Chamber calls for seniors' housing zoning

Peninsula Chamber of Commerce is calling for urban fringe land to be zoned for seniors' housing.

The Chamber is suggesting this should happen through the Urban Fringe Review process currently being undertaken by the Central Coast Council.

While very little of the land being considered for rezoning in the review is located on the Peninsula, Chamber president Mr Matthew Wales said a lot of the land to be zoned as part of the study had "important proximity to the Peninsula".

Land in Bensville and Empire Bay, which was not zoned when the Gosford LEP was put in place in 2014, will be zoned as a result of the Urban Fringe Review.

Mr Wales said: "We are keen to see some of those parcels identified for senior housing."

According to Mr Wales, there is a senior housing crisis looming on the Peninsula.

He said a 2009 Gosford Council report identified the Peninsula as a key area of massive demand for the provision of high- and low-care residential aged care.

"The report was adopted by Gosford Council and it foreshadowed an acute shortage of aged care on the Peninsula within 15 to 20 years but there are not sufficient sites on the Peninsula close to those areas of high demand."

Mr Wales said the Gosford Council report had identified vertical villages as one type of development that could cater for the expected levels of demand.

"On the Peninsula there are not any suitable sites that could be easily used and financially feasible for aged care developments," he said.

Empire Bay and Bensville, according to Mr Wales, have suitable greenfields sites that could be zoned for aged care and senior housing to cater for the burgeoning demand for suitable accommodation coming from the Peninsula.

"I believe the Council has a good team working on the review that has been thorough and they need to have it ready to hand up to the newly-elected council in September 2017," he said.

"It is a process the former Gosford Council resolved to do so it is the Central Coast Council's responsibility that it is all ready and done for the newly-elected councillors to implement."

Interview, 13 Oct 2016

Matthew Wales, Peninsula Chamber of Commerce