Chamber calls for comment on new planning controls

The Peninsula Chamber of Commerce has urged the business community and housing industry to review the proposed Central Coast Council's Consolidated LEP which open for public comment.

"The Council has now placed the new merged planning controls on exhibition together with the new Development Control Plan for the whole Central Coast," said Chamber president Mr Matthew Wales.

"These are important documents that merge the old Gosford City Council and Wyong Shire Council planning controls in one uniform set of planning rules that cover the whole region," he said.

"The business and housing industry have been waiting for these new controls for over 18 months so we welcome the exhibition of the documents.

"However, there is a lot of information contained in the new plans and we are urging the community to carefully review and comment on these before the closing dated on February 28.

"It is important that the merged planning rules continue to ensure that we achieve housing diversity and affordability, while continuing to provide protections for both the character of local communities and the wider environment.

"Obviously, the Chamber of Commerce is particularly keen to see planning provisions that support redevelopment of our town centres including the mixed use developments that provide residential floor space in Woy Woy, Umina and Ettalong.

"We are also very concerned about the impact of policies relating to climate change and sea level rise and how this may affect particularly the Woy Woy town centre.

"We don't subscribe to 'planned retreat' but rather want to see adaptation and resilience measures built into the planning controls so that the impacts, if they do occur, are accommodated in flexible polices rather than a rigid 'no development' approach.

"The devil is in the detail so we encourage the wider community to have their say and ensure that the new Consolidated LEP and accompanying DCP are the best documents possible that provide for a sensible planning framework for the future."

SOURCE:

Media release, 13 Dec 2018

Matthew Wales, Peninsula Chamber of Commerce