Showing posts with label coastal development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coastal development. Show all posts
Sunday 18 November 2018
GJD Developments' Byron DA rejected by NSW Northern Joint Regional Planning Panel as “disrespecting the process”
A four-storey
mixed use development covering three building lots totally 2,834m2 approx. 1km from Main Beach, comprising
commercial premises, café, child care centre, 24 shop top residential units, 26
serviced apartments and underground parking for 120 cars, has failed to gain
consent.
Echo
NetDaily, 14
November 2018:
A contentious
application to build a four-storey residential/commercial development at the
southern end of Jonson Street has been refused by the Joint Regional Planning
Panel, with one panelist branding it ‘disrespectful’.
There was a burst of
applause from the public gallery as the panel unanimously rejected the $21.1m
development at a meeting in Mullumbimby on Wednesday afternoon.
In doing so the panel
went against a recommendation from Byron Council staff that the development
be approved.
Instead, the panel
accepted one of the main objections from locals, namely, that the proposed
development was to be two-and-a-half metres above the current 9-metre height
limit for that part of Byron.
This would have allowed
the developer to squeeze a fourth storey into the building, going against
resident’s long-held desire to maintain a three-storey CBD height limit.
In arguing that its
proposal should be approved, the developer relied heavily on the fact that
Byron Council has proposed to increase building height limits in this part of
town to 11.5m.
But the panel found that
until the proposed increase had gone through the appropriate community consultation
processes and become law, the development could not be approved.
‘I’m concerned that
we’re being asked to vary a height limit based on a proposal that hasn’t been
subject to community consultation,’ panel member Pamela Westing said.
‘I find it disrespectful
quite frankly, not to go through that process before making the application.’
Panel Chair Garry West
agreed.
‘Who’s to say that,
after the community consultation process, it [the new height limit] won’t come
back to 10.5 metres or 10 meters?’ Mr West asked.
‘If we were to approve
that at the moment we would be disrespecting the process.’
Earlier, the meeting
heard from around a dozen residents and resident group representatives, all of
whom objected to the proposal development.
Labels:
Byron Bay,
coastal development,
overdevelopment
Thursday 11 October 2018
INVITATION FOR PUBLIC COMMENT: Proposed 19.4ha subdivision at Hickey Street, Iluka. curently being assessed as a controlled action
This proposed development of 19.41ha of forested land adjacent to World Heritage Gondwana coastal rainforest in Iluka, NSW, was first sent for public consultation in December 2015.
This is probably the last chance that community members have to offer their opinion on the plan for a 141 lot subdivision on the lot.
The Stevens Group has issued an Invitation for Public Comment which reads in part:
The preliminary
documentation for the proposed action is on display and will be publicly
available, to be viewed or obtained by download from the online facility
without charge, from the 24 September 2018 until 4:30pm (AEST) on the 2
November 2018, at the following locations:
§ Clarence Valley Council
Administrative Centre – 2 Prince Street, Grafton, NSW;
§ Clarence Valley Council
Administrative Centre – 50 River Street, Maclean, NSW;
§ Iluka Library – Corner Duke Street
& Micalo Street, Iluka, NSW;
§ NSW Office of Environment and
Heritage – NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Level 4, 49-51 Victoria
Street, Grafton, NSW;
§ Online at /www.stevensgroup.com.au%20– a link
to the preliminary documentation will be available by selecting the
‘Residential’ page, then by choosing the “Iluka Subdivision – Invitation For
Public Comment” tab.
Deadline for submissions is 2 November 2018.
Sunday 23 September 2018
Yamba, the jewel in the crown of Clarence Valley tourism
The Daily Examiner, 18 September 2018, p.1:
The Clarence Valley is
out-performing the whole state in tourism growth, according to Clarence Valley
Council, with Yamba the jewel in the crown.
Director environment,
planning and community Des Schroder said the Clarence Valley had recorded a
12.2 per cent growth, while NSW had only notched up a 5.7 per cent growth.
Tourism has become one
of the Valley’s biggest employers with 6.8 per cent of people employed in the
Valley working in tourism and hospitality according to Mr Schroder.
Council statistics
show Yamba has become the fourth most visited town in the North Coast
behind Byron Bay, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour, with more tourists than
Ballina, Tweed Heads and Old Bar, Taree.
