Correspondence to Council on their document can be uploaded directly to their website or posted to:
The Chief Executive Officer
Lake Macquarie City Council
Attention Council and Corporate Liaison Coordinator
Box 1906 Hunter Region Mail Centre NSW 2310
Dear Ms Cameron,
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Council’s Revised Delivery Program 2017-2021 and Operational Plan 2019-2020 – Let’s Make it Happen.
I would like to make the following comments on this document.
The document dedicates quite a bit of space (p20-22) to show Council’s commitment to community engagement. It talks about incorporating advice and recommendations, keeping the community informed and acknowledging concerns, working together to the maximum extent possible and implementing what the community decides.
As a resident of Toronto I would like to see Council walk their talk.
With regard to the proposed 6-storey development on Bath Street, council’s community engagement aspirations have fallen well short of the mark.
Let’s make genuine community consultation happen!
It was only last year that Council was talking about planning for and implementing improvements to town centres and villages. This year they’re planning for and implementing improvements in economic centres and suburbs.
The community and the people have been extracted from council’s growth language, and it shows in councils shiny-big-is-beautiful economic development mentality, that threatens the township of Toronto and the community that live in and around it.
As a resident of the Toronto area, the concept of a town centre clearly implies that people and the environment are part of the mix, the village provides a sense of community.
Let's include the community and make people-places happen in our town centres!
Let’s make integrated planning happen
It appears Council has conflicting strategies with their ‘Unique Landscape & Lifestyle & Wellbeing’ focus area at loggerheads with the ‘Diverse Economy’ focus area.
Strategy 1.2.2 states “ensure Council-owned land is managed to protect and enhance natural environments”, with actions including a city-wide foreshore rehabilitation program. The Bath Street land that Council owns has considerable potential to protect and enhance our natural environment. Protecting and enhancing the Toronto Foreshore Park aligns with Council’s strategy, let’s make that happen!
The Delivery Plan says it will 'Investigate feasibility of the development of the Toronto Foreshore Master Plan', which is a planning only process. It appears we will have four years of planning for a foreshore park, which everyone wants whilst Council’s developer-arm can aspire to plan and build a 6-storey construction that no one wants to ‘create recurring income and increase return on investment’ (strategy 4.3.2)
Let's make the enhanced Toronto Foreshore Park happen!
Council has allocated $25 million over the next four years to progress the Bath Street
Commercial development. This is without a concept design, let alone a Development Application or any community consultation.
Of all the new capital works proposed across the city for the next four years (over $31 million) the Bath Street development accounts for 81% of the spend, $25 million, whilst no money has been allocated to even explore alternative council-owned sites within the town centre.
Let’s make sure all the options have been considered before anything happens.
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I would like to make the following comments on this document.
Let’s make genuine community consultation happen.
The document dedicates quite a bit of space (p20-22) to show Council’s commitment to community engagement. It talks about incorporating advice and recommendations, keeping the community informed and acknowledging concerns, working together to the maximum extent possible and implementing what the community decides.
As a resident of Toronto I would like to see Council walk their talk.
With regard to the proposed 6-storey development on Bath Street, council’s community engagement aspirations have fallen well short of the mark.
Let’s make genuine community consultation happen!
Let’s include people in the language of growth - a great thing to happen.
It was only last year that Council was talking about planning for and implementing improvements to town centres and villages. This year they’re planning for and implementing improvements in economic centres and suburbs.
The community and the people have been extracted from council’s growth language, and it shows in councils shiny-big-is-beautiful economic development mentality, that threatens the township of Toronto and the community that live in and around it.
As a resident of the Toronto area, the concept of a town centre clearly implies that people and the environment are part of the mix, the village provides a sense of community.
Let's include the community and make people-places happen in our town centres!
Let’s make integrated planning happen
It appears Council has conflicting strategies with their ‘Unique Landscape & Lifestyle & Wellbeing’ focus area at loggerheads with the ‘Diverse Economy’ focus area.
Strategy 1.2.2 states “ensure Council-owned land is managed to protect and enhance natural environments”, with actions including a city-wide foreshore rehabilitation program. The Bath Street land that Council owns has considerable potential to protect and enhance our natural environment. Protecting and enhancing the Toronto Foreshore Park aligns with Council’s strategy, let’s make that happen!
The Delivery Plan says it will 'Investigate feasibility of the development of the Toronto Foreshore Master Plan', which is a planning only process. It appears we will have four years of planning for a foreshore park, which everyone wants whilst Council’s developer-arm can aspire to plan and build a 6-storey construction that no one wants to ‘create recurring income and increase return on investment’ (strategy 4.3.2)
Let's make the enhanced Toronto Foreshore Park happen!
Let’s make due process happen
Council has allocated $25 million over the next four years to progress the Bath Street
Of all the new capital works proposed across the city for the next four years (over $31 million) the Bath Street development accounts for 81% of the spend, $25 million, whilst no money has been allocated to even explore alternative council-owned sites within the town centre.
Let’s make sure all the options have been considered before anything happens.
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