There are further disturbing developments in the ongoing Salamander Shopping Centre planning proposals and for the Council owned land surrounding it. Council will consider the Planning Principals at its meeting on 27 Nov 2012.
Our last update on this matter was HERE and it turns out that our concerns about the Big W project in this post in September were well founded.
TRRA inc. have now forwarded a formal Submission to Councillors from our Planning Sub Committee on their experience at the Planning Principles workshops HERE
This weeks Nov 22 2012 Council Ad in the Examiner HERE contained a totally misleading notification about an application related to this development. We do hope that this was just sloppy administration…… Our eagle eyed Planning Sub Committee team investigated this application notification and upon checking at the Library found that the the same misleading material has been put on display there, just a Public Notice cover sheet with no EIS and only some material about notification a plan and a sand haulage route.
Not only would it not be obvious to most readers that the two lines are related, but most remain unaware that 155 Salamander Way is in fact the Council owned land around the existing Centre. At least two members have told us that they assumed the 155 Salamander Way ‘entry’ in the Examiner was for a separate DA from which further details and a DA number had been omitted. Others have simply been confused by the presentation.
The entry for 720/2012 in the DA Tracker similarly fails to make clear the nature of the DA, which would only become obvious on inspection of the documents at the library, if they were all on exhibition as required.
We understand that the DA includes parts only of the infrastructure works that will ultimately be necessary to support the development of all the land. The works included are presumably the minimum necessary to support the initial 3-lot subdivision, and are conveniently costed at just under the $5 million threshold that would trigger referral to the JRPP.
Council should be well aware by now that the future of the Salamander Centre and sale and development of the Council owned land adjoining the existing centre is a matter of intense community interest on the Tomaree peninsula. In this context it is wholly unacceptable for this DA to be advertised in such a misleading way, without clearly drawing attention to the fact that it is for the land adjoining the existing shopping centre.
We have requested of Council planners that due to the confusing and misleading advertisement, that they formally extend the exhibition and consultation period, which in any case was only the minimum 2 week period – grossly inadequate for such an important DA. We need to be able review the documents and then brief our members so that they are in a position to make informed submissions, should they so choose. We also need to be able to discuss the DA with the many other interested parties, most of whom, like most of us, are volunteers monitoring Council activities in our spare time. Neither action will be possible with a 5 December deadline.
Update Friday 30 November……………..
At the Council Meeting on Tuesday Nov 27 the Planning Principles were Adopted after a debate in which Clr Nell accused other Councillors of having a conflict of interest because they were only interested in getting a quick return on the sale of the land, not a well planned regional centre. Council Webcast 27 November 2012, fast forward to 30 minute mark HERE. Newcastle Morning Herald Report HERE
This was the response from the PSC planners:
“In my view the description in the newspaper is not misleading. The DA applies to both properties hence both properties are mentioned and the property descriptions are listed correctly. On this basis, I don’t believe there is merit in extending the submission period beyond the Council policy position of 14 days for developments of this type/scale.
In respect to the statement of environmental effects (SoEE) documentation, its not Council practice to place the complete DA including the SoEE in the exhibition venues. The SoEE/full DA package is hundreds of pages and if we did this for all the DAs we received, the costs to the community (and amount of paper used!) is hard to justify. Nonetheless, in this instance happy to organise a copy of the SoEE to be sent to the Tomaree Library and have done so this morning.”
We think that this is disappointing to say the least. We suggest that if you live in the vicinity or are interested in the future of this development that you go along to the library and ask to look at the plans and documentation. You only have until 5.00pm Wednesday December 5 to put in a submission to Council. Address it to : The General Manager and send it to Council@portstephens.nsw.gov.au
We wish we could get some of this electronically to show you on the website but unfortunately Council will not make it available.
Don’t forget that you can let us know what you think in the ‘Comment’ Box Below
All good points from our President. See new posting in Hot Issues for an update on this issue
One of the inevitable needs of an organisation such as the Tomaree Ratepayers and Residents Association, is that periodically it has to offer, hopefully constructive, criticism of Council activities. In spite of this, we do not see ourselves anti-business as we realise that without business there are no jobs and without jobs where would we all be.
We like to think ourselves as pro Tomaree Peninsula. If a proposal is presented transparently and is sound because it delivers jobs without damaging the environment and it is part of a long term master plan, then we will always support it. Common sense.
The DA to allow a new BigW store at Salamander has a few problems and we would like your opinion as to whether we should strive to get them considered. In 2012 we provided a detailed submission as to how the DA could be improved. The issues raised then are pretty much the same today. In summary they are:
Lack of a master plan for the area means that things like motor vehicle and pedestrian safety will potentially be an expensive retro fit. The same for drainage, runoff and pollution risk to the adjoining wetlands. The needs of the endangered koala population do not seem to have been mentioned. Do you see why we think that a master plan is important?
There is a clear lack of transparency in a situation where Council is the owner and developer, as well as the approver of the DA. Why would Council think that this is a situation where ratepayers don’t need to know? There is no commercial in confidence here; so do you think we need to point this out?
Where are the budget figures for this development? Do you think it is acceptable for an organisation using your money to start another capital venture without financial planning? What is going on there? Have they done the budgets but don’t want to show us?
Anyway, we would like your views.
I could not agree more that this plan for Salamander Bay Shopping Centre should be thought out properly in the first place and not finding that mistakes have been made, down the track, and cannot be rectified. Full consultation with the public, ratepayers and residents. There is no argument that the Library and Child Care Centre should remain where they are, for the convenience of all residents. It is only commonsense that a masterplan should have organised initially, and no work should proceed until this has been organised. We all want additional facilities, but in an organised manner.
The lack of transparency in advertising this very important DA is just appalling. The average Joe Blow just wouldn’t have picked that this is a major subdivision of the place we visit on practically a daily basis – our main shopping centre. We will live with the consequences of wrong decisions about this for years to come. We needed a Masterplan long ago – we need it even more now. I’m sure we can all wait just a little bit longer for Big W. We need to see the Shopping Centre go up, not out. The surrounding wetland and environmentally sensitive areas are too precious to be filled in with sand. We could have a real community space to enjoy. $s rule again.
Well I agree with Margret Wilkinson, this needs to be thought out properly and not to mention that very much needed consultation with the very public and paying ratepayers and residents of Port Stephens. I think that going up is the best and only option. This would give the centre enough room to also look at a mutli-story car park to help with the already major problems associated with the holiday traffic that occurs at this centre every holidays. I would also like to say that it is very important to make sure that the Libary and Child Care Centre stay exactly where it is as many elderly people use this and it makes it easy to get to the shopping centre.