Peninsula may lose under strategy, says chamber

The Peninsula is likely to lose out under the State Government's Central Coast Economic Development and Employment Strategy, according to the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.

The strategy "will mean nothing" unless Gosford Council's Draft Local Environment Plan allows adequate provision for the "orderly development" of the Peninsula's main town centres, chamber president Mr Matthew Wales said.

"With a growing population, including another 8000 people on the Peninsula, job creation is vital to stem the daily flow of workers into Sydney which places pressure on our car parks in Woy Woy and strains capacity on the rail link and F3 Freeway," Mr Wales said.

"However, all this will mean nothing unless Gosford Council's Draft Local Environmental Plan makes adequate provision for the orderly development of our town centres in Woy Woy, Ettalong Beach and Umina Beach.

"The new draft plan will determine land zoning, permitted uses and development controls that will ultimately shape and determine what property owners can build on their land.

"In order for the NSW Government to create the necessary jobs to meet the targets in the Central Coast Economic Development and Employment Strategy, it is imperative that the new council planning controls encourage developers to provide new retail, commercial and light industrial floor space for the future so that we can harness the potential employment opportunities."

Mr Wales said more flexible height and floor space ratio controls would make it more viable for developers to renew the Peninsula's aging commercial centres.

"We understand that the Umina Beach retail zones will be extended through to Wellington St which is a logical and sensible thing to do," Mr Wales said.

"This must be accompanied by a modest increase in floor space ratios and flexible heights of say four storeys otherwise there will be no benefit to property owners to redevelop.

"Umina is going through a major transformation with Coles, Woolworths and Aldi all vying for the retail dollar."

Mr Wales said he believed council's greatest challenge was in the revitalisation of the Woy Woy town centre.

"For the NSW Government's employment strategy to be successful, something must be done to kick start the Woy Woy town centre which is increasingly feeling the pressure of overloaded commuter car parks, traffic congestion and the impending exit of retail dollars to a resurgent Umina," Mr Wales said.

"The hidden nasty for Woy Woy is the going to be the cost impact of higher building floor levels to accommodate climate change, the cost of basement car parking and the pressure of an expanding commuter carpark.

"Any potential benefits from Gosford Council's new planning guidelines may mean nothing if the cost to build in Woy Woy through higher floor levels and possible higher developer contributions materialises."

Council is looking to restrict building heights and floor space on main areas in Ettalong Beach which could potentially ruin the "good quality" development needed in these locations, according to Mr Wales.

"Regrettably, in the Ettalong Beach town centre, we understand that council is to restrict building heights and floor space controls on key sites on the beachfront which may strangle the good quality development that we desperately need at these locations," Mr Wales said.

"If you can't convince property owners and developers to build high quality retail/residential buildings on these catalyst sites, then the rest of the town will struggle.

"By far the greatest worry for the building industry is the development controls that will accompany the new planning instrument.

"The Peninsula Chamber is concerned that council will look to limit residential building heights to eight-and-a-half metres and force developers towards sub-basement parking.

"Lower building heights will stifle innovative design and sub-basement parking will be cost prohibitive.

"These new development controls need to be carefully scrutinised so that they don't strangle good design and the fledgling recovery in the building industry."

Mr Wales said he urged all business operators, commercial property owners and those in the building industry to read the Draft Local Environment Plan carefully and forward submissions to the council from February 10.

He said the chamber welcomed anyone who needed assistance on their submission to contact 4343 1141.

Press release, 5 Feb 2010 Matthew Wales, Peninsula Chamber of Commerce