Notices for Offshore Residents of Pittwater, Australia

IMPORTANT: Please note that if you follow the above link some of the financial figures included in the “Business Case for the Church Point Plan of Management (CP POM)” have now been superceded following further negotiations and considerations.

Response: True, though as clearly set out in Council documents prior to the CP POM and previous correspondence from the Department of Lands, we would almost certainly have ended up paying fees to the State Government for the parking at Church Point just for the status quo. This way we get some additional benefits.

While any amount of payment seems high after something has been free for so long, it should be noted that the original negotiations started at about $1,200 per annum per car space. Prior to that there was a proposal for dedicated underground parking that would have cost between $5,000 to $10,000 per annum per space.

We are not just paying for what we have had. As outlined below, the payment will significantly increase safety and amenity, including increasing car parking spaces (e.g. 69 extra spaces opposite the commuter boat wharf) and boat mooring space availability.

Response: We have asked Council on several occasions to make special provisions for hardship cases. For example, we have suggested that cars with disability parking stickers could be exempt from displaying a Church Point parking sticker. This item is not resolved and we welcome suggestions that would be easy to administer and not easily abused.

Response: The total cost of the project is in the order of $12,000,000 and has considerable financial risk for Pittwater Council. In relation to the car parking stickers, the charging of the fees will start now so Council has some surety of the level of “buy in” in order for them to take out the financial loans necessary to commence the works.

It is anticipated, though of course not proven, that the implementation of the Church Point car parking stickers will very likely result in a decrease in a number of underutilised spaces e.g. ‘dead cars’, stored cars, boaties going away on holiday from the Church Point area i.e. there is a high probability that there will be additional car parking spaces available at Church Point.

In relation to the boat mooring stickers, either just before or very shortly after the commencement of the payment of fees, stage one of the new commuter boat wharf will be constructed that will significantly increase the amount of space available and safety at the wharf.

Response: In the CP POM it is clearly stated that all fees collected for Church Point (including those from the pay and display parking and fines) will go into a special fund solely dedicated to funding the proposed works at Church Point.

Response: True, the best that can be said is that there is a financial incentive to decrease family carbon footprint. Along with the available public transport options, we will be working hard to ensure that additional free facilities for “human powered” craft (canoes, row boats and bicycles) included in the current plan are indeed implemented and that the final designs are for quality, usable, convenient facilities.

Response: Yes that’s true. The payment of these fees simply gives you the legal right to be able to park/moor if there is a space is available. Our usage of this area essentially rests upon the premise that no one community group has, nor should have, exclusive use of this crown land. The probability is that eventually there will be extra parking spaces available (e.g. 69 new spaces opposite the commuter boat wharf) and the chance of getting a parking spot is significantly increased.

Response: There will be no reduction in the number of spaces available in the main carpark until the new spaces opposite the commuter wharf are created. The reconfiguration of the main carpark and the creation of the widened “green promenade” along the foreshore, with some adjustment of the current wall, will have  to be largely financed by the sale of two vacant blocks of land across the road from the Pasadena, adjacent to the cemetery and steps/pathway leading to Eastview Street. If this sale does not proceed then it is doubtful whether there will be significant changes to the layout and landscaping of the current main carpark.

Response: The intent of starting to collect fees now is to establish that there is sufficient demand for the project to proceed including the financing of the detailed design stage. It has been stated several times that local residents will significantly contribute to this stage.

Response: This will be a major issue for the community to resolve. It may be that in the interim extra grants and funds can be found so that we are able to retain this fee level and not implement the “suspended deck” option.

Response: True we are the only ones paying directly out of our pockets, but clearly those members of the Offshore community that use Church Point for regular access and egress have a strong stake in what happens at Church Point as it affects our day to day living. Other groups are contributing indirectly. The ball park total cost for the whole project is about $12,000,000. Our Offshore user pays contributions (assuming 450 carparking stickers are sold and 190 commuter boat stickers are sold) will contribute about 15% to this total cost.