A rezoning proposal for land at Forresters Beach is currently open for public comment.
The rezoning is for all the land bound by the intersection of Bakali Rd and The Entrance Rd all the way up to the intersection with Forresters Beach Rd.
It is generally triangular in shape with an area of 12.261 Ha.
This Planning Proposal is in effect a review of the urban fringe zoning in the locality, the Central Coast Regional Plan Assessment stated.
“The result is that areas suitable for urban development have been identified as have areas of environmental sensitivity,” the assessment stated.
The land immediately to the north of the site is currently being developed for residential subdivision, leaving the cleared areas of the subject site the last remaining land suitable for residential development and thus defining the urban edge in this locality, Council said.
The part of the site with high ecological value is proposed to be zoned C2 Environmental Conservation.
The 32 suburban lots currently fronting The Entrance Rd would be rezoned residential and much of the land behind it would also be rezoned residential allowing for more housing development.
The planning proposal seeks to provide low density residential housing to be developed in three stages.
The planning proposal would allow the R2 Low Density Residential zone to have two minimum lot sizes: 550m2 and 1850m2.
The 1850m2 lots are proposed to be located fronting Bakali Road.
Central Coast Council would be dedicated land for a small park to provide open space for the future residents and the local community.
The high ecologically valued part of the site to the North West would remain in private ownership and be rezoned to C2 Environmental Conservation to protect existing wetland vegetation.
It is vacant and contains good quality Swamp Sclerophyll Forest on Coastal Floodplains, which is a defined Endangered Ecological Community (EEC) under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
The zoning would require it to be managed in accordance with a Vegetation Management Plan which would form part of the Planning Agreement.
Notification of the exhibition of the proposal has been provided to affected and adjoining landholders.
See details here: https://www.yourvoiceourcoast.com/forresterspp
The public exhibition period closes on June 24.
