A Facebook page has been set up by the group. Photo: Probing Our Plans Eurobodalla.
A group of Eurobodalla residents with professional expertise in the built environment, governance and sustainability spaces have examined the draft Batemans Bay masterplan in detail and believe it to be lacking in several areas.
They described the report’s model and imagery now on public exhibition as inaccurate and misleading, and criticised the whole process, saying it did not start with listening to residents.
They have started a Facebook page, Probing our Plans Eurobodalla. Their purpose is to provide the public with key information in bite-sized pieces, along with reflective questions for informed discussions and submissions.
A spokesperson for the group said the draft masterplan had not overlaid important data about flooding.
“We have examined the draft plan with Eurobodalla Shire Council’s own Coastal Management Program data which assessed the inundation risk,” the spokesperson said. “A significant portion of the masterplan area is classified as extreme risk, with 75 percent of the proposed building height increases sitting within the Probable Maximum Flood area.”
They said it was important people understood the flood risk, but it was only mentioned three times in the 106-page draft plan.
The group said the imagery and video in the shopfront were inaccurate.
“In the imagery, we only see six ‘key sites’ with 100-metre height limits and don’t get a comprehensive view of all increases.
“Essentially, the plan proposes increasing the height of the whole CBD,” they said. “The maximum is currently 18 metres, and we are seeing a jump to 100 metres on some sites without evidence or reasons to back up why.”
The group says the masterplan shows “departures from the technical recommendations”. Photo: Probing our Plans Eurobodalla.
The spokesperson said consultants were engaged as part of the process to model heights that considered the impact on light, shade, wind tunnels and scale, and produce a technical report.
“The technical report shows the studies and impact of shade and views and what you see in the masterplan are departures from the technical recommendations that ensure good amenity,” the spokesperson said.
They said there was no reason or evidence given for not following the technical reports. One of the buildings where the masterplan diverted from the technical report is on council-owned land, they said.
The Probing our Plans Eurobodalla group compared maximum permissible building height with population in some cities and towns, particularly in coastal areas. The draft masterplan proposes 100-metre-high buildings and that Batemans Bay’s population will reach 40,000 by 2100.
They looked at Newcastle where a 99-metre-high building is being built and the population is 348,539.
“The question is, is 100 metres appropriate for Batemans Bay,” the spokesperson said.
They said for them, good things started with good processes – that means listening to residents. The public should inform the purpose of the masterplan, the objectives and key actions that need to be taken. That forms the brief for consultants who prepare technical reports which then return to the public so they can understand the implications and make comments before a draft is made.
Instead of following a process that is informed from the beginning by the general public, “it sounds like council is using this draft masterplan as a community consultation,” the spokesperson said. “We don’t agree with this process because it doesn’t allow the public to inform the fundamental foundations of the plan”.
The group said it would not adopt the draft masterplan. Photo: Probing our Plans Eurobodalla.
The group also said the draft masterplan did not incorporate and reference any other policies and strategies that council had already approved, such as the Coastal Management Program. The masterplan should be comprehensive and overlay all reports such as a final Housing Strategy which is not yet completed.
The group said there was no basis for the projected Batemans Bay population of 40,000 in 2100 and a masterplan with a 75-year time frame and no delivery timeline was not best practice.
“We have not found a town masterplan in the world with a timeframe of 75 years so there needs to be a return to best practice and better communication with the community,” the spokesperson said.
“How can we expect the public to have informed discussions about something that is misrepresented and poorly communicated?”
While the group would not adopt the draft master plan, they see great potential for an inclusive and collaborative Masterplan process once a robust Housing Strategy has been adopted.
The agenda of the most recent council meeting states “one of the key reasons for the masterplan was to assess holistically the effects of requests from developers to build above the prescribed heights limits”.
Submissions close on the draft Batemans Bay Masterplan on Monday 30 June at 4:30 pm.