Mr Schroder said
according to NSW tourism research Yamba statistics are merely 30 per
cent of Byron Bay’s tourism numbers at the moment, but it might not be that way
for long.
“Yamba is growing
but it’s not Byron Bay yet from a tourism point of view, but it’s getting up
there,” he said.
Mr Schroder added the
population of Yamba is fairly stable, but still growing.
He said the influx of
people visiting Yamba around Christmas is starting to become a
constant stream of tourists all year round.
“The impact of the
highway will make a big difference,” Mr Schroder said. “The highway will
improve access for people coming to Yamba from the north and south.”
With 30 per cent of
tourists visiting Yamba hailing from South-East Queensland he said
the council is conscious the tourism in Yamba will continue to grow.
“All council can do is
put the framework in place,” Mr Schroder said.
“We need to manage
lifestyle for the locals while allowing for tourism growth which balances jobs.
You need tourism to create jobs but you don’t want to be over run by tourists.”…….
Wednesday 25 July 2018
Pacific Highway Upgrade has hit a noticeable bump in the road and the fault lies firmly with NSW Roads and Maritime Services, Pacific Complete, the Minister for Roads and the National Party
In July 2018 the NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) was called to account by the communities of Woombah and Iluka for a lack of transparency and only paying lip service to community consultation with regard to the Iluka to Devil's Pulpit Section 6 stage of the Pacific Highway upgrade and, the plan to site a temporary asphalt batching plant and a foamed bitumen plant on a rural lot adjoining the Pacific Highway-Iluka Road T-intersection.
Iluka Road is the only road in and out of both of these small villages whose local economies are heavily reliant on a clean, green, family friendly image and nature-based tourism.
This is the official response of the Pacific Highway upgrade consortium to date:
NSW Roads and Maritime Services, Media Release, W2B Extension to Consultation Period for the Proposed Tempo... by clarencegirl on Scribd
Nationals MP For Clarence Chris Gulaptis in another media release characterised the RMS-Pacific Complete response as Back
to the drawing board for Clarence Pacific Highway upgrade asphalt plant
temporary asphalt batch plant.
It is unfortunate that he did so, as Woombah residents can clearly see that site preparation on the lot is still proceeding for the temporary asphalt plant and foamed bitumen plant.
Which leaves some residents concerned that Chris Gulaptis is primarily focused on commercial needs of the Pacific Complete consortium and, that NSW Roads and Maritime Services having been caught out are now merely going through the motions so that there is a suitable paper trail should the issue become even more contentious and so come to the notice of Minister for Roads Maritime and Freight, Melinda Pavey.
Residents point out that Jackybulbin and the Rest Area approximately five kilometres away are ideal sites. That the Woombah lot is probably the construction consortium's preferred ancillary site simply because they have an existing lease there.
In response to Gulaptis' spin for the consumption of local media, Woombah and Iluka residents opposing the preferred site have stated in an email:
It is unfortunate that he did so, as Woombah residents can clearly see that site preparation on the lot is still proceeding for the temporary asphalt plant and foamed bitumen plant.
Which leaves some residents concerned that Chris Gulaptis is primarily focused on commercial needs of the Pacific Complete consortium and, that NSW Roads and Maritime Services having been caught out are now merely going through the motions so that there is a suitable paper trail should the issue become even more contentious and so come to the notice of Minister for Roads Maritime and Freight, Melinda Pavey.
Residents point out that Jackybulbin and the Rest Area approximately five kilometres away are ideal sites. That the Woombah lot is probably the construction consortium's preferred ancillary site simply because they have an existing lease there.
In response to Gulaptis' spin for the consumption of local media, Woombah and Iluka residents opposing the preferred site have stated in an email:
1. Woombah and Iluka
stand united in expressing 'no confidence' in the Laing O'Rourke/Brinkerhoff
unincorporated consortium known as "Pacific Complete". Laing O'Orurke
is the correct identity for publishing as it is the INSURED PARTY (see
attached). Laing O'Rourke Australian arm is for sale and Brinkerhoff is the
named party in several issues with previous works such as Lane Cove Tunnel.
