At last night’s Council meeting I resolved to remove the parcel of land at Austin Butler Access, Woy Woy (part Lot 9 DP 235385) from Central Coast Council’s current bulk reclassification of land process. 

The site was originally included in the bulk reclassification after Council was approached by Peninsula Plaza and their major tenant to purchase the site to address identified safety risks. 

The decision for Council to present this opportunity to the community for consideration through the reclassification process was made to provide the community with a formal opportunity to have their say. 

It is clear that some confusion has occurred about the steps involved in the reclassification and sale process, so to alleviate fears or concerns, I have chosen to remove the parcel entirely from this bulk reclassification process. 

I have asked that the community be engaged as soon as possible to seek their formal feedback on whether Council should:

A) Retain the site in Council ownership, meaning the trees on the site remain in their current condition, or

B) Proceed with a sale and allocate all proceeds of that sale to an extensive greening program for the Peninsula region. 

I have received correspondence and have had many conversations with individuals and groups from the Peninsula region who are greatly concerned about the ‘heat island’ effects present in this region. 

Should the majority of the community express an interest (through the formal consultation process) in proceeding with the sale and the allocation of all funds to a greening program, such a program could provide funding for approximately 8,500 trees to be sourced, planted and maintained to maturity. This would go a long way in providing long-term progress in greening the local area and mitigating the impacts of climate change to the benefit of future generations. It’s initiatives like this which could achieve a significant advancement towards the objectives of Councils Greener Places Strategy.

However, as I have said, I am impartial to both options (A) and (B) and will be completely guided by the community’s response through the formal consultation process on what is ultimately determined for this site. 

I look forward to receiving the results of this community engagement via a summary report back to Council as soon as possible. 

Keep an eye out on www.yourvoiceourcoast.com to have your say. 

Rik Hart, Administrator