Group fears houses on escarpment under new scheme

The adoption of a "combined" planning scheme recommended for adoption at tonight's Central Coast Council meeting could open the way for houses to be built on the escarpment which surrounds the Peninsula, a conservation group has claimed.

Much of the bushland on the escarpment was council-owned land covered by the Coastal Open Space System, said Australian Conservation Foundation Central Coast branch president Mr Mark Ellis.

The land would be zoned E2 under the proposed Combined Local Environment Plan and Development Control Plan, a zone in which houses could be built.

He said that, should the land be seen as "assets surplus to requirements", the council could sell it.

"If someone owns it, they could build on it.

"The E2 zone is inconsistent with providing high environmental protection," he said.

"There needs to be a specific zone where its protection from development is watertight."

A special zone was needed to support the community's desire to maintain the environmental integrity of the land which covers ridgelines and endangered bushlands, he said.

"In 2020 this unique environmental asset for the Coast faces the threat of being placed in E2 zone which allows secondary developments and housing.

"To rezone our environmental lands and open space land for urban and residential is contradictory to the key objective of Council's adopted biodiversity strategy.

"The former Gosford Council requested a specific environmental zone to accommodate the Coastal Open Space System," Mr Ellis said.

"The NSW Planning Department supported a specific zone in 2010, and in 2015.

"In discussions with then Planning Minister Mr Rob Stokes, Gosford Council general manager Mr Paul Anderson stated: 'We didn't want educational establishments or dwellings that are allowed in some environmental zones in the COSS land, and we are never going to do that until we get a zone suitable for COSS.'

"In 2017, Central Coast Council voted to protect COSS and took the motion to the local government conference where a specific environmental zone was supported by the conference delegates.

"Mr Stokes was happy to work with the council then, why not in 2020?

"The only thing that has changed is the council staff and CEO.

"The structure, funding and importance of a stand-alone environmental protection zone remains," he said.

Mr Ellis said the branch had called on the Minister of Planning and local members of parliament to start the process to create a specific environmental protection zone for Coastal Open Space System land. SOURCE: Media release, 7 Dec 2020 Mark Ellis, ACF Central Coast