Council building to be demolished

A Council-owned building in Neera Ave, Umina, will be demolished and maintained as "green space", following a resolution at Gosford Council's meeting on Tuesday, August 23.

A report on the suitability of the land for resale will also be prepared for the Council to consider.

The property, which was once occupied by the Child Abuse Prevention Service, has been under-utilised for a number of years and in January this year, was relinquished to Council.

Council resolved to demolish the property due to ongoing maintenance, flooding and draining issues and the poor condition of the building.

The property was initially purchased by Council in 1990 following representations from the owners that the property had experienced major flooding, according to a report prepared by council staff.

At the time, the property was affected by multiple floods including flooding caused by the drainage channel at the rear of the property over-topping its banks, according to the report.

The flooding was expected to be alleviated by the construction of a new bridge in Mt Ettalong Rd and associated improvements to channels.

However, this did not eliminate the flooding, the report stated.

A number of alternative options were investigated by Council including selling the property, restoring the property and renting it as residential accommodation.

Council staff prepared a building report which supported the demolition of the cottage as the most viable option, recommending the property to be maintained as green space.

Gosford Council Agenda COM.14, 23 Aug 2011