Object to gross over-development

Coming to your council on January 25, is a proposal for another monstrous overdevelopment for the Peninsula.

Incredibly, this development is being pushed as an "opportunity to screen the rear of the nine story resort building located on the adjoining site" (Gosford Council business paper, December 7).

The Central Coast Design Review Panel, the panel of design experts appointed by the State Government and consisting of several professors and other highly qualified persons describes this proposal as "a gross over-development''.

Gosford Council's planners are pushing this gross over-development, despite the concerns of the independent experts.

Council's planners are saying that to hide one gross over development they will give you another one - in essence, two wrongs make a right.

The original approval for the current club required that parking be provided on the site of the existing club.

In fact, two levels of parking on this site are required to meet the shortfall of the new club.

We ask why the Memorial Club was given such concessions (nine storeys in a three storey zone) and not required to provide adequate parking spaces within the development?

Why are the residents now being asked to accept further high rise development when they have consistently voiced their dislike for such a concept in our suburbs?

The report to council advises that high rise will be accommodated in the new Urban Design Framework (UDF), yet the public consultation process for the UDF made no mention of high rise on the Peninsula.

It appears that high rise will now be allowed on the Peninsula only because the developers want it

The likely outcome is that the Peninsula, already despoiled by massive overdevelopment of villas, will now be grossly overdeveloped with high rise.

Initially, this can be anticipated in the business centres but eventually also on the waterfronts - simply because developers' greed overrules proper planning in Gosford City.

When this proposal goes on public exhibition, I strongly urge all residents to object to this gross over-development.

Bryan Ellis, Woy Woy