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Collapse Issue 403 - 03 Oct 2016Issue 403 - 03 Oct 2016
Collapse  NEWS NEWS
Council drops land sale plans
NBN audit to be conducted by local industry group
Council acts after canal algae blamed for pelican deaths
Department 'should formulate' pelican management plan
Administrator defers trust wind-up proposal
Projects continued this financial year
Council announces lease of Woy Woy cafe
Community garden is best on the Coast
Residents get together to plant street trees
Council to run green living workshops
Bays brigade celebrates 50 years
Disabled runabout towed to safety
Tibetian monks to learn to surf
Wicks reiterates commitment to election promises
Expressions of interest in Patonga Hotel close
Major sponsor secured for Oyster Festival
Rotarians return from Uganda visit
Umina pie-maker competes in Melbourne
Collapse  FORUM FORUM
Happy memories of 'Runway Park'
Woy Woy, Umina or Blackwall?
Speak up to protect beautiful area
Boxing is dangerous, no place in civilised society
Speaking for animal lovers
Collapse  HEALTH HEALTH
Program about tuning in to teens
Free hearing checks offered
Brain cancer fundraiser
Peninsula Village will hold family open day
Poetry performed at retirement village
Collapse  ARTS ARTS
Woytopia to feature live music, stalls and talks
Remake of 1936 film shows Peninsular Paradise
Jez Lowe comes to Troubadour
Line-up announced for Opera in the Arboretum
Foundation awards for young artists
Craft centre displays works
Painter exhibits at Norah Head
Collapse  EDUCATION EDUCATION
Volunteers sought to run ethics classes
Reading program places available
Students compete in zone athletics
Students visit Canberra
Olympic-themed carnival
Girls football team vies for State title
Collapse  SPORT SPORT
Liesl Tesch to be honoured with civic reception
Umina bowls rookie makes two State finals
Surf club members bring home world medals
Bowls day to honour Ken McMorrow
Life membership for Pat Toohey
Bowlers raise $1240

Council drops land sale plans

Five Peninsula community parks and reserves have been saved as a result of a concerted community campaign to stop their reclassification and sale by Council.

The former Gosford Council's "highly contentious" Land Sale Strategy was abandoned by Central Coast Council's Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, at an ordinary council meeting on September 28.

The "affection" expressed by the community towards their reserves also resulted in Mr Reynolds calling for Central Coast Council staff to explore establishing an Adopt a Park Scheme.

Mr Reynolds said the newly-merged Central Coast Council could find more efficiencies and savings in its consolidated budget than the former Gosford Council had access to.

He said the economies of scale that could be achieved by the newly-merged Council meant there was "no reason to reclassify and sell" the parcels of community land that had been listed as part of Gosford Council's "land sale strategy".

A report prepared by the unit of the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Rob Noble, and presented to Mr Reynolds at the meeting, suggested that the new Council may wish to reconsider whether to implement some or all of the strategy but fell short of recommending that the new Council either adopt or abandon the proposed reclassification of six sites on the Peninsula.

However, after listening to three speakers on the issue, Mr Reynolds said: "In no uncertain terms the community has made its views clear to me and Council.

"I know a lot of people are interested in this report and issue because they have been raising it with me on a regular basis since I arrived here in May," he said.

Council had listened to the community and taken decisive action by not implementing the proposed strategy, Mr Reynolds said.

He said the community had not only shown a desire to save their reserves but had expressed affection for them.

"I see some merit in Council looking at an Adopt a Park Scheme," Mr Reynolds said.

"The environmental assets in the community are important to them and they love them," he said and requested that the CEO provide a report on an Adopt a Park Scheme in due course.

Mr Reynolds then formally resolved to take no further action in relation to resolutions that had been made by Gosford Council to reclassify and sell community land.

"This is a clear expression of my views," Mr Reynolds said as the formal resolution was greeted with applause from the public gallery at Wyong's Council Chamber.

The sixth block listed for potential sale on the Peninsula, at 23 Memorial Ave Blackwall, was already classified as operational land.

After the meeting, a media statement from Council provided the following clarification on the potential sale of that site: "Irrespective of the land classification of any site, Council carries out a rigorous due diligence process before finalising decisions on whether any parcel will be sold or retained".

According to the statement, that process involves a review, marketing and then the subsequent sale and that will be the process applied to the Blackwall land.

The other five Peninsula locations were classified as community land and most were actively used by the local community as reserves and parks.

The Peninsula's parks and reserves that will remain as community land were located at: Brisbane Ave, Umina; 40 and 42 Albion St, Umina; 40, 42 and 46 Pozieres Ave, Umina; 9 to 11 Mackenzie Ave, Woy Woy, and 10 to 12 Jumbuck Close, Woy Woy.

