Greg Best to ask ICAC to investigate performing arts and library tower
The controversial, secret performing arts and library tower plan for Gosford could be the next thing to go before the Independent Commission Against Corruption if one councillor gets his way.
Central Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Central Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Central Coast Council’s secret $171 million tower plan for library, performing arts centre, uncovered
- Central Coast-based Free Trade Day goes nationwide
A Central Coast councillor will ask the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to look at council’s $171 million tower plan, to house the regional arts centre and library.
Cr Greg Best has broken his silence on the issue which has been under a cloud of confidentiality, saying the development would blow out to “200 million” and was therefore “dead in the water” before the first sod had been turned.
“While I am forbidden under confidentiality to share with our ratepayers the real figure, using accepted industry calculations, it is not hard to arrive at this ridiculous number,” he said.
In June, the Express revealed the community had been kept in the dark as council developed secret plans for the tower which would also include commercial office space, suites for private training organisation ET Australia, and underground carparking.
The proposed development would be built between Donnison St and Henry Parry Drive and council has been in negotiations with private landholders to acquire various properties.
“Now to add insult to injury, there is the outrageous multimillion-dollar land deal that this council monument is to be built upon,” Cr Best said.
“To cap this mismanagement off, council has already spent $5 million of ratepayers’ money on consultants and planning. The details around this are staggering and when ratepayers finally understand the magnitude of costs, heads will roll.”
Cr Best alleged that council staff had private concerns about the issue.
“Council’s breach of governance in my view is horrendous,” he said.
“No council in their right mind could mount an argument to spend this kind of money on an Art Centre and Library, while our roads are in ruins. This council leaves me with absolutely no alternative but to formally refer this outrageous situation to the ICAC.
“I am calling on the Planning Minister and (Terrigal state Liberal MP) Adam Crouch to step in before it is too late.”
At this week’s council meeting, councillors deferred a decision to spend $135,000 on an audit of the Gosford Cultural Precinct project. The audit would look at risks in relation to land acquisition, capital/construction costs, and operating costs over a 10-year period.
At the meeting, Cr Best indicated the development was well over $150 million, however Mayor Jane Smith said Cr Best was “throwing out speculation and figures that are not accurate”.
Cr Bruce McLachlan said Cr Best’s figure “based on industry and square metreage” were not far wrong.
“I don’t think he is being speculative or misleading,” he said.
Liberal MLC for the Central Coast Taylor Martin said council have had $32 million, including state and federal government grants, ready to go to build the RPAC for the past four years.
“Now, council have tried to use the $32m in funding to underpin a monstrosity which would cost ratepayers over $170m,” he said.
“Simply put — this would represent the biggest financial risk in a generation to our council and therefore to ratepayers and the services they demand. No one on the coast has confidence in this council to deliver this project.
“It’s quite clear, after wasting over four years now, they’ve created a project that is simply too big to go ahead, as a way of stopping the RPAC and the library projects without outright saying ‘no’ to yet another development.
“It would be a misuse of state and federal grant money to use it as a down payment for an overblown retail and commercial development when the funding was for an RPAC and a library.”
Mr Crouch said the state grant of $10 million was committed to council for the RPAC in 2015.
“Since then, extreme changes have been made to the project and any future funding request will need to be reviewed,” he said.
“There needs to be accountability and value for money when taxpayer dollars are spent. I have grave concerns that council’s latest proposal does not deliver on this criteria.”
Cr Jilly Pilon said the project had gone too far “at ratepayers expense”.
“It’s hard to see value for money,” she said. “Whilst these facilities are on many people’s wish lists, ultimately the majority of the community wants to see council focus and deliver on the essentials like roads, rates and rubbish.”
The tower proposal was presented to the coast’s federal and state MPs by Cr Smith and CEO Gary Murphy at a confidential meeting on June 21.
At the time, plans had been formed, consultants paid, costings estimated, and the negotiation of several property sales were well advanced.
All the details are expected to be made public once the project reaches the development application stage.
A council spokeswoman said “in order to create this world-class cultural precinct there will need to be an acquisition of properties by council, which are currently under negotiation”.
“As such, all information on the precinct is to remain confidential until acquisition of land is finalised to maintain commercial confidence and ensure the integrity of the market value.
“Once the acquisition of land is finalised, council will continue to provide updates of the precinct’s progress to the community via usual media channels.”