update and thank you

Gosford Draft LEP 2009

a message...

"Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are pleased to report that in place of the prohibition of places of public worship, Gosford City Council, in support of the monasteries’ submission, voted unanimously to place the lands containing our two Monasteries in a Special Purposes Zone. This will ensure that the monasteries can continue to carry out their sacred task and to develop without the threat of being a “prohibited use”.

We would like to thank all those who assisted in this matter and pray that our Lord bless them abundantly. Over 3,000 people used the automatic protest letter which sent letters to each Councillor and several Ministers. This equates to a total of 48,000 letters. An extra 1,900 people downloaded the letters and sent them direct to Councillors and Ministers. A great number of people, known and unknown to us, including many politicians and journalists, lobbied directly. We extend our deep gratitude and appreciation to all.

An important step forward has been achieved, but the process is by no means complete. The draft LEP will now be sent to the Hon. Bradley Hazzard, MP, Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, for final approval; this process could take months.

We ask all the faithful to join us in prayer so that the next important step in the process can also be successful. We may need your support again. Please allow us to keep in contact with you and provide you with important updates over the next few months. If you are willing to allow us to send you updates on this important matter please here or visit our website from time to time.

Prayerfully Yours,

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
Pantanassa Monasteryand Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia Holy Cross Monastery"

Correspondence to Fr Eusebios of Pantanassa Monastery (taken from their site) from Regional Director, Hunter & Central Coast Region NSW Department of Planning & Infrastructure:

"Dear Father Eusebios

I refer to the many email submissions we have received concerning 'places of public worship' in the Gosford draft LEP 2009. Given the large number of submissions it will not be possible to respond to each individually, so I would appreciate you making this available to your community.

We are aware of the many public submissions the Council has received, and the high level of community interest in this issue.

This is an important issue that the Council will need to consider in their review and response to public submissions. This is scheduled for a Council Meeting on 31 May 2011, and a link to the Council's business paper follows - http://www.gosford.nsw.gov.au/council/council_meetings/agenda_reports/2011/05/31

Once the Council has considered the issues raised in the public submissions, they will submit their draft plan to our Department, asking for it to be finalised. When we receive the plan we will review how the Council has responded to major issues with the plan, including the issues raised by the Greek Orthodox community.

Thank you for your interest in this issue and I suggest you make your views known to the Council, if you haven't already.

regards

Michael Leavey

Regional Director, Hunter & Central Coast Region "