Adoption of Greener Spaces Strategy recommended
Council staff have recommended the adoption the Central Coast Greener Places Strategy at tomorrow's council meeting.
"The draft strategy addresses the maintenance and management of urban greenspace on the Central Coast, with a strong focus on addressing urban heat island effects and improve liveability," according to the staff report for the council meeting.
The strategy identifies the Peninsula as suffering significantly from the "heat island" effect, where temperatures are more than four degrees higher than other, vegetated areas of the Coast.
It is recommended that the council monitor the implementation of the actions in the strategy with annual reporting to the council over the next decade.
It is also recommended that the council implement the framework within the Central Coast Greener Places Strategy within future strategic and operational planning documents.
The key objectives of the strategy include "aligning Council processes for planning, project delivery and management, and to improve greening resulting from private development".
"It is intended that the strategic directions will make the Central Coast an even better place to live and visit.
Actions in the strategy have been ranked according to the ability to implement within available funds.
"Those ranked high being those that can be completed within current resourcing, while those ranked low or medium priority will require additional resourcing including grant funding."
High priority has been given to "development of planning controls for urban greening (for example, DCP changes) and other guidance and design documents such as water sensitive urban design guidelines and the Central Coast street design manual".
"No further financial resources will be required to implement these actions.
"Moderate priority will only be completed once council's financial situation improves or if external funding (grants and contributions) becomes available.
"These actions include urban greening projects or canopy tree replacement and embellishment."
SOURCE:
Central Coast Council agenda 2.3, 27 Jul 2021