Davistown wetlands to be sold to Sydney buyers
Central Coast Council may have missed the chance to buy the environmentally sensitive Davistown wetlands with the owners insisting they are about to seal the deal.
Central Coast
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Davistown’s controversial saltmarsh wetlands will be sold to a group of Sydney buyers within weeks, ending any chance of returning them to public ownership.
Selling agent for the property Larry Altavilla said sale of the six parcels of land in Lillipilli St, Pine Ave, Kincumber Cres, and Malinya Rd was a “done deal”.
“We’ve made the decision — we are going to sell. This is not scaremongering,” Mr Altavilla said.
BACKGROUND: Davistown wetland for sale in Tidal Shoals auction
Mr Altavilla said he did not know what they buyers’ plans for the conservation zoned land were but said “if it were me, I’d bypass the council and go straight to the State Government for rezoning”.
The saga of what would become of 19.2 hectares of environmentally sensitive land at Davistown began in October 2017 when the blocks were listed for sale under the name “Tidal Shoals” complete with a ritzy sales campaign and a price tag of more than $120 million.
The property went to auction but was passed in after a single “lowball” bid of $7m.
The likelihood of a sale was limited by the complicated land zoning.
Central Coast Council maps show the land covered by a DM zone — which means “deferred matter”. This zoning is an interim measure applying to rural sites earmarked by Council for its Coastal Open Space System.
BACKGROUND: Davistown wetlands sale public meeting packed
Essentially the DM means that whatever rules applied to the land prior to the latest Local Environment Plan (LEP) will still apply — until a new environmental zone is established.
In this case it means the land is subject to either R2 zoning for low density residential or 7(a) conservation zone — which would preclude any major housing developments.
The real estate agents argued that there was a development precedent set in 1992 when Alloura Waters Retirement Village built 200 apartments and villas along the same coastal stretch.
BACKGROUND: Council in negotiations to buy land
Hundreds of local people attended a public meeting about the future of the wetlands in October 2017, many calling on Central Coast Council buy the land and keep it in public hands.
Council later voted in favour of buying the land for its Coastal Open Space System, but insisted it was not prepared to pay an inflated price for land which was unlikely to be able to be developed under its existing zoning.
Since then negotiations on the land have been at a stalemate.
Central coast Council has confirmed it has made an offer on the land and is waiting for the owners to respond.
Mr Altavilla said the offer was “a joke”.
“In fact the whole process with council has been a joke — they haven’t spoken to us or more than a year,” he said.