Meeting with Lake Macquarie Mayor
On 15 January 2024, President Dan O’Neill and members of the Alliance Committee met with Mayor Kay Fraser to communicate community concerns about a range of issues. The Alliance provided the Mayor with a letter outlining those concerns, which are reproduced below along with the responses we received in the meeting.
Letter from Dan O’Neill to Mayor Key Fraser:
I am writing on behalf of the Catherine Hill Bay (CHB) Community Alliance Inc. The Alliance is a whole of community representative group in CHB. I am writing to draw your attention to a number of pressing issues which are significantly impacting the amenity of living in the CHB locale.
1. Lack of Community Services
The CHB community is aware of the current proposal to construct a commercial facility in the Moonee Development that is intended to be a small general store and café. A facility such as what is proposed is desperately needed for the CHB community, not just to enable some essential provisions for households but also as a meeting place alternative to the current less than appealing run down Catho pub.
The proposed design of this community asset I am sure will abide by the relevant CHB DCP provisions and local heritage requirements. The whole community is extremely motivated for this to be constructed as soon as is possible, not least due to the “promise” of this building when we all purchased our land. The developer who is behind this construction has been on the record to say they will consult with the community regarding this design. To date however, little detail has been made available in a formal manner for a considered review by the community.
The CHB Alliance is hopeful that LMCC with the significant leverage at their disposal can require the developer to liaise more sincerely with the community regarding the design principles for the proposed CHB shop precinct.
Separate, but yet related to the above shop precinct, the CHB community is aware of the Master Plan for CHB as advertised and communicated by LMCC. Increasingly, the CHB community is becoming frustrated by the lack of progress of the design and implementation of this master plan despite the large amounts money contributions to LMCC by the CHB community. This money going to LMCC from the developer following the sale of the land in the CHB community and also the large amounts of rates paid by CHB residents that are pegged to land values in CHB. The CHB community is hopeful that LMCC will act decisively and quickly regarding this Masterplan for CHB given the distinct lack of progress to date.
Response: The Mayor indicated that LMCC is very efficient with turnaround on DAs. However, they areunable to 'fast track' an application. It is up to the developer to submit an application, which is a commercial decision for them.
With respect to funding for the Masterplan, she explained that developer levies have been paid to state-wide funds and are not necessarily available for particular local projects. Funding the Masterplan construction may require grants from state and federal government. The funding process won't begin until there is a design that has been through community consultation. The community centre design is still in the planning process and is progressing.
2. AirBNBs
The coastal community of CHB has a disproportionately large number of short term rental houses (AirBNB/Stayz etc) nestled amongst a cohort of permanent residences. At CHB there is routine reports of permanent residents negatively impacted by the constant revolving door of short term holiday renters. The discomfort felt by some permanent residents is so significant that they are considering selling up their house and moving on. The issues relate to loud late night parties and other similar activities that can occur mid week, restricted parking access, rubbish from overflowing bins (including non recycling waste left in green and yellow bins that the trucks reasonably refuse to collect due to contaminated waste). An example of one such official complaint is 104/2024 that was recently made after the resident felt they had exhausted all possible reasonable communication with the property owner, property manager and The NSW Department of Fair Trading.
This is a residential neighbourhood, not a holiday resort locale such as Hamilton Island or the Gold Coast in Sth East Queensland. The CHB community is looking to LMCC for some support to enforce stronger rules regarding poor community minded behaviour. Perhaps with the current extreme housing shortages the LMCC area is experiencing, a restoration of the short term rentals in CHB to longer term rentals may help to alleviate that somewhat, whilst potentially also addressing the anti-social behaviour issues related to short term rentals.
Response: The Council is powerless to do anything about problems with Airbnbs. This is a Fair Trading (State) responsibility. Dan explained that NSW Fair Trading has said that it is a Council responsibility.
A letter to the LMCC General Manager has recently been sent by Yasmin Catley NSW State Member for Swansea to remind LMCC of their regulatory responsibility under the Code of Conduct for Short-Term Rental accommodation eg to manage short term rentals in relation to noise complaints
3. Moonee Development Playground
The developer who sold the land that was once Moonee Colliery advertised that the purchase included a parkland area with playground equipment for enjoyment by families living in or visiting the CHB community. The CHB Community Alliance has been informed by the developer that the playground equipment planned is nothing more than a few pieces of timber materials constructed together to be climbing equipment. This meagre effort by the developer has generated some concerns amongst the community residents who were led to believe during their land purchases that this park would be a lot more than just a few simple pieces of climbing equipment.
Can LMCC please confirm if they will be involved in the selection, construction and ongoing maintenance of the playground to be more than climbing timbers and more in keeping with other equivalent playgrounds within LMCC?
Response: The park and playground will ultimately be maintained by Council once completed by the developer. Council is working with the developer to ensure the park design and facilities meet the Council's park/playground design requirements. These are published and the developer should be aware of them.
4. CHB Community Flora Maintenance
The roadside gardens installed by the developer in the Moonee Development have been neglected for some time and not tended to for a number of years. This outcome has rendered the green spaces where native plant species were installed, becoming swallowed up by the ongoing march of weeds. Aside from being unsightly, this reduced native vegetation has reduced the food and shelter for native birds and small mammals.
The CHB Alliance on behalf of the community would appreciate being given some understanding of who is or who needs to take responsibility for the poor state of the roadside greenspace at CHB, especially in the Moonee residential development. Is LMCC now responsible for this roadside vegetation maintenance or is it still the developer or does this item sit in a void in which case the CHB community needs to make arrangements for this maintenance?
Response: The Mayor asked for photos to be sent of the relevant areas so she can investigate whether these will be mowed or maintained by Council. An array of photos of the poor roadside flora maintenance have been sent to the Mayor and reply was provided to say they will consider this and let the CHB Alliance know of what action should / will be taken
5. Community Safety on Moonee Beach.
Since the development and habitation of the Moonee Beach housing precinct there has been an exponential increase in the number of people (both residents and visitors) accessing the surf break at Moonee Beach. Anecdotally we are hearing reports of a large number of people getting themselves into water difficulty due to the constant rips and currents near the shoreline at Moonee Beach.
Can LMCC help to lobby the NPWS to establish more warning signage regarding the dangers of swimming at this beach and/or give some consideration to establishing a satellite surf life saving service at Moonee Beach?
Response: The Mayor was not familiar with the lifeguarding arrangements at Frazer Beach and expressed concerns about potential new lifeguard services, which could simply encourage more people to swim at Moonee. They would prefer people not use these beaches. NPWS is erecting better signage about beach dangers and other safety equipment.