Call on Minister over Tesrol

The proposed Tesrol development at Ettalong has been used by Sydney's Total Environment Centre as an example of where Planning Minister Mr Frank Sartor should intervene to refuse development approval.

The Centre has urged the Minister to intervene to prevent development proposals being approved by Gosford Council, where staff have recommended refusal due to breaching of planning regulations and standards.

The Centre requested the Minister "call in" two major development applications (DAs) that came before Gosford Council recently, including the Tesrol development at Ettalong Beach.

The DAs were deferred for consideration by a majority block of "pro-developer" councillors, according to the centre's coastal campaigner Ms Fran Kelly.

"The proposals were for major residential unit development in a business zone to the north of Gosford that does not allow such development and for a nine-storey block of units on the Esplanade at Ettalong which was a 285 per cent variation on the development standards for that area," said TEC coastal campaigner Ms Fran Kelly.

"Councillors should look objectively at development proposals, taking their expert advice from staff recommendations, and make informed decisions based on that information.

"In this case, it doesn't seem to matter what is being proposed or what the experts recommend, this block of pro-developer councillors seems determined to rubber stamp,"

"The proposals lie far outside the boundaries of what is acceptable under current planning and development rules and would be serious overdevelopments in inappropriate locations.

"The staff rightfully recommended their refusal, but a majority of councillors saw fit to ignore the recommendations.

"This is not the first time wider issues have been brushed aside.

"Since the last election this majority block has got rid of the council's environment department and given their approval to other proposals that have been recommended for refusal.

"We have asked the Planning Minister to intervene because the community no longer trusts that a majority of their councillors will comply with their own council's rules and regulations."

Press release, February 22 Total Environment Centre