Indications are that Council intends to lodge a DA between June and September. It is therefore critical that as many people as possible write to Council and the media to express their concerns.
We expect to hear from Council in the near future about further community consultation about the foreshore and appointment of consultants.
Following Council’s refusal to provide key background documents (including the feasibility study) associated with its decision in April 2018 to proceed with progress towards a multi-storey development at Bath Street, and in the face of a recommendation from the Information and Privacy Commission to do so, the TFPG took the matter to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Nico Marcar attended the preliminary meeting on 26 February in Sydney and was able outline the TFPG’s position on behalf of the community. Two Council staff members and Council’s solicitor were present, as well as a Tribunal member. No ruling was made at this meeting. As a sign of good faith, it was agreed to follow up with a mediation session (an often suggested next step) in Newcastle, hopefully, sometime in March. More to follow.
A recently discovered 1980 Council brochure says “It is Council’s intention to extend the foreshores Park…” and later continues “The foreshore park should be extended to Bath Street”. The brochure prepared by award winning urban designers and architects, outlines the recommended strategic plan for Toronto Centre and shows the Foreshores Park as a narrow waterfront strip extending from Wharf Road to Bath Street.
This brochure helps to explain why many in the community believed that it was now a park. Council’s concerns about future growth of Toronto have not changed since the 1980 brochure that stated “The growing population will also demand more open space, a more attractive environment and improved and larger community facilities in Toronto”.
The TFPG recently identified that Council has substantial land holdings in the Toronto Commercial Centre and two of these sites (for which Council has no immediate plans) would be ideal for the type of commercial development that Council has in mind for the Bath Street foreshore site. The first site is the elevated vacant land in Brighton Avenue located between the Anglican Church and Aldi; some of the allotments in this parcel were the subject of a recent reclassification from Community Land to Operational Land. The second site is at the corner of Brighton Avenue and Pemell Street where Council owns the vacant corner property and three adjoining old homes suitable for demolition.
The TFPG calls upon Council to listen to the community’s concerns and to reverse its flawed development proposal and instead use one of its other sites, if it wishes to continue a Council-led development.
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