15 CENTRAL COAST COUNCIL NEWS FOLLOWING THE NSW Government appointing the Hunter Central Coast Development Corporation to progress its $8.5 million election commitment to fund a business case for the revitalisation of the Gosford waterfront Central Coast Council has moved to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with HCCDC to collaborate on the development of the business case for the project. The effect is that Council will hand over control of the waterfront revitalisation to the HCCDC who will take responsibility for the delivery of the project. Council announced their plan to redevelop the waterfront in 2022 and says that they have spent $1,054,876 to get to this stage and, obviously, are seeking reimbursement. As part of the arrangement Council’s CEO David Farmer has been nominated to represent Council’s interests on the proposed Gosford waterfront revitalisation executive steering committee. The project has been sitting around since Council, at its 27th September 2022 meeting adopted the Gosford Waterfront Concept and set out to develop a draft Waterfront Masterplan. Subsequently, Council sought community feedback to inform the development of the Masterplan and seek government funding to progress the business case for the project as well as government investment. Council said it had been working behind the scenes since April 2021 when the decision was taken to develop a Waterfront Renewal Framework and identify the opportunities identified in previous proposals and reports. At the time Council said the time is right for a collective vision to make Gosford an iconic waterfront city. “Gosford’s waterfront is not only a major opportunity for the city’s renewal but, even better, an undisputed opportunity for Gosford City to join the great waterfronts of the world”, Council says. The area under review extends from Gosford Sailing Club around to railway bridge over the entrance to Narara Creek. It will comprise: • A residential and commercial component, • Boutique hotel, • Ferry terminal, • Marina berths, • Dry boat storages, • Multi level car park, • Redevelopment of the Olympic Pool, and • Other community facilities It will be linked by a pedestrian bridge over the main road as well as an underbridge pedestrian walkway. Council says it has not reinvented the wheel but added to the multitude of state government strategic documents that have identified the waterfront as being a regional attractor over the years. These documents include: • The NSW Government Architect’s Gosford Urban Design Framework (2018), • Council’s Interim Local Strategic Planning Statement (2020), • Council’s Economic Development Strategy (2020), • Somersby to Erina Growth Corridor (Southern Growth Corridor) (2019, • The Gosford City SEPP and associated Development Control Plan, and • Gosford Council’s Our City Our Destiny Gosford City Masterplan (2010) By taking on board the Our City Our Destiny masterplan Council has in particular taken advantage of the extensive work carried out by the Gosford Council’s Gosford Challenge project over two years which resulted in the Out City Our Destiny Masterplan. HCCDC to lead Gosford Waterfront project Gosford Waterfront Concept Plan Gosford Waterfront Masterplan – aerial layout of proposed projects CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS REVIEW JULY 2024
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI3ODI1