DEAR News Of The Area,

THE most significant change by far envisaged by the plan is the proposal to permit construction of residential accommodation.

Yet this significant part of the plan does not rate a mention until about page 28 of the 32 page document.

A proposal to change the use of the area from a public open space/recreational precinct to a residential one would have a profound and degrading impact on the whole area.

Residents themselves so close to the railway line will be significantly impacted by locomotive noise, air pollution, and vibration resulting in detrimental impacts on their health and amenity.

Recreational visitors to the foreshores will be significantly impacted by competition from residents using the facilities as an extension of their otherwise non-existent outdoor space.

Currently during holiday seasons, the foreshore is often crowded with visitors competing for space and access to facilities.

And the extremely limited vehicular and pedestrian access to the jetty results in regular congestion and gridlock traffic conditions.

Introducing residential accommodation to the area will make such conditions a regular feature for anyone attempting to access the foreshores.

And during holiday seasons, the severe congestion for lengthy periods will result in restricted access and use of the whole area.

Introducing residential accommodation to the Jetty foreshores would undermine the otherwise magnificent plans and destroy the healthy and attractive current space and the recreational vibe of the whole area.

It is time the State government embraced de-privatisation and preserved our precious limited public open space for the health and benefit of an exploding population.

Further, if a fraction of the profit from the sale of public land for private development is required to fund the “revitalisation”, the whole community would be far better off to ditch the plan and simply leave it to Coffs Harbour City Council to successfully manage the foreshores as it has done in the past.

And that has entailed preserving public open space, not sacrificing it for private development.

Go to coffsjettyrevitalisation.com.au before 11 June to have your say on the development plans.

Regards,
Stephen J. PRATT,
Coffs Harbour.