Reaction to the brand Nelson Bay Next has been mixed with some pleased that a marketing spotlight has been placed on town while others fear Port Stephens Council has failed to address the 'big problem'.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The brand strategy aims to attract investment to the town centre and foreshore, highlighting the town's liveability and tourism credentials.
It was launched in conjunction with the council's draft Progressing the Nelson Bay Town Centre & Foreshore Strategy: A revised Implementation and Delivery Program 2017.
Already the state government has endorsed the vision with $70,000 to help devise a public domain strategy to guide further investment in the town centre's beautification.
"Nelson Bay Next is a very positive step forward," Nelson Bay Now convenor Heath Jones said.
"The town's economy can certainly support more development but whether it needs to be in the town centre or on the periphery is debatable. Some modification of the height limits – and where it is allowed – is certainly worth pursuing."
Nelson Bay Now is a lobby group comprised of member organisations like Port Stephens Eco Network and Tomaree Ratepayers and Residents Association.
"The Yacaaba Street extension was under consideration for a long time but Nelson Bay Now played a big part in making it happen," Mr Jones said.
"We'll make a submission to the [strategy review] making our case for car parking and the need to preserve commercial space if there's going to be residential development in the town centre. With Nelson Bay Now, we're presenting a united front, but building heights is something we'll let others comment on."
The strategy has proposed a doubling of the height limit from five storeys to 10, with further increases allowed under review.
TRRA president Geoff Washington said his organisation remained firmly opposed to lifting the lid on building heights.
During his career Mr Washington said he completed a development plan for Port Macquarie, among other tourist towns, for the Australian National Travel Association in the 70s.
“There’s a few fundamental issues with Nelson Bay which is limiting demand for units,” he said.
“We’re too close to Sydney for them to see us as anything more than a weekender, unlike Port Macquarie, and we have a serious winter unlike the Gold Coast.”
In making a case for capping development at five storeys Mr Washington referenced a Hunter Research Foundation report that the council commissioned in 2011. It found there was a “high level of community agreement” on limiting the town centre to five storeys.
“We don’t think council has seriously looked at infill sites like the oval at the PCYC, which could take some relatively high buildings,” Mr Washington said.
Read more:
