13 AT ITS 10TH December meeting Central Coast Council unanimously agreed to approve the Draft Development Control Plan for the Tuggerah Regional Centre which will enable owner Scentre Group to move forward with development of their Gateway Site adjacent to the M1 Motorway. The land with a frontage to Wyong Road and Tonkiss Street comprises an area of 42-hectares and is known as the Tuggerah Gateway site. The Gateway site is part of the Tuggerah Town Centre Strategic Centre Master Plan, a $2.8 billion project proposed by Westfield Tuggerah owners Scentre Group some six years ago. The long term vision for Tuggerah was announced at the time by NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts who said that the 35-year redevelopment of Westfield Tuggerah and the adjoining land would transform Tuggerah Town Centre into a stunning, ultra-modern lifestyle hub”. Subsequently, Mr Roberts was replaced by Rob Stokes and it appeared to have floundered until Scentre Group approached Council under Administration with a proposal to develop the Gateway Site as a first step. The Planning Proposal was submitted to Council in September 2021 to rezone the 42-hectare site for a range of low, medium, and high-density housing options of approximately 2100-2200 dwellings. The housing is to be supported by a range of commercial, retail, community, recreation. In October 2024 the Secretary of the CENTRAL COAST COUNCIL NEWS Council approves Draft DCP for Tuggerah Regional Centre Subsequently, Council received a Recission Motion by Councillor Castles for the December meeting that negotiations to halted until after adoption of the airport masterplan in the New Year. Simply put, anything to delay negotiations in the hope that Nighthawk’s proposal would go away. After much unnecessary and time wasting debate approval for the CEO to negotiate with Nighthawk was carried. Voting on the motion was: FOR: Crs McKinna, Mouland, Daniels, Eaton, Stanton, Wright, McNamara and McWaide AGAINST: Crs MacGregor, Castles, Crowley, Walsh, Neal, Smith and Lamont. Not satisfied that they lost the motion, Clr Lamont’s partner, Mark Lamont has accused Council of anti-competitive behaviour for its decision to begin exclusive negotiations with only one provider for a heliport lease at Warnervale airport and wants the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) to investigate Council’s actions. Mr Lamont is reported to have said, “I referred the Council heliport lease process to the ACCC on the grounds that Council’s process is anti-competitive and not likely to deliver commercial terms in the public interest,” Mr Lamont said. “It is not a complaint against the development, or the airport, or heliport. “It is not anti-airport, it is pro-competition, demanding a better deal, better aviation for the Coast,” he said. Mr Lamont said the absence of competitive processes could limit opportunities for other businesses and may not deliver the best economic or operational outcomes for the public. Nighthawk has identified the Central Coast as a pivotal location in the East Australian aviation market. Council has noted, and CCBR is aware, that Nighthawks Aviation is being wooed by another major regional airport in Victoria. While Council is yet to consider adoption of the airport masterplan council staff say that this would not impinge on any future investment or operations of the airport. It has to be emphasised that in the first months of the newly elected Council in 2016, with Councillor Jane Smith as Mayor, Council cancelled a multi-million dollar project that would have seen an aircraft manufacturing company, Amphibian Aviation Industries, established at Warnervale with major economic benefits. Pulling out of this contract cost Council millions of dollars. AAI is now fully operational out of Darwin Airport. At its 10th December meeting Central Coast Council approved a Mayoral Minute by Mayor Lawrie McKinna to hold a ‘Building a Strong Foundation for Future Growth’ Forum in March 2025. In moving the motion he said, I recently attended the UDIA Central Coast industry luncheon. The event provided an opportunity to engage with leaders from the regional business community including the development sector, industry consultants and NSW government officials. Growth on the Central Coast was a strong theme, and the need to better plan for this was discussed. The current planning system, and the time taken to get projects through this system, was raised as a challenge. We understand that our population is growing, and community expectations are changing. As a new Council, we now have an opportunity to show leadership as we engage with the development sector, form partnerships with NSW Government and build a positive foundation for the future. To enable this, I’m proposing that Council facilitates a forum with the theme of ‘Building a Strong Foundation for Future Growth’. The purpose of this forum is to identify barriers to development, discuss the burning issues around growth, and explore how some of these can be resolved. This forum will be the start of a journey. A journey that will lay down the tracks for our train to leave the station, and ensure we are all heading in the same direction as we grow. After extensive time consuming debate the Motion was approved with councillors voting: FOR Clrs McKinna, Eaton, McWaide, Stanton, Wright, Daniels and Mouland, Lamont AGAINST Clrs MacGregor, Castles, Crowley and Walsh ABSTAINED Clrs Smith and Neal Mayoral Minute – ‘Building a Strong Foundation for Future Growth’ Forum Crucial Council does a deal Helicopter Hub at Warnervale Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Ms Kiersten Fishburn advised council that the subject land had been declared State Significant thereby taking it out of Council’s hands. Draft DCP for Tuggerah Regional Centre CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS REVIEW FEBRUARY 2025
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