THE State Government has been urged to adopt a draft plan of management for the Port Macquarie foreshore to ensure unsuitable development like the Woolworths proposal in its current form doesn’t go ahead.
Welcoming the announcement that the State Government has reversed its decision of a fortnight ago to abandon the plan, Cr Justin Levido said the people of Port Macquarie and their council had spoken loud and clear and the message had obviously been received.
However, Cr Levido, the council’s Major Projects Portfolio chairman and council’s designated spokesperson on the foreshore, said one significant area of concern remained.
“The existing draft plan of management has as yet not been adopted to provide the Port Macquarie foreshore, and in particular the plaza car park site, with the complementary and formal statutory protection of the Crown Lands Act, 1989,” he said.
“After years of consultation and the draft plan sitting on the minister’s desk for some 12 months, the real action now sought is for the State Government to immediately announce the formal adoption of the plan as soon as possible.
“This will give certainty to all stakeholders as to the future of our iconic foreshore.”
Cr Levido urged the members of the Foreshore Land Advisory Group and anyone concerned about the future of the foreshore to contact state member Leslie Williams and make it clear that the community wanted was the adoption of the plan as a priority.
“The time for posturing has passed and the time to act is here,” Cr Levido said.
In a press statement issued last week, Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional Infrastructure and Services Andrew Stoner announced he had instructed Crown Lands to continue the process to develop the plan, reversing a decision to abandon the plan.
“The community needs a clear, co-ordinated approach to manage this important and valued land in the future,” Mr Stoner said.
“I understand the community has a keen interest in the plan of management process and the NSW Government and Foreshore Lands Advisory will work with the community to ensure they continue to have input into the draft plan as it is finalised.”
Mr Stoner also attacked mayor Peter Besseling, who is widely rumoured to be standing at the next state election as an independent.
“What we don’t need is scaremongering from a mayor with one eye on next year’s state election, or inadequate management plans for the foreshore from his council,” he said.
In the Inside Council column published in the Independent last week, Cr Levido decried the State Government’s decision to drop the plan, which happened shortly after council was asked to agree with a Crown Lands proposal to sell plaza car park reserve to Woolworths, the owner of the adjacent Food for Less site fronting on Koolonbung Creek.
He said the preliminary development plans submitted by Woolworths showed a 75-metre long and eight-metre-high wall running the length of the foreshore.
Such a proposal would not have fitted in with the parameters of the draft management plan, which provided for any development on that land to “face and address the waterfront to achieve maximum activation of the foreshore”.