Ms Sue Chidgey, the founder of Save Central Coast Reserves, the umbrella group that coordinated the community's campaign against the land sale strategy, said Mr Reynold's decision had "brought immense relief to the communities whose neighbourhood sites were threatened.

"Save Central Coast Reserves, the Community Environment Network and eight additional community groups across the Gosford region have campaigned for over a year for the protection of their 25 local reserves, parks and green spaces," Ms Chidgey said.

"Only two councillors voted against the Land Sale Strategy, Ms Vicki Scott and Ms Hillary Morris.

"In the campaign that followed hundreds of community emails and submissions were sent to the Mayor, CEO and Councillors as well as a large petition.

"In addition, rallies were held as the community pleaded for the protection of their sites.

"Then in early 2016, with the Council Amalgamation, the community again rose up and sent huge numbers of emails and submissions to the new Administrator and CEO," Ms Chidgey said.

"Many of our communities now look forward to joining with Council in the 'Adopt a Park' initiative to enhance their community sites for the well-being of their community and for the urban environment.

"I wish to extend my sincere thanks to every community member or group who supported the campaign to achieve this wonderful outcome."

Ms Jane Smith of Community Environment Network said: "An overwhelming groundswell of community support has saved these precious sites from sell-off and development."

Mr Noble's status report provided a clear explanation of the process involved in the reclassification of community land.

"Public land that is classified as community may be reclassified as operational by way of a Local Environmental Plan made under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979," the status report said.

According to the report, the EP and A Act prescribed mandatory steps in the making of a Local Environmental Plan.

The first of those steps was the submission of a planning proposal to the NSW Minister for Planning.

According to Mr Noble's status report, the former Gosford Council did not ever take that first step in executing its Land Sale Strategy.

"The LG Act and the EP and A Act prescribe a number of mandatory steps that must be taken to effect re-classification of public land from community to operational by way of an LEP," the status report said.

"The former Gosford Council did not initiate any of those steps.

"The [Central Coast] Council has not initiated any of those steps.

"The parts of the September and December Resolutions that required that land be re-classified from community to operational have therefore not been implemented," the report said.

On September 8 last year, Gosford Council resolved to initiate a process for a planning proposal for 14 parcels of community land including Lot 195 and 196 DP 9894 Brisbane Ave, Umina and 40 to 42 Albion St, Umina.

Subject to the outcome of that land reclassification process the former Gosford councillors went on to endorse the sale of those properties.

The subsequent community outcry resulted in the councillors softening their stance by their December 10 meeting when they endorsed the commencement of a process to reclassify a further nine parcels of community land including reserves in Pozieres Ave, Umina and Mackenzie Ave and Jumbuck Close, Woy Woy.

Gosford Council also endorsed the sale of the operational land at Blackwall on December 10.

Instead of endorsing the sale of the second list of community land to be reclassified, it did revert to voting to "consider" its sale "subject to the outcome of the land reclassification process".

According to Mr Noble's status report: "The proposed re-classification of public land, and the subsequent potential sale of the re-classified land, was a contentious issue resulting in a significant number of submissions from the community."

The status report posed the question: "Is the Central Coast Council obliged to implement the Land Sale Strategy of the former Gosford Council?"

Mr Noble responded in his report: "The former Gosford Council was dissolved, and the Central Coast Council constituted, on the publication of the Local Government (Council Amalgamations) Proclamation 2016 ("the Proclamation") on 12 May 2016.

"Sub-clause 17(2)(b) of the Proclamation provides that the Central Coast Council may complete or discontinue anything that the former Gosford Council commenced.

"That is, the Council has discretion whether or not to implement some or all of the Land Sale Strategy of the former Gosford Council," Mr Nobles report said.

According to Mr Noble's status report, the proceeds from the Land Sale Strategy were intended by the former Gosford Council to be used to fund the reduction of the significant back-log of infrastructure maintenance.

"A key aspect of the May 12 merger of the former Gosford and Wyong Councils was to maximise funding opportunities through greater scale and capacity, and potential new external funding opportunities," the status report said.

"Deferring or terminating the re-classification process will save about $750,000, but will result in a corresponding loss of sales revenue of between $6 million to $10 million (depending on market conditions at the time of any sale and the number of properties that would have eventually been sold)," the report said.

The Local Government Act of 1993 prescribes how a council must manage and deal with its public land.

Council must classify all public land as either operational or community land and cannot sell or otherwise dispose of public land that is classified as community land.

The management of community hand is subject to other significant constraints including on how it is leased, licenced or occupied, according to the status report.

Operational land can only be sold by a resolution of council.

Submissions received by the former Gosford Council and the Central Coast Council in respect of the Land Sale Strategy were kept confidential as they were deemed to include personal information about individuals who were not councillors.





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