Increase funding, says SOS branch

Save Our Suburbs Central Coast has called on Gosford Council to increase funding for parks management and upgrades, and not to downgrade or remove smaller playgrounds.

"Once again the people of the Peninsula have been short-changed in the Gosford Regional Playground Strategy with over 10 pocket parks planned to be removed, once again denying the Peninsula open space that is in much demand," Save Our Suburbs Central Coast secretary Mr Bryan Ellis said.

Mr Ellis condemned plans to remove play equipment from a range of small parks around the Peninsula.

"We are especially concerned about the removal of equipment from the Shoalhaven Park in preference for Dulkara Ave park upgrade," Mr Ellis said.

"Shoalhaven is a popular park for local kids and is looked after by various community members and is an accessible park for parents and grandparents to attend rather than crossing the busy Hillview or Veron Rds to visit Florida Ave or other parks further away.

"Local parks perform an important role as much as precinct or regional parks with transport and accessibility to the preferred location of the precinct park in Umina being called into question."

Mr Ellis said the Peninsula was suffering a deficit in open space "as stated in councils own reports".

Mr Ellis said the same report mentions small local parks with playgrounds will be in demand with the "continued growth in the number of children aged 0 to10 and the less mobile population".

"To help alleviate the chronic shortage of open space recreation that exists and will be further exacerbated by the continual increase in population, council should be embellishing most of these parks instead of removing them to cater for that growth," Mr Ellis said.

"If you take into consideration the level of section 94 contributions from the Peninsula, we haven't got any new functional open space as playgrounds and now they want to remove pocket parks which have not been maintained to a suitable standard.

"Considering the paltry budget for parks compared against population figures and other local government areas with comparable levels of parks, Save Our Suburbs Central Coast calls on Gosford Council to increase funding for parks management and upgrades, not downgrade or remove some areas to benefit other areas."

Mr Ellis said that Save Our Suburbs Central Coast, like many residents, was also concerned that when the playground equipment is removed, the land would be rezoned.

"While this will be strenuously denied, Gosford Council in the past has rezoned parcels of land from 6(c)open space to 2(b) to allow more medium density units in Ettalong where the park deficit is at its worst," Mr Ellis said.

Press release, December 7 Bryan Ellis, Save Our Suburbs Central Coast