Although the need for a regional library at Gosford had been touted for a long time, finally. after years of planning and several location changes, work finally began on the regional library in Donnison St, Gosford, with a sod turning ceremony on Tuesday, January 16. But what about the iconic Gosford Library building located directly opposite in Kibble Park?

 

Central Coast Council’s decision to call for tenders to demolish Gosford Library and the Broadwater Hotel, before it has even lodged a development application (DA), is another example of the council’s failure to adhere to planning rules, according to the Community Environment Network (CEN).

24 April 2024

ALAN HAYES

 

THE iconic library building, with heritage value and community benefit, needs to be saved! Yet under the one-man rule of Central Coast Council, the historic building is set to be demolished, despite the NSW Architect being clear in his report that the building was of value and benefit to the community.

 

Central Coast Council have a current tender out for demolition of this building, which is in the same tender as the demolition of The Broadwater Hotel site, located directly around the corner and up the road. [Two for the price of one?] Yet, as is the case with many of the other current developments, a Development Application has not as yet been submitted for the work to be done.

 

It seems that certain Council Staff, who for considerable time have had a free-reign in deciding what they believe is in the best interests of the community, are more interested in pandering to the alleged needs of the high-rise over-development of the immediate Gosford town area than maintaining the historic and heritage value of the area.

 

“This has been a habit of Central Coast Council since it was placed under administration way back in 2020 and the community is fed up,” said CEN Chair, Mr Gary Chestnut.

 

“First, we had the attempt to reclassify community land in Mann St, Gosford, including the Gosford Council building and Broadwater Hotel, via the Local Planning Panel and without following the proper process. Then we had the consultation for that reclassification bundled in with other ‘let’s talk Gosford’ issues. That was topped off by a public hearing held in a marquee at the back of the stadium and then two lots of community land were completely overlooked,” Mr Chestnut said.

 

“Now we have the council apparently ignoring its own Local Environmental Plan (LEP) to fast track the demolition of the existing Gosford Library without proper community consultation.

 

“If Central Coast Council is calling for tenders to demolish these two buildings, where are the Development Applications (DAs)? When will the DAs be lodged and exhibited?”

 

Mr Chestnut said “It is beyond belief when Clause 2.7 of the Central Coast Local Environmental Plan (CCLEP 2022) states: ‘The demolition of a building … may be carried out only with development consent’, so where is the DA for the Gosford Library and the Broadwater Hotel?

 

“Even if a Part 5 application was considered because both sites are owned by Central Coast Council, the first question that would need to be asked is ‘does this work require a DA’?

 

“In the case of the Gosford library, the answer is definitely ‘yes’. This is not an exempt or complying development. There is no discretion here. So, when will the community see a DA for this work?

 

“A DA would also give the council an opportunity to explain why demolition and not retrofitting is the best future for the iconic Gosford Library. With so much new housing going ahead in Gosford surely there is an argument for keeping and reusing this building as social infrastructure,” Mr Chestnut said.

 

However, Council says “It will include a dedicated stage space with shelter, storage, and services with appropriate vehicular access" .

 

CEN has stated that, in relation to the Broadwater Hotel site in Mann Street, Central Coast Council could serve an order to have the building demolished if it was deemed unsafe.

 

“If there is no safety issue with the former Broadwater Hotel, then again, we ask, where is the DA?

 

“We wonder why there is such a hurry to demolish the Broadwater Hotel when there’s been no confirmation of the site’s sale to the NSW Government for a proposed vertical TAFE. Does this tender mean the council has other plans for the site that it is not sharing with the public now it is operational land?

 

“Perhaps the council has a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why they believe it is prudent or acceptable to call for tenders before producing a Development Application. If so, CEN believes they should explain their actions to the community. We consider this highly unusual, particularly during a period of administration.”

 

But there appears to be an unhealthy rush to push through demolition of the old Gosford Library building and the Broadwater Hotel before the election of a democratic council in September.

 

Even though Central Coast Council says that community consultation was evenly divided on the fate of the old library building, the whims and machinations of the 'power brokers' were always going to have their own way. This is despite the fact that the old library building has links to notable significant buildings of the time, including the Sydney Opera House - unique building designs known as Sydney School or Nuts and Berries.

 

Investigation by the Grapevine has determined that Council advertising for community consultation on the old library building was poor and although the building is located on community land, community consultation has been very flimsy - there were only twenty-four submissions received. This is hardly indicative of the community giving the 'green light' on the demolition of a heritage building.

 

Community activist Joy Cooper said “I recall clearly the love of this building when I first arrived in Gosford as a teenager. It is an iconic building in Gosford and part of Gosford’s identity, which needs to be preserved.

 

“Gosford has a shortage of community buildings available for community use and even with the new library there is a need to retain this lovely iconic building.

 

“Too many times in the past Gosford has lost buildings of heritage value to the detriment of the community. These losses need to stop.

 

“Many cities around the world are now seeing the benefits of adaptive reuse and the Central Coast Council need to be embracing this kind of forward thinking.

 

“I knew I had to start a petition and was confident there are many others like me that saw the value of this building. This has been reflected in the speed of the petition being signed.”

 

For a town that was founded in 1885, Gosford severely lacks any evidence of its history on its streets. Why? Because of the inability of public service boffins to understand what is more important to the community - a landscape devoid of what made a town great is not the answer.

 

A link to the online petition to save the old Gosford Library building can be found here.