Council calls on State Government to urgently dredge Ettalong Channel

Council agreed to apply for State Government funding to contribute to the cost of dredging the Ettalong Channel and called for the State Government to provide emergency funding in the short term.

Mayor Jane Smith said the decision on dredging Ettalong Channel provides a clear path forward but requires the State Government to take action now.

“We have agreed to apply to the State Government for Rescue Our Waterways funding,” said Mayor Smith.

“It is clear that this funding will not be available for several months and that it will not cover even 50 percent of the cost of dredging Ettalong Channel.

“In light of this, we are calling on the State Government to provide emergency funding in the short term to ensure Ettalong Channel remains open.

“The State Government has dredged Ettalong Channel twice in the past, they have the equipment and funding to take immediate action and we calling on them to do this.

“Today’s decision provides a way clear way forward for the Ettalong community, Council and the State Government.

“To develop a long-term solution, we will create a working party of stakeholders to look at maintenance dredging, technical issues, environmental implications, community impacts and funding.”

Council has agreed that any dredged sand be used to replenish works on adjacent beaches.

Council’s community focused budget delivers $761M for the Central Coast

The 2018-19 Draft Delivery Program, Operational Plan including the budget (Plan) and draft Resourcing Strategy are among a suite of documents Central Coast Council has placed on exhibition for public comment.

Read separate media release in full here

Proposed Wamberal Child Care Centre refused by Council

Council has refused to approve a development application for a proposed child care centre at 612 The Entrance Road, Wamberal.

The development application was initially considered at a Council meeting on 18 December 2017, when Council resolved to seek additional information on a number of issues including previous traffic calming measures for Old Gosford Road and control plans relating to entry and exit driveways. At that time, Council also sought to reopen the application for public submissions for a further 14 days.

Mayor Jane Smith said the main areas of concern raised by residents and the Wamberal Action Group (WAG) were traffic safety within the neighbourhood and the impacts of traffic flow on Old Gosford Road, on street parking, driver visibility and child and pedestrian safety in the immediate proximity of the site. Residents also raised issues of disabled access and safe evacuation of the premises in emergency situations.

“Council staff met with residents and members of the WAG in early April to discuss these concerns and the issues raised in their submissions regarding the development application,” Mayor Smith said.

“It is clear from the initial report to Council in December and this supplementary report that there is considerable community opposition to this development going ahead in its current location.

“Although the report suggests that the development meets regulatory benchmarks there was a strong community feeling that it wasn’t suitable to local circumstances and was not in the public interest.

“I would like to acknowledge the many people who attended the gallery for this issue, most of whom spoke passionately against this development. The community has spoken and we have listened.”

HMAS Adelaide II mast to be installed at Terrigal Haven to honour sailors

A restored mast from the HMAS Adelaide II will be installed at The Haven at Terrigal as a memorial for all those who sailed on her.

The HMAS Adelaide II is a former Australian naval warship prepared and scuttled to create an artificial reef between Avoca Beach and Terrigal.

Mayor Jane Smith said this was a true bipartisan project with the community raising money for the restoration and support from the Australian Royal Navy, Returned Services League, and the State Government.

“Everyone has supported this project as a great way to honour all those who sailed on HMAS Adelaide and to educate visitors about the significance of the HMAS Adelaide being here on the Coast,” Mayor Smith said.

The mast has been restored locally and will be erected on the northern headland at the Haven at Terrigal at a date to be determined.

Council welcomes report recommending speed mitigation in the north

Council welcomed a report recommending new traffic calming measures for specific areas in Kanwal, Wyong, Woongarrah, Hamlyn Terrace and Warnervale.

The report looked at crash history and recent traffic survey data on the volume of vehicles and their speeds for some of our local roads where speeding has been raised as an issue.

Mayor Jane Smith said the report offered insight into road user behaviour in these areas and proposed practical recommendations to calm traffic.

“This report paints a clear picture of specific roads in our north region that have been flagged as areas prone to speeding,” Mayor Jane Smith said.

“Council has recommended new signage, line marking and pavement stencilling for a number of roads and in many cases additional NSW Police enforcement has been requested.”

Through the Local Traffic Committee, Council Senior Manager Roads, Transport and Drainage has discussed the speeds recorded in these areas with a representative of the Tuggerah Lakes Local Area Command of the NSW Police Force.