What’s happening with the foreshore Masterplan?

The Toronto Foreshore Masterplan was discussed and accepted by Council’s Built & Natural Assets Standing Committee on Monday 10 May and was adopted at Council’s Ordinary meeting on 24 May. The plan was only slightly modified following public consultation in March with a detailed report and revised plan being available at https://www.lakemac.com.au/Our-Council/Council-meetings. The 181 submissions had made various issues of concern including:

Traffic and parking issues are essentially dismissed with Council resolving to deal with these in one or two years via other planning strategies. Whilst a paved drop-off parking area will be provided near the Bath Street ramp there will not be dedicated trailer parking. There will be less car parking with this plan than before because of the loss of informal car parking at Bath Street.

There is no certainty whether a cafe will be part of the intended mix of uses for the proposed Bath Street single-storey building since it is stated several times that ‘The commercial venue proposed at Bath Street is not use-specific and can provide a number of end-uses depending on demand. Market testing will be undertaken during the detailed design.’

The rotunda (recently improved and widely used) near Tinto’s cafe will be demolished and a new type of rotunda built where an entry pavilion is planned.

Council has no intention to reclassify the Bath Street site from ‘operational’ to ‘community’ land. Council’s September 2019 resolution stated that it ‘Commences the process of investigating the reclassification of all or part of the Bath Street and Victory Row site to community land….’. To date

Council has not advised the community why it considers this land will not be reclassified, other than some commentary by staff related to ease of commercial leases.

The two remaining Victory Row properties will be demolished. No 5 Victory Row (2 storey house, dating to 1906), has the potential to be heritage listed and could be adapted for community uses.

The community might wonder whether Council is actually serious about public exhibition and comment when it so obviously ignores anything that does not accord with its predetermined position. Why go to such time and expense on the masterplan and then worsen traffic and parking congestion so that it will be more difficult for people to get to the Foreshore and Town.

Image: Toronto Foreshore Masterplan

‘ISN’T IT A PITY’ – Mel Steiner

In the words of George Harrison, ‘isn’t it a pity’ that Lake Macquarie City Council cannot develop - what could and should be a great Toronto Foreshore Park, into something that will attract the community and visitors and therefore – to use their words, ‘activate the foreshore’.

Instead, the current draft plan reduces the amount of parking, eliminates a boat ramp, and includes plans for a council owned revenue earning café / restaurant with its own parking – 8 or so spaces and not nearly enough, which means their customers will also be competing for parking spaces in the area. The one remaining publicly accessible ramp will become unusable because there is no boat trailer parking and combined with reduced car parking and almost negligible public transport, the result will be a deactivated foreshore.

Importantly, it will also have a negative impact on existing Toronto businesses that are already ‘activating’ the foreshore by providing facilities that encourage sizeable numbers of the community and visitors to make use of this fabulous foreshore location. Council should be working with local businesses, not against them.