2. "Pacific
Complete" has been negligent in [failing to notify] the affected members of the communities (all road
users of these communities including children on buses and visitors and
assessing the proposed shared access roads) and the lack of experience by the
"Pacific Complete" Project Team has caused serious distress to the
residents of Woombah and Iluka due to two failed communications engagements.
3. "Pacific
Complete" and the Roads & Maritime Service NSW has pursued it's
objectives and shown complete disregard toward the genuine safety and security
issues that will be faced by residents using Iluka Rd to the Iluka Road Pacific
Highway turn-off.
4. "Pacific
Complete" failed in its duty to correctly identify and assess all viable
sites for the asphalt plant.
5. At this time
"Pacific Complete" and RMS have offered no traffic solution in the
event that no other suitable location of the plant can be identified.
6. Should "Pacific
Complete" and the RMS pursue the Woombah site for the Asphalt Batch Plant
with no dedicated route for construction/plant vehicles, residents of Woombah
& Iluka will consider forming a class action lawsuit against the parties
for wilful endangerment.
7. Objectives now are to
monitor Pacific Complete to take the preferred site as one of other now five
options that do not affect traffic, local residents and the environment.
8. January is Pacific
Complete peak movement of trucks month for the Asphalt Plant. They did not consider
this ….would affect our peak Holiday period?
Research by local residents also suggests that RMS and Pacific Complete may not be fully compliant with guidelines for the establishment of ancillary facilities when it comes to the Woombah site.
Of particular concern is; (i) the south west flow of surface water on the lot and, whether during any high rainfall event over the next two and a half years, contaminated water might escape and flow from the batching plant infrastructure into the 80ha Mororo Creek Nature Reserve and then along the final est. 2.5km length of the creek which empties into the Clarence River estuary and (ii) the proposed shared access road for heavy trucks and residents' cars and school buses now intersects with the proposed ancillary site at a point which is a known koala crossing.
Of particular concern is; (i) the south west flow of surface water on the lot and, whether during any high rainfall event over the next two and a half years, contaminated water might escape and flow from the batching plant infrastructure into the 80ha Mororo Creek Nature Reserve and then along the final est. 2.5km length of the creek which empties into the Clarence River estuary and (ii) the proposed shared access road for heavy trucks and residents' cars and school buses now intersects with the proposed ancillary site at a point which is a known koala crossing.
Image contributed
The next NSW state election will be held on 23 March 2019 in just eight months time.
If the Woobah site remains the preferred site, by then the asphalt batching plant (and possibly the foamed bitumen plant) will have been operational for at least five months and up to 500 heavy truck movements a day will have been occurring over that time with peak activity coinciding with the Woombah-Iluka annual summer tourism period
One wonders what the Berejiklian Government down in Sydney and the NSW National Party were thinking.
Do they really believe the dust, noise, odour and disruptive traffic will endear Chris Gulaptis to voters in these towns on polling day?
Monday 23 July 2018
One of the reasons why local government, traditional owners and communities in the Clarence Valley should be very wary of home-grown and foreign lobbyists, investment consortiums and land developers – Part Three
In July 2018 the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) continues to hear evidence in Operation Skyline.
An organisation called United Land Councils Limited was mentioned as allegedly sending its then sole director Richard Green around New South Wales to talk with local aboriginal land councils concerning certain proposals.
These trips appear to have commenced sometime in 2015.
At least one trip taken in 2016 by Mr. Green was to Yamba in the Clarence Valley, allegedly at the behest of Nicholas Petroulias.
The subject of the alleged discussion/s with the Yaegl community in Yamba was the creation of a large port in the Clarence River estuary.
It shoud be noted that by July 2016 Yaegl elders and the Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation were strongly opposed to a mega port being created in the estuary.
Mainstream media has been following current events as they unfolded.....
The Daily Telegraph, 13 July 2018:
AUSTRALIA’S youngest
ever tax chief is behind bars after allegedly being caught with a wallet full
of counterfeit cash, bank cards in different names and dodgy driver’s licences.
Nick Petroulias,
once the nation’s second most powerful tax official, appeared before Burwood
Local Court as Michael Nicholas Felson earlier this week having been pulled
over by police while driving his luxury black BMW X5.
When the officers
stopped him in inner-west Sydney on June 20, the 50-year-old is alleged to have
handed them a current New Zealand driver’s licence in the name of another
alias, Nicholas James Piers.
