Residents' association calls for limits to housing growth
The Peninsula Residents Association has called for limits to be placed on housing growth on the Peninsula in a 12-page submission to Central Coast Council's housing strategy.
The submission quotes the Council consultant's report, which suggests there are better options than building more houses on the Peninsula, which is already one of the largest population areas in the region.
The consultants stated that the Peninsula was "not near the major centres of employment or service delivery of Gosford, Tuggerah, Wyong and Erina, requiring populations to travel to access work and services.
"Opportunities to deliver housing closer to jobs and services is likely to offer benefits for future residents and the Local Government Area in general.
"This could include more housing within Gosford as the regional centre."
The Residents' Association said the Peninsula already lacked adequate infrastructure for its existing residents - particularly in relation to traffic and parking, flood management, shaded green open space, heat island mitigation and climate change preparedness generally.
Social infrastructure, including free meeting areas, was also lacking.
"Housing growth must be coordinated with delivery of this infrastructure," the association submitted.
"The strategy must promote high quality design of residential housing including resilience to natural disasters and climate change adaptation.
"Any housing strategy should include measures including liveability measures (which reflect community values), against which progress of the strategy can be monitored."
The Peninsula Residents' Association submission draws on resident input to the association's recent planning workshop.
It said the strategy should be "a meaningful document which has clear practical consequences, and focused on community well-being".
The submission called for a review of the Peninsula planning strategy in collaboration with the Peninsula community, and particularly its residents.
It asked for community-well being to be put ahead of economic value and financial incentive in the Housing Strategy.
The strategy should implement enforceable and enforced planning provisions that have credibility in the community.
The submission said that planning provisions relating to the Housing Strategy and its consequences should not to be treated as discretionary.
It called for a resident-led urban renewal on the Peninsula, assisted by the council.
SOURCE:
Media release, 28 Feb 2022
Julian Bowker, Peninsula Residents Association