Gosford, let alone tried to park there.
I am very concerned about any amendments to the provision and location of car parking requirements for selected developments.
I am very concerned about any unlimited density and heights of buildings in key locations, including any future site over 5600 square metres.
This makes absolutely no sense.
The design of buildings needs to avoid any creation of wind tunnels.
Residents of and visitors to Gosford City currently enjoy amenity that would be destroyed by bad design and associated wind tunnels.
I am very concerned about any overshadowing of public areas especially Kibble Park and Leagues Club Park.
This should be avoided with good design.
Changing the current DCP controls from unlimited sunlight to Kibble Park to only 50 per cent is a serious neglect and mismanagement of public space.
Even allowing the Leagues Club Park to have 70 per cent solar access identifies that Kibble Park is being treated as second rate.
Kibble Park as the heart of the Civic Centre should not be compromised by overshadowing.
How can the DCP include no limit on the number of storeys in some locations?
Buildings could be 30 or more storeys in height.
This ignores an unpublished economic feasibility study from 2017-18 that predicted buildings in excess of 10 storeys as actually not feasible in Gosford.
This serious lack of research needs to be acknowledged.
The current developers' contribution of four per cent of the value of the development should not be removed.
This is essential to enable the Central Coast Council to construct critical infrastructure.
Substituting a Special Infrastructure Contribution of three per cent will just further increase pressure on the Council budget that is already unable to meet the current infrastructure demands.
And how can you justify that of this three per cent, when the State Government would take two per cent leaving only one per cent for the Central Coast Council.
That is unconscionable and seems like theft to me.
Do not take planning controls away from the democratically-elected local Central Coast Council and transfer that control to unnamed bureaucrats and the Minister for Planning.
This is the result of classifying any development above $75 million as State Significant development.
Hands off our community.
Classifying development between $10 million to $75 million to be assessed by the Department of Planning and determined by the Minister or Independent Planning Commission is taking planning controls away from the democratically-elected local Central Coast Council.
Don't.
Council is the best place to make local planning decisions, not State Government and its employees who didn't live here, have no interest in decisions made that impact on residents and visitors and have no apparent appreciation for what their policies mean on the ground.
I am concerned that the key views appear to favour developers rather than implement sound planning principles.
Building setbacks appear to favour developers rather than implement sound planning principles.
Finally, I do not understand why in some locations consideration is allowed to provide off-site parking rather than ensuring any proposed development provides adequate on-site parking.
The Development Control Plan is a misnomer.
There are few controls and none that reflect the hopes and aspirations of the people whose lives will be impacted by building and construction within this plan.
I do not regard what is being proposed as "development" other than growth.
It is certainly not an advance or improvement on the Gosford town centre.
Email, 20 Sep 2018
Sally Jope, Umina