No contamination, owners claim

The owners of a site on Sorrento Rd, Empire Bay, have claimed that there is no contamination on the site from its previous use for fuel sales.

Gosford Council recently refused an application for a mixed commercial and residential development on the site.

A report to Gosford Council had stated that insufficient information had been submitted regarding the previous use of the site, such as previous fuel sales and the existence of the underground fuel tank and any possible site contamination.

Council requested a contamination report from owners David and Barbara Cumming following the refusal.

"Council has asked that a contamination report be conducted on the site to determine if any contamination exists," Mr Cumming said.

"As you would be aware, there has been no fuel sales from here for over 20 years, and Douglass Partners have concluded in their report that there are absolutely no contamination issues at the site."

"Furthermore, council's Jim Bruton and Fred Dobbs summonsed us to a meeting two weeks ago and attempted to persuade us to resubmit the original development application (DA) as they now believed, after a QC's opinion, that indeed we should commence the building.

"They felt they were now in a position to pass the DA under section 87."

Mr Cumming said he and his wife had refused the offer, as they now had a better project planned for the site.

Press release, November 8 David and Barbara Cumming