Cumulative impact of Council decisions not considered
Central Coast Council administrator Mr Dick Persson and director Mr Scott Cox will not reply to the report "Initial strategic intersection designs released" (Peninsula News, March 22).
The council's "we do not revisit past decisions" attitude (in relation to traffic studies) and one-off development application assessment strategies should be seriously questioned, as the cumulative impact is passed onto Transport for NSW for attention and action.
The traffic management study for DA54551 is being re-used for the new Farnell Rd proposal and should be questioned regarding its accuracy.
The study from 2018 could not accurately predict the proposed changes to Blackwall Rd, and the road network.
There are other reasons for the Council's reluctance to revisit past decisions, such as cost delay in assessment, engaging with the wider community, answering questions about infrastructure and the future, protecting reputations and business interests, more intensive modelling across a range of issues such as risk safety and background noise, and future development of the precinct and beyond,
All this will be opposed by those supporting the "express" development application assessment process.
Cumulative impact is front page news on the Peninsula.
In the background, hidden from the public, is the replacement of the Rawson Rd level crossing and the second commuter car park.
To provide this essential infrastructure will cost more than the council's debt.
Both these issues can be rightly described as resulting from cumulative impact, yet to be addressed.
Will they ever be addressed?
The Peninsula's character is rapidly changing, and has been for more than 20 years.
The official notes from the Urban Design Framework meeting of November 20, 2000, referred to addressing issues including: traditional coastal villages growing into residential suburbs; increasing through-traffic; recent trends that have resulted in larger-scale buildings and developments, and that the outcome would be "effective control of future development".
This effective control has not been evident.
SOURCE:
Letter, 24 Mar 2021
Norman Harris, Umina