focus_business.
with the Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce mmerce
Hadyn Oriti.
MINDING YOUR
business THE PORT MACQUARIE FORESHORE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER WATERFRONT LOCATIONS – LET’S NOT MUCK IT UP! he Short Street car park site is a crown reserve and it does not strike me as the best location for another shopping centre. So any proposal for that site involving a 75 metre wall, 8 metres high, fronting Kooloonbung Creek will be a disaster. That was a risk we faced. Let me recount the recent history of the fore-
T
shore. In October 2006, the Chamber’s waterfront consultation report concluded that our foreshore should be developed as a vibrant and interactive place, recognised throughout Australia, strengthening of our local economy. The Council produced their final vision and master plan for the foreshore in January 2009. The vision was for a:
â€œâ€Ś foreshore of Port Macquarie, from Town Be Beach to Settlement City including Kooloonbu Creek [that] is iconic, vibrant, safe and bung ‌ connected ‌ It provides nodes of interest an activity that creates a foreshore promand en enade which is a major coastal destination th locals and tourists are proud of because that of its environmental and social sustainable am amenityâ€?. Cr Crown Lands then developed a draft plan to im implement a management framework based on the Council vision. Without the State Government overlay for management of crown reserves within the foreshore area, Council has limited planning powers to prevent development that does not comply with the vision. So we were concerned when the government decided recently to scrap the plan of management. While that decision was reversed, it highlighted the need to be vigilant to ensure that our community’s interest is respected. Clearly, a car park is not the highest and best use of the land. But is selling the car park to Woolworths the best result for our community? Let’s be clear - our community must not suffer in the war between the Coles and Woolworths duopoly. As crown land, the car park is a community asset. No one party has any right over and above another person to acquire that site. There must be a proper process to flush out the best proposal for that site in both dollar returns to the Crown and for the community. It is a key parcel of land bordering the
CBD and the waterfront with the potential to be developed in an engaging and active way. The construction of the pedestrian bridge over Kooloonbung Creek means people are drawn to this area to access the creek and promenade with river views. The opportunity to develop commercial enterprises consistently with the community’s objectives means it is a valuable site in more than just monetary terms. So how do we ensure that we get the best for the community? Well, we call for expressions of interest from anyone interested in developing the site. They can be assessed according to proper criteria to ensure that the expectations of the community are satisfied. In this respect, Crown Lands Department have an obligation under their own legislation to ensure that crown land is used and managed so the land and its resources are sustained in perpetuity for public use and enjoyment. That’s all we ask for this site. Accordingly, the Chamber calls on the Department to ensure that the principles of their own Act are upheld with respect to this key site on the Port Macquarie foreshore. Furthermore, any funds generated from the leasing or sale of the site must be committed to the Port Macquarie foreshore development. The land is a community asset. The proceeds of sale are a community asset. They must not be lost to Port Macquarie. This opportunity is too important to squander.
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A World of Opportunities......
Scholarships for 2015 4U $PMVNCB "OHMJDBO 4DIPPM JT QMFBTFE UP PòFS TDIPMBSTIJQT GPS OFX TUVEFOUT KPJOJOH UIF TDIPPM JO "QQMJDBUJPOT GPS 4DIPMBSTIJQT DMPTF PO Monday 30th June 2014 'PS NPSF JOGPSNBUJPO SFHBSEJOH PVS 4DIPMBSTIJQ 1SPHSBN QMFBTF WJTJU PVS XFCTJUF www.scas.nsw.edu.au BOE DMJDL PO UIF FOSPMNFOU UBC
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