Draft plan of management may be unlawful, says CEN
The Community Environment Network has claimed the Central Coast Council's draft plan of management for community land may fail to meet its legal obligations under the NSW Local Government Act and Regulations.
"The Local Government Act is crystal clear about what plans of management for community land are supposed to do," said chair Mr Gary Chestnut.
"The generic plan exhibited by Central Coast Council fails to explain how the council will manage its most important public land to preserve its qualities."
"The exhibited Plan of Management opens up natural areas for more use and development and that could be unlawful," Mr Chestnut said.
He said the council was required to "conserve biodiversity and maintain ecosystem function" in natural areas, and access must "minimise and mitigate any disturbance caused by human intrusion".
"We are deeply concerned that over 100 existing pieces of bushland and wetland have suddenly been reclassified, as part of this exhibition, as parks and for general use."
He said the Network's submission opposed the council's intention to replace site- and category-specific plans of management with a generic plan of management.
"We believe this approach will result in poor outcomes for the community and the local environment.
"We've asked Central Coast Council to slow down and have a rethink," Mr Chestnut said.
"Any site that includes more than one class of community land needs to have its own plan of management and so do sites that are clearly of long-term value to the community."
The Network will be holding a webinar at 7pm on Wednesday, February 22, to help community members who want to write their own submissions or have concerns about how land has been classified in their local areas.
"CEN does not believe Council has conducted its community consultation in the right spirit."
SOURCE:
Media release, 17 Feb 2023
Gary Chestnut, CEN