DEAR News Of The Area,

THERE is an identified future need for enlargement of the Jetty parklands to meet the current growing number of apartments between the railway line and Coffs city centre.

This need is further increased by the growth of residential properties being developed west of the highway.

The 2008 Masterplan proposed the need for the railway land to become parkland.

The 2022 draft Jetty masterplan ignores the 2008 position and instead proposes putting built form on the railway land to create a profit to give to Coffs City Council to spend on ”enhancing” the current Jetty Parkland.

It is apparently necessary to have heights of six to eight storeys (eight storeys is 25-30m high, look at the Federation House – the high-rise office building on Moonee St) for residential and tourist accommodation to create sufficient profit for Property NSW from the sale of the land to developers.

Without this, then the whole project fails.

The Coffs community knows it needs increased parklands for its future.

The offer of some minor “enhancements” to the current parklands in exchange for a massive development on proposed future parkland does not come near the expectations of the Coffs community.

The 2018 public consultation resulted in the community saying they wanted no residential accommodation east of the railway.

We said we wanted enlargement and enhancement of the parklands.

Once open space is gone it is gone forever.

Does Sydney regret saving the Botanical Gardens, the Domain and Hyde Park for parkland?

Regards,
Gerry MCGILVRAY,
Coffs Harbour.