Chamber outlines agenda for 2019

The Peninsula Chamber of Commerce has outlined its agenda for 2019, with roads and planning high on its lobbying list for the coming year.

"The Chamber will be continuing its strong lobbying centred around strengthening planning controls and improvements to our town centres", said Chamber president Mr Matthew Wales.

"Our focus will be on ensuring that business interests are protected during the upcoming debate over the new Consolidated Local Environmental Plan, which merges the old Gosford and Wyong planning controls.

"It is important that the new planning controls ensure the continued vitality of our three local town centres and also ensure that development controls continue to provide good housing outcomes that produce good quality and affordable residential accommodation in both our retail centres and medium density areas."

The Chamber also wants to see a "sensible debate" over climate change and sea level rise which have the potential to adversely affect the Woy Woy commercial centre and weaken investment in these areas.

"We need to ensure that rather than subscribe to the 'retreat' philosophy, we ensure that resilience measures are built into our climate change policies so that properties are protected and values are not impacted", Mr Wales said.

"It is also important the Local Planning Panels are introduced so that major developments can be assessed through independent processes and at arm's-length from political interference.

"Local Planning Panels have been very successful in the Sydney Metro area and the Chamber supports the NSW Government's moves to introduce local panels to the Central Coast which would include all developments over $5 million.

"The chamber will also be pushing for proactive affordable housing controls for the Woy Woy town centre so that planning measures are introduced close to the rail-bus transport hub that encourage more affordable housing developments."

"It's a crazy situation where virtually no new housing project has been undertaken in the last 20 years in the Woy Woy town centre where we have easy access to rail and bus transport, services, medical facilities and major retail outlets."

He said mixed-use development happened close to transport hubs right across the State but nothing occurred at Woy Woy.

"This has got to change and council needs to get on with its planning and management review of the centre as a matter of urgency," Mr Wales said.

"Over the next 12 months, the Chamber will also be placing pressure on both the NSW State Government and Central Coast Council to continue improvements to our local road network including the funded promises at the Maitland Bay Dr-Picnic Parade intersection, Dunban Rd/Ocean Beach Rd intersection and safety improvements to both Blackwall Rd and Woy Woy Rd.

"We will also be pushing for a review of the notorious Rawson Rd-Ocean Beach Rd intersection which continues to be a major choke point at peak times and school start-finish times."

SOURCE:

Media release, 10 Dec 2018

Matthew Wales, Peninsula Chamber of Commerce