Police will allege that
inquiries revealed Piers was a permanent resident of Australia and allegedly
had a number of aliases including Nick Petersen, Michael Felson as
well as his real name — Nick Petroulias.
Under his various
aliases he is alleged to have held one NSW driver’s licence, three Queensland
licences, one from Victoria and another from Tasmania, only two of which were
current. He has not been charged over those licences.
Once a Melbourne legal
whiz-kid, Petroulias (pictured left) was made assistant commissioner
of the Australian Taxation Office at the age of 30. In 2014 he was declared
bankrupt with eye-watering estimated debts of $104 million.
On Tuesday he appeared
in court via videolink from Silverwater Jail dressed in prison greens as he
used his fingers to flatten the “comb-over” hiding his bald head.
Court documents show he
has pleaded not guilty to knowingly possessing seven counterfeit Australian $50
bank notes and two counts of possessing bank cards with the intention of
committing fraud. He was refused police bail on June 20 and refused bail in
Burwood Local Court the next day.
His case has been
adjourned to August 14 when the court was told he will make a fresh bail
application.
Newcastle
Herald, 17
July 2018:
A member of the Awabakal
Local Aboriginal Land Council has admitted to giving false evidence to the
Independent Commission against Corruption and disobeying orders not to discuss
its inquiry with other potential witnesses, after an intercepted phone call was
played in which he told former tax official Nick Petroulias about an
inquiry into land deals with which the pair were involved.
But Richard Green,
former deputy chair of Awabakal, denied he was “tipping off” Mr Petroulias
about the ICAC inquiry.
He was reprimanded by
Commissioner Peter Hall QC for failing to answer questions directly.
“Mr Green if you're
going to obstruct this commission you could be putting yourself into real
trouble,” Commissioner Hall said.
On Monday, Mr Green was
questioned about whether he spoke to anyone after receiving a summons from the
ICAC in January, telling him he would be required to appear before its
Operation Skyline public hearings and warning him not to discuss the matter
with any other person.
When pressed by counsel
assisting the commission, Nicholas Chen SC, Mr Green admitted he had a brief
conversation with Mr Petroulias about the summons, but said it was because he
had not read the warning contained within the letter.
However minutes later, a
phone intercept was played where Mr Green was heard to read the contents of the
letter to Mr Petroulias, including the direction to keep the summons
confidential.
“That was contrary to
the clear and express statement of what you were not permitted to do. Isn't
that right?” Mr Chen said. “What's your excuse, Mr Green, for doing that?”
“Like I said before I
don't – I haven't got an excuse,” Mr Green responded.
The inquiry heard that
Mr Petroulias is in custody on unrelated charges.
The former tax office
high flyer is accused of playing a "central role" in four deals to
sell off Awabakal land. The ICAC is investigating whether the deals were a sham
to benefit Mr Petroulias, his lawyer partner Despina Bakis, and Awabakal board
members Mr Green and Debbie Dates.
Mr Green conceded that
his signature appeared on a number of the sales agreements. However he insisted
he could not read well and had not read through documents when they were given
to him to sign by either Mr Petroulias or Ms Bakis.
He could not explain why
he signed the documents without telling other board members about them, despite
board approval being a requirement of land sales. He agreed his behaviour was
"reckless in the extreme" but denied he benefited financially from
it.
"When you've got a
person acting like Nick you take notice of them," he said. "And I
keep saying over and over if people understand how Aboriginal land councils
function they will understand what I'm talking about.''
Newcastle
Herald, 19
July 2018:
Luxury cars, gold
jewellery, and Foxtel subscriptions were among the items that Richard
Green bought with money disgraced former assistant tax commissioner Nick
Petroulias provided to him, allegedly for helping facilitate the sale of
Aboriginal-owned land in the Lower Hunter.
The Independent
Commission Against Corruption heard on Wednesday that Mr Green, a former
land council board member, is alleged to have received an estimated $145,000
between 2014 and 2016 for his personal benefit from
Mr Petroulias.
The money was received
via several bank and credit card accounts that were operated in Mr Green’s
name, but which appear to have been opened on behalf of him by
Mr Petroulias.
Mr Green appeared
confused when presented with statements from some of the accounts and denied
any prior knowledge of others.
