Alleviation works fail to address flooding problem

Council's Peninsula flooding and drainage alleviation works were tested on August 29-31 and failed to address the problem.

My solace is in the consultant's report to Gosford City Council in 1990.

It commented on future drainage, investigating the backwater influence of high downstream water levels on the flow capacity of selected drainage systems, and determining the works necessary to enable each system to cater for the 1 in 100 AEP peak flows.

Problems with flooding and drainage have increased due to, poor planning, over development, infrastructure neglect, climate change, increasing storm events, reduced open space and non-compliance.

Areas of the Peninsula should be rezoned as low density, single level/open space, residential development for adaptation to flooding.

Both Gosford and Central Coast Council have had almost 40 years to solve the Peninsula's flooding and drainage problems.

This is a more than reasonable period to conduct engineering and other works to determine the success of agreed experiments.

It's time for a review of the process and to rethink problem solving.

The Joint Regional Planning Panel that approved the Hillview St aged care facility believed council officer's present who claimed that flooding was not an issue.

Flooding is an issue and will reduce the expected life term of the proposed development.

How many other proposed/approved developments on the Peninsula already have a reduced life term of the development?

Is the Woy Woy Sporties development a case study to be repeatedly ignored in the future to satisfy development proponents?

Will the Council continue to use outdated practices well into the future, when new practices should be embraced?

Land use zoning is a major fault.

Who will be responsible for determining and calculating lost costs associated with each development?

Mediation and submissions have failed.

Public activism is now my choice of action, or my action of choice.

For those similarly minded, the big day is September 20, the "get off the couch" day.

Letter, 12 Sep 2019

Norman Harris, Umina