Letter to the Editor: Who will pay?

DEAR News Of The Area,

THE proposed Jetty Foreshore revitalisation plan continues to be a contentious impasse.

Councillors lodged two separate Notices of Motion (NOM) at the Council Meeting held on Thursday, 19 March, seeking more public information and transparency and calling for Council to not support the proposed project.

Predictably the motions were lost, with five councillors voting against and three in favour.

The Coffs Harbour community deserves to be fully informed about what the costs are, what contributions we will be required to make to the project, and how they will be covered before we can properly review the impact of the proposed foreshore land rezoning.

Let’s look at the information made available to the community.

Documents released under Freedom of Information show that the State Government and Treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, have requested a cost neutral option for the project, therefore funding it will be at no cost to the State.  The State Government also states in its Refined Masterplan that the “costs of delivering public open space, civil infrastructure, community spaces and additional parking will not be met by the proceeds of development”.

If the State Government is not investing money, and the plan they have developed doesn’t generate enough money to create the public improvements such as the promised playgrounds, parklands and parking, then what is the Coffs Harbour community actually getting from this project besides loss of open space and improved parklands? And how much will it cost us?

The Government must be transparent with the community about how they are proposing to make this development cost neutral.

The Government has previously flagged that their preferred option for generating more money from the project is by increasing the heights of any apartment blocks.

Are they planning to get the additional funds by increasing the number of tourism and residential apartments? How high will those apartments need to be to make it financially sustainable?

Or does the Coffs community lose the carrot they presented to us of promised improvements to parklands and recreational facilities?

In an Instagram post on 15 November 2024, Mayor Nikki Williams suggested that the costing for the development was as much as $150,000,000 and said that Council cannot complete a project of this scale without considerable rate rises or drastic cuts to vital services in our LGA.

Where is the money coming from to pay for the promised playgrounds, parklands and parking for the proposed Jetty precinct development when the NSW Government said it will not pay?

We all don’t want a dust bowl and fenced-off land but what are we risking with this deal?

Will we just get 450 mostly luxury apartments and nothing for the community?

Or we will end up with even more units and taller buildings on and overlooking our foreshore just to get a few promised improvements?

Mayor Nikki Williams says that the City of Coffs Harbour Council is sitting at the negotiating table with the NSW Government.

If that’s the case, they need to start asking questions and get the most up-to-date breakdown of the Government’s costings and how those costs will be covered and convey this to the community.

It’s time to call for pause.

Regards,
Fran STEPHENSON,
Coffs Harbour.