Key site plan fails to deliver economic boost or jobs
A five-year scheme meant to promote economic growth and create jobs by offering incentives to developers to build iconic buildings on key sites has failed to deliver.
Central Coast
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A scheme meant to promote economic growth and create jobs by offering incentives to developers to build iconic buildings on key sites has failed to deliver.
The Key Sites development control plan was the brain child of the former Wyong Council and covered 32 sites at The Entrance, Wyong, Long Jetty, Toukley, Kanwal, Lake Haven and Warnervale.
Among the sites were such key locations as Warnervale Airport, Wyong Leagues Club, Wyong Racecourse, Dunleith Tourist Park and Diggers club at The Entrance, and Long Jetty Town Centre.
Under the plan developers of these sites and others, would be allowed extra height and staged developer contribution payments in return for design excellence, green building design and developments that would provide significant public infrastructure like cycleways, public art and community facilities.
The plan came into effect at the end of 2013 will expire at the end of this year if the new Central Coast Council does not vote to extend it.
Hopes of employment generating iconic buildings were dashed when few developers came forward with proposals, and those that did failed to see them through to fruition.
Lakeside Plaza — proposed on land at 78-94 The Entrance Road — was a prime example. The $300m shopping centre with residential tower would have been the largest development in the shire if it had gone ahead, but instead it was later put up for sale.
The $39 million Lakeside Gardens proposal at Toukley was another example, given the go ahead by the NSW Land and Environment Court in October last year.
The 11 storey residential and tourist development with views over Budgewoi Lake was touted as a much needed shot in the arm for Toukley, creating 355 construction jobs and others on completion.
However, this proposal too has fallen over and it’s understood the site is for sale along with its development consent.
A third example is the so called “Klumper” site at 11-29 The Entrance Road West at The Entrance. It looks out over the lake and has had various proposal put forward, but none has become reality.
Key site scheme should be kept
Central Coast Councillor and real estate agent Bruce McLachlan said the incentive scheme was still worthwhile even though it had not delivered any significant development.
“In many ways it was a bit before its time,” he said.
“It’s not that the planning concept isn’t viable or hasn’t been a success it’s just the market conditions haven’t been right,” Mr McLachaln said.
“The key sites are the ones that will pull the rest of the place up with high quality developments — if you take them away you are left with low quality sites,” he said.
Former Wyong Council mayor Doug Eaton expressed disappointment about how the key sites concept had unfolded.
“I remember having discussions with developers saying if you are given approval
are you actually going to build it, and at the time they said they would. As soon as they
got approval they put it on the market and worse — on the market at an unrealistic figure,” Mr Eaton said.
He said however, he thought the new council should consider extending and expanding the key sites idea.
“I would have thought they should extend it — some sites could be dropped off — but in
general they were all quite large sites and well located,” he said.
“There is an opportunity to do something significant with these sites,” he said.
“You do need some sort of incentive to encourage developers and maybe it should be done across the whole Central Coast based on key attributes of the sites rather than on location alone,” he said.