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Collapse Issue 557:<br />14 Nov 2022<br />_____________Issue 557:
14 Nov 2022
_____________
Collapse  NEWS NEWS
Residents resist plans to pave dune area
Residents to talk about enhancing their neighbourhood
Our newspaper is a news service
Sydney red gum planted for Queen's platinum jubilee
Start of work at Umina Oval welcomed
Mingaletta director awarded Churchill Fellowship
Varroa mite eradication close to completed, says DPI
Pearl Beach resident raises $4500 at 80th birthday party
Last car boot sale for the year
Rotary club plans to sell Christmas trees
CWA branch celebrates Melbourne Cup
Dashcam footage sought after unit fire
Marquee taken from rocky foreshore below Trig lookout
Celebrating 60 years of marriage
Celebrating her 99th birthday
Woy Woy CWA hosts birthday party for Gail
Men's Shed recruits volunteers to finish new Shed
Wednesday night bingo cancelled
Community breakfasts started at Pearl Beach
Childcare centre offered 10-year lease
Rotarians help with barbecue at weekend camp
Ferry company supports restoring heritage boat shed
Trivia night at The Bays
Airlifted to Westmead
Ferry delayed
Produce swap at community garden
Wreath of poppy flowers
Rosemary bushes planted for Remembrance Day
Students honour fallen armed forces members
Community group holds general meeting
Catholic parish celebrates 15 years of church
Dry fortnight as weather warms
Weather monitors wanted
Collapse  PLANNING PLANNING
Foreshore proposal to increase building height
Council denies online comments on townhouse proposal
Dual occupancy is bounded by roads on three sides
Six Cities would 'increase costs and lessen local control'
Collapse  FORUM FORUM
Planning practices ignore council strategies and plans
Is a digital identity for your own safety?
Do regional plan questions remain forever unanswered?
Collapse  HEALTH HEALTH
First renovated facilities expected at aged care home
Active case numbers almost double in a week
Immunisation clinic moved
Aged care provider says shortfalls will continue
Collapse  ARTS ARTS
An evening of Australian bluegrass and folk music
Arts and crafts at 'pop-up centre'
Quilt for Melbourne Storm fan
Collapse  EDUCATION EDUCATION
Lynn Balfour retires as Ettalong principal
Fourth in State in 10-pin bowling
Taking photos on the oval for art class
Students reminded of rules for riding bikes
Students have Woy Woy waterfront excursion
School collects for displaced Ukrainians in Sydney
Kindergarten students to visit college farm
Schools raise $17,600 for Mary Mac's Place
Nicho Hynes visits his old primary school
Students use rosary beads to count their prayers
Olivia participates in democratic forums
Two-day excursion to Port Stephens
School library closes for the year
Umina campus water polo team finishes third
Collapse  SPORT SPORT
Sandra and Meena win Minor Pairs
Umina surf club names boat in honour of sponsor
Woy Woy juniors announce next year's coaches
Glen is inducted into Wall of Fame
Disabled surfers hold first event in two years
Melbourne Cup Day pairs event at bridge club
Bridge event for Remembrance Day
New fencing at tennis club
Mixed Pairs semi-finals played
Representative netball opportunities
Bowlers present cheque to Gosford Hospital
Roosters appoint high performance coach
Summer beach training dates released
Roosters announce first Open Women's tackle team
Minor Pairs championship final

EXTRA!!!

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Planning practices ignore council strategies and plans

Do Council planning staff ever read their own documents?

For instance, the much-trumpeted Greener Places Strategy contains the following statement on page 20: "An investigation occurred as to changes in tree canopy cover and number of impervious surfaces at Woy Woy between 2005 and 2014.

"Over this time, canopy cover declined by 173 hectares, while the area of impervious surface increased by 84 hectares and unplantable space increased by 113 hectares.

"This effect may be difficult to counteract as the area of plantable space only increased by 24 hectares."

For some time now it's been recognised that the Peninsula is suffering from higher-than-average temperatures due to the "heat island" effect caused by loss of tree cover and growth in the area of impervious surfaces such as concrete and tarmac.

The quote above bemoans the fact that the area of impervious and unplantable surfaces is increasing at an alarming rate.

A rational person looking at this situation would have thought that council planners would have taken urgent and drastic action to reduce the growth in impervious surfaces and increase the areas of deep soil and landscaping required for new developments via planning instruments such as the Development Control Plan.

However they seem to have done the exact opposite.

The Plan has been "watered down" to such an extent that it is now acceptable for developers to build ever larger areas of concrete slab to "reduce maintenance" and increase "lock and leave" potential.

In any case, they say the Plan is "only a guide", so can be overruled if the planner considers that an undefined "better planning outcome" will be achieved by doing so.

A case in point is DA3276/2022, a proposed three-unit development at 135 Paton St.

The proposed concrete driveway at one point reaches six metres in width.

Including one open parking bay and bicycle parking, it totals 207 square metres of unshaded, impervious surface.

The developer also wants to build an access ramp on the nature strip that will add another 53 square metres of concrete and measure 11 metres in width at the roadway.

Is it really necessary for access to a private driveway to be 11 metres wide?

It's very hard to escape the conclusion that this is actually a bid to obtain semi-legal parking on the nature strip.

When it comes to private open space, this development does not comply.

This would seem ironic, given the huge area given over to cars.

The developer wants to locate Unit 1's open space on the front setback, a solution specifically prohibited in the Development Control Plan and Unit 2's open space would be undersized by 10.9 square metres.

The application contains a list of "opportunities" in the site analysis section.

At the top of that list is the entry: to "take advantage of the site's lack of environmental constraints (including significant trees)".

Environmental groups must despair when they see development applications like this.

It also makes a mockery of council efforts, like the "Greener Places Strategy", to educate the public to do their bit to improve the "heat island" situation.

The application is currently on public exhibition on the Central Coast Council website.

The date written submissions close is not supplied.





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