11 JUNE 2021
ISSUE 296
Clisby’s Clincher
News
Leagues Club Park’s play area has been improved by adding rubber soft-fall around both slides. See page 3
Out&About
The opening ceremony for this year’s 5 Lands Walk will be held at 5pm on June 25 at Hunter Park, Avoca Beach, based on the theme of multicultural connection. See page 17
Business The Central Coast Mariners have secured third place and a home Elimination Final after a thrilling 2-0 win over Western United at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday, June 5. See page 38 Mariners left-back, Jack Clisby’s celebration after the game opening goal
An application for a $115M mixed use development inclusive of a 196-room hotel in Racecourse Rd is under consideration by the NSW Planning Department.
CEN engages Council on asset sales
See page 25
With submissions on Central Coast Council’s proposed Tranche 3 asset sales now having closed, The Community Environment Network (CEN) is intent on holding Administrator, Rik Hart, to his pledge not to reclassify community land as part of the asset sales program “unless absolutely necessary”. More than 1,000 submissions were received on the proposed sales, many of them objecting to reclassification of community land. Executive Member, Gary Chestnut, said representatives from CEN, the Central Coast
branch of the Australian Conservation Foundation and Save Central Coast Reserves met with Hart on May 25 to discuss community concerns about the asset sale. “Mr Hart explained that Central Coast Council had considered a $90M ‘basket’ of assets with sale potential from which it needed to sell $60M worth of assets,” Chestnut said. “It was a relief to hear Mr Hart clarify that only operational land that had not received a great deal of public opposition would be considered for sale at this time. “At the conclusion of our meeting, Mr Hart undertook to
provide answers to six questions, and we look forward to receiving his response in the not-too-distant future.” Chestnut said the first question to which the community needed an answer was how can the community keep abreast of how the asset sales process is going? This includes detail on where Tranche 1 sales are up to and what is the status of Tranche 2, which has not been made public. CEN also asked how the community will be able to assess value for money from asset sales if valuations and sale prices are not placed in the public domain and if any of the
asset sales will be via auction. The group also wants to know the makeup of the committee that has been responsible for identifying assets for sale and if the whole of Council’s operational lands portfolio has been audited. “If so, is the total land portfolio available to the public?” the group asked. “What has been the criteria to identify operational land appropriate for sale; how is ‘lazy’ and ‘surplus to needs’ defined?” The sixth question to which CEN wants an answer is what communication strategy Council is implementing to address the community’s fears
and confusion surrounding asset sales to build trust. Chestnut said CEN had recommended that a number of operational assets included in Tranche 3 should not be sold by Council because of their environmental value or contribution to the amenity and liveability of the region. These included parcels at Doyalson, Tuggerah, Bensville, Blackwall, Bateau Bay, The Entrance, North Gosford, Killarney Vale and Gosford. “CEN considers protection of the natural environment paramount,” he said. Continued page 4
Sport
A win for the Terrigal Trojans and a loss for the Avoca Sharks in the Swietelsky Premier One Round Nine on Saturday, June 5, has been the crucial factor in this week’s shift in the top of the table positioning for the overall Club Championships. See page 37
Puzzles page 22
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