Seaside Piazza `nonsense' Has Locals Fuming
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday May 19, 2001
Critics of a $40 million waterfront development fear the Central Coast village of Terrigal is in danger of becoming a mini Surfers Paradise.
And one of the most passionate opponents of the multi-storey, piazza-styled Terrigal Town Centre is the chairman of one of the State's most established real estate chains.
In a sure sign that development pressures are catching up with traditional holiday destinations, Gosford Council is expected to consider on June 5 an application to rezone land bounded by The Esplanade, Campbell Crescent and Painters Lane.
The development includes 103 residential units, 2,800 square metres of commercial space, 297 parking spaces, and a piazza area for outdoor eating.
Long-time holiday resident and chairman of the real estate chain Raine and Horne, Mr Max Raine, wants Terrigal to be spared from the development he claims will create shadowing, lack of privacy and wind tunnels.
``This is on the beachfront of Terrigal. The rest of the commercial centre of Terrigal Valley is restricted to three storeys but, if the six or seven storeys are approved, it means eventually everything will be built to the same height.
``I own a shopping centre in Terrigal and shops on The Esplanade and it would benefit me materially for the spot rezoning to go ahead, but I am totally and absolutely opposed to this sort of nonsense."
The developer, Mr Dino Seraglio, is seeking local support for a proposal that he says will only rise four storeys from ground level and will take the town centre upmarket. His strongest opponents, he says, are residents protecting their views and shop owners worried about competition.
The development was necessary to ``kick-start Terrigal" and would provide 100 jobs.
``Certain areas of Terrigal look like the back streets of a Third-World township, not the jewel of the Central Coast," he said.
But the spokeswoman for the Terrigal Area Residents Association, Ms Sue Edwards, said the redevelopment was 21/2 times denser than council controls currently allowed.
Council approval of the rezoning application would set an unsavoury precedent for the Central Coast, already under considerable development pressure, according to the Total Environment Centre's Ms Fran Kelly. Along with Mr Raine, the centre has written to the Minister for Planning, Dr Refshauge, calling for his department to reject any rezoning.
© 2001 Sydney Morning Herald