The commission is
investigating whether a series of deals to sell Awabakal land to
developers were a “ruse” to benefit former board members Richard Green
or Debbie Dates.
It is also probing
whether the first of the deals was a sham set up by Mr
Petroulias – using a company he allegedly controlled called Gows
Heat – so he could on-sell his interests to other buyers.
BACKGROUND
25 September
2016 What's
in a name?
9 February 2018 One
of the reasons why local government, traditional owners and communities in the
Clarence Valley should be very wary of home-grown and foreign lobbyists,
investment consortiums and land developers – Part Two
1 April 2018 UNITED
LAND COUNCILS IN THE NEWS AGAIN: Nicholas Petroulias appears before NSW
Independent Commission Against Corruption and represents himself at hearings
16 April 2018 One
of those asssociated with the company behind the second push for a Yamba Mega
Port allegedly used an alias when giving sworn evidence before a NSW parliamentary
committee
Tuesday 10 July 2018
NSW Berejiklian Government 2018: How not to conduct a community consultation in the Clarence Valley, NSW
The Daily Examiner, Letter to the Editor, 10 July 2018,
p.13:
So Road and Maritime
Services intends to establish a temporary asphalt batching plant at Woombah with
a heavy truck access road crossing Iluka Road approximately 230 metres from the
Pacific Highway T-intersection.
One couldn’t choose a
site more unsafe for private vehicles and more disruptive to tourist traffic.
One that also is less than 500 metres from a waterway which empties into the
Clarence River Estuary.
One couldn’t find a more
inadequate approach to community consultation.
The Pillar Valley
community were given an RMS community information session scheduled to last one
and a half hours in May 2016 ahead of construction of a temporary batching
plant there.
In September 2016 the
Donnellyville community received a detailed 5-page information document at
least a month ahead of construction and this included an aerial map showing
infrastructure layout within the proposed temporary batching plant site. Up
front the community was allotted two drop-in information sessions.
Most of the residents
in Woombah and Iluka appear to have found out about the proposed
temporary plant planned for Woombah in July 2018, the same month
construction is due to start.
This plant will be in
use for the next two and a half years but only a few residents were given some
rudimentary information in a 3-page document and initially the community was not
even offered a drop-in information session.
Perhaps the NSW Minister
for Roads Maritime and Freight, Melinda Pavey, and Roads and Maritime Services
might like to explain the haphazard, belated approach taken to informing the
communities of Woombah and Iluka of the proposed plant.
The people of Woombah and
Iluka deserve better. They deserve a formal information night which canvasses
all the issues, with representatives from RMS and the Pacific Highway project
team prepared to address concerns and answer questions, as well as a
representative of the Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight in attendance as
an observer.
They don’t deserve to be
fobbed off with a quick patch-up, comprising a drop-in information session and
one RMS representative deciding to attend a local community run meeting.
I’m sure that all
residents and business owners in both Woombah and Iluka would
appreciate a departmental re-think of this situation.
Judith Melville, Yamba
It is also beginning to look as though Roads and Maritime Services is only just getting around to meeting with Clarence Valley shire councillors as a group this week to brief them on the asphalt batching plant site.
Friday 6 July 2018
A CERTAIN RMS ASPHALT BATCHING PLANT: Open Letter to NSW Premier & Liberal MP for Willoughby, Gladys Berejiklian, as well as Minister for Roads Maritime and Freight & Nationals MP for Oxley, Melinda Pavey
Dear Premier Berejiklian and Minister Pavey,
Communities in the Clarence River estuary are concerned about an aspect of the NSW Government's current Pacific Highway construction planning.
Below are some of those concerns expressed to local newspaper The Daily Examiner with regard to a Roads and Maritime Services
(RMS) plan
to install a temporary asphalt batching plant at Woombah on the Clarence River
flood plain.
The build is
scheduled to start this month and the plant will operate for the next two and a
half years.
Please note
the attitude – local residents are not amused at the high-handed way in which
the NSW Government and RMS went about a cursory declaration of intent.
