Peninsula Chamber of Commerce newsletter

There are interesting and important times ahead for the Peninsula and Gosford City as a whole.
This September is the local government elections, which perhaps in many ways are more important to our community than either the State or Federal elections.
Decisions made at a local level have more impact on our lifestyle and quality of life than any other form of government and therefore deserve our close attention.
In recent years the Chamber of Commerce has been well pleased with the level of support from our local councillors.
The pro-active role played by Council on the Peninsula has seen much progress made on important issues which directly affect our lives.
These issues include youth facilities (such as The Web and the PCYC), road works (such as the Woy Woy Rail/Bus Interchange), drainage and most importantly for the Chamber, the town centre upgrades.
The Chamber especially welcomes the pro-active roll taken by our Mayor, Cr Chris Holstein, who has taken a particular interest in the Peninsula and the exciting activities that have been evolving in our community.
The Chamber looks forward to working with the Mayor in the future and wishes him every success in the September elections.
WOY WOY RENEWAL AREA DCP
Gosford City Council has now adopted the draft Development Control Plan for the Woy Woy Renewal Area of the Woy Woy town centre.
This plan has undergone an extensive and exhaustive public consultation process and has been supported by the Chamber.
Congratulations to the Woy Woy Village Renewal Committee which instigated the process.
Now that its work is done, the members should be well pleased with a Development Control Plan that will enable the town centre to develop and progress into the next century with guidelines that will encourage innovative redevelopment initiatives.
BUILDING SURGE ON THE ESPLANADE
It is exciting to see a resurgence in the building industry on the Peninsula.
This is especially so on The Esplanade where there are over 30 luxury units being constructed between Kourung Street to the north and Augusta Street to the south.
The new unit developments are largely replacing old and dilapidated dwellings that have stood for many years waiting for the market to catch up.
The Esplanade activity bodes well for the local industry and our members in the building trades.
The building surge is also having an effect on local land prices with real estate agents reporting substantial price increases and a decided shortage of available unit sites.
ETTALONG BEACH FAST FERRY UPDATE
The supplementary reports for the Ettalong Beach to Sydney Fast Ferry have now been lodged with Gosford City Council for assessment.
It is understood that the reports will soon be placed on public exhibition for a period of 21 days during which time submissions will be received by Council.
It is important that the community and businesses put their support behind the project.
The ferry service is tantalisingly close and will have profound long term benefits for the Peninsula.
While the development has "deferred development consent", the supplementary reports provide additional information on issues such as parking, coastal engineering and refuelling.
ETTALONG BEACH TOWN CENTRE UPGRADE
Works are progressing in Ettalong Beach with the upgrading under Council’s Financial Strategy funding.
The traffic calming works adjacent to the Ettalong Beach Senior Citizens Centre in Broken Bay Road/Karingi Street are due to start this month and will include stencilled road paving, footpath repaving and new landscaping to highlight Karingi Street as one of the main entry points to Ettalong Beach.
Ettalong Beach town centre has certainly improved in a substantial way from five years ago.
The dedicated work by the Ettalong Beach Heritage Committee should be acknowledged for these successes and the Chamber will continue to support the upgrading through its representatives on the Ettalong Beach CBD Building Committee.
UMINA KERB SIDE PARKING RESTORED
After long negotiations, the Chamber and the Mainstreet Program have finally succeeded in convincing Council to restore the kerb side parking in West Street between J&B Meats and Deep Water Surf.
The reconstruction works involved the restoration of kerb side parking on weekdays and Saturday mornings with removable bollards that can be moved out to the road shoulder to allow outdoor eating on Saturday afternoons and Sundays.
This has proved to be a welcome compromise following the controversial works completed several years ago which severely restricted parking in this area.
UMINA BEACH TOWN CENTRE UPGRADE
There are continuing concerns by the Chamber with the further upgrade works in the Umina Beach town centre.
Council plans to push ahead with a further five raised pedestrian crossings in West Street and side streets including Oscar Street and Bullion Street.
The Chamber opposes the raised crossings following the ongoing traffic problems associated with the current raised crossing.
The pedestrian crossings should be "paved" at grade instead.
The Chamber will continue to advocate for the appointment of an independent planning consultant to review the Umina Beach town centre plan so as to ensure that an integrated approach is taken to the planning of the town centre.
The Chamber will continue to take an active roll in the evolution of the Peninsula community by advocating carefully planned and sustainable development of our business and residential areas.
The upcoming local government elections are important for us all to ensure that our community is fully and fairly represented. The Chamber will look on with interest over the coming months.