Last chance to have your say on first stage of $20M Coffs Harbour jetty redevelopment

It's your last chance to have a say on the next stage of Coffs Harbour jetty precinct's transformative development.

Coffs Harbour Jetty.

Time is running out to have your say on the transformative jetty precinct redevelopment. 

Community feedback on the proposed vision and guiding principles for the jetty precinct, developed in consultation with the community-led Project Steering Advisory Committee, ends today. 

The online survey asks people to rank ideas which have previously been raised for the eventual plan, like the inclusion of accommodation, increased dining options or better parking.

Feedback from the survey and community consultation will be incorporated into the master planning process and there will be an opportunity to provide further feedback later in the year.

Throughout April and May, the NSW Government has been engaging with the public on the proposed vision and guiding principles and Minister for Water, Property and Housing Melinda Pavey said there had been an overwhelmingly positive response from the community.

Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh said the transformation of the Coffs Harbour Jetty Foreshore into a vibrant and prosperous precinct can only be achieved if the community has a say in its future identity.

“This is our chance to create a precinct for the whole community to enjoy, while maintaining the cultural and existing qualities of the local area that we all know and love,” Mr Singh said.

The latest push to transform one of Coffs Harbour’s best assets has been going for nearly a decade, with a new steering committee made up of business and community leaders also engaging with Property and Development NSW over the plans.

Despite the final master plan being months away, the State Government has opted to press ahead with the reconstruction of the TS Vendetta building, complete with accommodation, boat storage and a new cafe.

The $5 million project, proposed in the 2013 masterplan, was announced by Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh and Housing and Water Property and Housing Minister Melinda Pavey in April.

The TS Vendetta building will be razed and rebuilt. Photo: Trevor Veale / The Coffs Coast Advocate

When asked why they were going back to a 2013 master plan while a new one was being drafted, Mr Singh said different parts of the jetty operated under different plans of management and likened the TS Vendetta project to the overhaul of the North Wall car park.

He said the work to reconstruct the TS Vendetta “operated outside the scope” of the new master plan and was an extension of works which weren’t completed in previous years due to a lack of funds.

In October, a public furore erupted over the potential for retirement living in the precinct. 

In an effort to quell the outrage, Ms Pavey and Mr Singh released a statement on the project which said “nothing has been predetermined, the community’s feedback will dictate the final outcome”.

When asked whether reconstructing the TS Vendetta building, a project which architects were asked to engage with back in January, was an example of a predetermined outcome, Ms Pavey said it was part of a process started in 2013.

“Council wanted this project they have been working and I have got to pay credit to our senior officers in the navy who were also committed to a better community facility,” she said.

“Those conversations have been going on for many years, just because you have started those conversations doesn’t mean you have to end them.”