Council rules out Toronto high-rise plan


7th August 2020
I met with Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser today and confirmed that the council has abandoned its controversial plans for high-rise buildings on the Toronto

I met with Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser today and confirmed that the council has abandoned its controversial plans for high-rise buildings on the Toronto waterfront near the yacht club.

I’m absolutely delighted that the council has listened to the community and decided that this precious waterfront site should not be over-developed.

I really want to acknowledge the people at Toronto Foreshore Protection Group who have fought hard for this result, and I'm pleased to have worked with them to develop something that I believe will get a far better result for the local community and Toronto business owners.

The council is now looking at a small-scale development of a kiosk or restaurant at the Bath Street end, along with space for things like pop-up markets and playgrounds, and linking the parkland with the existing waterfront reserve. This will be something sensitive to the surrounds, the yacht club, the heritage precinct with the old railway station and the fantastic outlook over the lake.

It's also important that this land be protected for future generations and the best way to do that is to return it to community land from operational land.

You’d remember that I shared my own plans in opposition to the council’s high-rise proposal and I’d still like to see something like that done, but the council has opened a new public consultation phase so it’s really important that you take the opportunity to have your say on what you’d like to see there.

You can have your say here.

You can read more about my ideas for the site here.

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