Heritage items to be decided

Gosford Council is expected to decide which heritage items to list in a draft local environmental plan next Tuesday, May 30.

Items to be considered in the Peninsula area include the Old Booker Bay Cemetery, the Old St Peters Church, the Wastaffe Store, the Empire Bay Anglican Church, the old store and residence on Sorrento Rd, Empire Bay, the Pretty Beach baths and the Phegans Bay walking track.

Council officers have recommended that council retain St Peters Church and delete the Booker Bay cemetery from the LEP.

The Wagstaffe store would be retained in the LEP.

Both the Anglican Church and the Pretty Beach Baths have been recommended for retention, but a decision on both has been deferred pending a "sighting of inventory".

The old store and residence on Sorrento Rd, Empire Bay has also been deferred.

A strategy policy workshop was held on May 16, at which the proposed heritage items were discussed.

Officers recommended that the extent of the Phegans Bay Walking Track be reduced from numbers 80-100 Monastir Rd to numbers 80-92 Monastir Rd, to coincide with council-owned lots over which the track passed.

The DLEP proposed to include in council's planning instruments items currently listed in Development Control Plan No 34 (DCP) - Environmental Heritage Conservation and items identified in Stage two of the Heritage Review which were agreed to by council in 2002/03.

Those attending the workshop considered all the proposed heritage items for which objections were received from either the owners or the adjoining owners.

Council officers have also recommended that council re-establish its environmental heritage advisory committee.

According to the council report, the consensus at the workshop was that the heritage committee should be re-established with new terms of reference.

Council agenda SF.17, May 30