Residents reject million dollar tree-planting trade-off
The Peninsula Residents Association has rejected an offer from Central Coast Council Administrator Mr Rik Hart to inject millions of dollars into an "extensive street tree planting program" on the Peninsula, as a trade-off for the sale of part of the Austin Butler reserve which adjoins the Peninsula Plaza shopping centre.
A sale "could provide millions of dollars to a community greening program", he said.
It will be one option presented as part of a community consultation, the other being retention of the reserve in council ownership.
The association has instead called on Mr Hart to bring on a strategic planning review of the Peninsula and implement the Council's adopted Greener Places Strategy.
"The Strategy includes a review of planning provisions to support the retention and expansion of tree cover," said association secretary Ms Jen Wilder.
Action proposed in the strategy is to "prepare planning controls to improve tree planting and retention outcomes from development", she said.
"The community and the association have demonstrated the inadequacy of the current planning provisions to protect and encourage an increase in tree canopy on the Peninsula in their many submissions on local development applications."
She said that, in November last year, the Local Planning Panel called on the Council to undertake a strategic planning review of the Peninsula "to ensure there is consistency between the relevant controls, provisions and character statements applicable to each locality, and clear direction and expectation on the desired future character of these suburbs".
Currently, there is no review scheduled.
Ms Wilder said Mr Hart had claimed to be giving the community the opportunity to decide about the long-term future of their area, in particular, from a community greening and street tree perspective.
"We would like the Administrator to introduce the strategic planning review as a matter of urgency" she said.
"Such a review will be more effective in the longer-term, will be less expensive and is a sounder approach to the issue of greening the Peninsula."
SOURCE:
Media release, 31 Aug 2023
Jen Wilder, Peninsula Residents Association