Discuss proposal now
The integrated planning unit of Gosford Council must be short-staffed and rushed.
The McDonalds' operation proposed to Gosford Council is to combine five residential lots into a "meeting place for local residents".
This would create 130 full time and part time jobs, a claim repeated six times in the report.
Did the integrated planning unit check the details?
The location is Ocean Beach Rd between Wellington and West Sts, Umina.
The unit is unfamiliar with this area as it has advised "that the development is appropriate for the location and improves the natural scenic attributes of the surrounding area".
The statement that "the planning proposal will concentrate business development in the centre near public transport" conflicts with the need to assess "traffic impacts" at the DA stage.
Will this mean more congestion and re-configuration again of Ocean Beach Rd?
Didn't the PUDS study state that some roads were at saturation point on the Peninsula?
How will the development impact on existing retailers at Umina, including Coles, Woolworths and Aldi?
All issues relating to the planning proposal should be discussed at this stage and not the DA stage.
Letter, 11 Aug 2011
Norman Harris, Umina