News & Updates

Nearly 300 people provided input on the draft  City Centre Masterplan which was out on exhibition from mid December to early February. Overall the Masterplan has a great deal of community support. This result is expected as the Masterplan framework was  developed by 27 community members during the charrette process using guidelines prepared by 120 community members during workshops using feedback from around 1,000 community members attending ‘Have Your Say Days’.

A lot of the feedback came in the form of completed questionnaires, many completed here online.

Here is what you had to say:

What you liked best about the plan was:

The development and activation of the waterfront, the performing arts centre and entertainment precinct, the green public realm, the vision and the process of producing the plan, the way access and movement issues were addressed and the activation of the city core.

What you didn’t like about the plan and what we intend to do about it:

Misinterpretation of drawings

In discussion with the community it was clear that some people believed the drawn buildings in the draft Masterplan were exactly as they would be in the future. The draft Masterplan diagrams of future buildings are conceptual only and are intended to express the ideas and intentions of the Masterplan in one of many possible forms. All section diagrams will be reviewed and if necessary replaced to ensure they reflect the current planning regulations. In addition the following amendments were agreed to:

At the beginning of the document states that ‘diagrams of future development are conceptual only’ and label key diagrams throughout the document as ‘concept only’.

Waterfront Development

The conceptual drawings of the development on the waterfront gave the community an opportunity to see what their waterfront could look like if activated. This has been the community’s repeated desires since Vision 2025. Whilst waterfront development was the most popular aspect of the plan, some people did raise some concerns relating to the waterfront. The majority of concerns related to maintaining views and access for the general public. The objectives of the current draft address these concerns and are articulated on page 25 of the plan.

“The Masterplan allows for continuous access and effectively doubles the amount of public waterfront. … Buildings will be organised to minimise view loss from the city …”

Some people were concerned about the design and height of the buildings on the waterfront which are conceptual only (see point above). A few held the view that the waterfront should remain unaltered. Some people were concerned about environmental impacts associated with development along the waterfront. While these concerns have been addressed generally in the section on sustainability a statement in the section of the plan relating specifically to the waterfront will be added.

“Any development should maintain or enhance the natural environment.”

Lack of information on the pool or against moving the pool

Concerns were raised about Gosford Memorial Pool including a petition with 1,634 signatures. It was felt the draft Masterplan did not provide clear information on the future of the pool. Many of those who raised this issue were in favour of the pool remaining at its current site (petition), on the waterfront or in the city centre. The following amendment to the Masterplan was agreed to address this.

“The Gosford Memorial Pool will require reconstruction in the future. The pool adds value to the lives of current and future pool users but at this time the Gosford Challenge believes the pool is not the primary catalyst to ‘kick start’ the revitalisation of the city centre. At a later date when the pool is to be rebuilt the location and function of the pool will be reviewed with input from the community.”

Movement and Access

Some concerns related to movement and access issues, of these the majority related to Dane Drive and the desire that it be moved or tunnelled. These options were investigated thoroughly during the charrette. While these community concerns are understandable the Masterplan strived to be achievable and economically feasible. The treatment of Dane Drive in the Masterplan has the support of the RTA and this support makes it realistic and achievable. Other options are cost prohibitive and the approach taken by the draft Masterplan does address the goal of connecting the city to its waterfront. Other concerns related to traffic congestion, lack of attention to public transport options and increasing walkability and disability access. These issues are dealt with in the draft Masterplan but a further step is indicated in the draft Masterplan to ensure Gosford City Centre has the best possible access and movement plan; that is the commissioning of a Transport Management and Accessibility Plan (TMAP). NSW Transport and Infrastructure have formally advised Council of their commitment to undertake this task. No amendments were recommended.

Parking

Some submissions were critical of the draft Masterplan’s treatment of the parking issue in relation to the amount of parking provided and lack of information in the draft Masterplan. The following addition to the implementation table in the draft Masterplan was agreed to address this issue.

“Develop a short and long term parking strategy for Gosford City Centre including identification of parking sites and funding strategies by June 2010.”      Responsibility: GCC

Time taken

Some submissions commented on the length of time it will take to implement the draft Masterplan and the time taken to get to this point. “Get on with it” is an example of a common response. No amendments were recommended.

Moving of Gosford Public School

Some submissions were against moving the school or felt the draft Masterplan was unclear about where the school would move to. Others said moving the school was the thing they liked best about the Masterplan. The Masterplanning process identified the area adjacent to Gosford High as the optimum site for a new primary school for our city centre. This site meets the Department of Education’s criteria that a public school site should be 3 Hectares, which the schools current site does not. Leagues Club Park is activated as a public park area in the Masterplan and the school at its current site will not be able to access this area as a sports field. Co-locating the primary and high school would have educational benefits for students of both schools as well as benefits for the community as a whole. The Minister for Education is responsible for any decision in relation to the Gosford Primary School. To clarify the Masterplans preferred site it was agreed to amend the plan in the following way.

The Masterplan name the preferred site for the Primary School as adjacent to Gosford High School and provide diagrams identifying the benefits of the preferred site.

This is last nights resloution of Council:

2010/123 RESOLVED that:
A The Masterplan be adopted with the changes recommended in this report.
B Council write to the Minister for Planning supporting Land and Property Management
Authority’s request to designate Gosford Waterfront (the area outlined in red in attachment B) an area of State significance.
C The Masterplan be launched in partnership with Land and Property Management Authority in
April 2010.
D State Government be commended for their contribution to the development of the Masterplan
noting their participation and involvement on the Project Steering Group which overseas The
Gosford Challenge.
E As a matter of urgency, Council write to the Premier, the Minister for Lands, and the
Minister for the Central Coast requesting the NSW Government adopt the Gosford City
Centre Masterplan, which was endorsed by the Minister for Lands through
a Memorandum of Understanding which has been delivered as a result of a very
successful partnership between the Land and Property Management Authority and
Gosford City Council.
F Council request the Land and Property Management Authority to establish the Central
Coast Development Corporation as a matter of priority to ensure the Masterplan is
delivered for the benefit of Gosford and the Central Coast. It is noted that the
Masterplan is consistent with the outcomes, discussions and undertakings with the
community.