“What they’re not happy
about is an asphalt batching plant being built right near their houses, using
their only connecting road to the villages”
“We want the highway,
and we want the asphalt plant to be somewhere, but we want it to be away from
our communities where it won’t impact on our health and safety”
“The plant will add a
reported 500 truck moments and 100 car movements per day at peak, or one every
minute, and residents are concerned the additional traffic will create safety
problems, and a bottleneck at their intersection, which they already describe
as “tight” after it was temporarily re-routed. They also cite concerns over
possible health affects the dust may cause for nearby residents.”
We have a resident as
close as 450 metres from the plant who is suffering from lung cancer….Although
Pacific Complete have been made aware of this, since they were first told they
have failed to take action to acknowledge her.”
“We live within one
kilometre of the plant and we found out two weeks ago by letterbox drop”
“We found out last Wednesday
they didn’t tell anyone else. We’ve been around to other residents who are just
outside the area and they had no idea the plant was coming at all.”
I also draw your attention to the content of emails coming out of Iluka:
“Woombah
is surrounded by World Heritage National Park. Within the waterways affected by
run off from the proposed asphalt plant is the organic Solum Farm. Woombah
Coffee will also be affected. Not to mention the multiple organic gardners who sell
at the Yamba Markets and those who grow their own food.
The small community of
Woombah and its neighbour Iluka are places that welcome tourists for the
natural and clean beauty of the environment. An asphalt plant WILL threaten
that.
In addition, the Esk
River at Woombah is fed by many of the creeks and waterways in the bushland
where the asphalt plant is proposed. They will be adversely affected, which
will flow into the Esk which will flow into the Clarence which will affect the
fishing, oyster and prawn industries, on which many make their living. Not to
mention the tourist industry that survives because our area offers a clean
environment with unpolluted air and water.
This proposal is an
outrage. Teven said NO. Woombah says NO as well.”
“What about our kids on
school buses with no seatbelts and the increase in traffic particularly trucks”
“Iluka Naturally, turn
off at the asphalt plant, how ironic.”
For my own part I would add to these expressions of concern the fact that the 80ha, NPWS-managed Mororo Creek Nature Reserve is only est. 98 metres from the western end of the southern boundary of the proposed asphalt batching site.
This protected land parcel is one of the reserves which form part of a forested corridor linking Bundjalung National Park to the east and the protected areas of the Richmond Range to the west. It lies within the boundaries of the Yaegl Local Aboriginal Land Council area, the Clarence Valley Local Government Area and the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority.
The Mororo Creek Reserve conserves areas of endangered swamp sclerophyll forest, coastal saltmarsh, subtropical coastal floodplain forest and swamp oak floodplain forest.
For my own part I would add to these expressions of concern the fact that the 80ha, NPWS-managed Mororo Creek Nature Reserve is only est. 98 metres from the western end of the southern boundary of the proposed asphalt batching site.
This protected land parcel is one of the reserves which form part of a forested corridor linking Bundjalung National Park to the east and the protected areas of the Richmond Range to the west. It lies within the boundaries of the Yaegl Local Aboriginal Land Council area, the Clarence Valley Local Government Area and the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority.
The Mororo Creek Reserve conserves areas of endangered swamp sclerophyll forest, coastal saltmarsh, subtropical coastal floodplain forest and swamp oak floodplain forest.
Most importantly, Mororo Creek and several of its tributaries which run through this reserve empty into the Clarence River Estuary less than est. 2km from the proposed asphalt batching site.
Now I have no
idea why the NSW Government decided that a brief three-page information sheet
and invitation to comment published online at http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/projects/northern-nsw/woolgoolga-to-ballina/w2b-woombah-batch-plant-notification-2018-06.pdf
was to be the limit
of its community consultation effort or why a similar document was sent at
short notice to such a small number of Woombah residents.
I don’t
pretend to understand why the information sheet contained just one small image
of a section of a Pillar Valley temporary asphalt batching plant with no description
of typical batching plant infrastructure and no Woombah site layout plan at
all, much less one to scale.
There was not
a hint in the information sheet of the range of known issues which can arise during site
construction, plant operation and site rehabilitation.
Those
residents who were originally invited to comment were supplied with less than
rudimentary information on which to assess the desirability of a batching plant
on the designated site.
Given that
the proposed Woombah asphalt batching plant site is est. 2 to 2.5kms as the crow
flies from Clarence River estuary waters
which:
(1) are
covered by Yaegl Native Title;
(2) at certain points are covered by international treaties, including JAMBA, CAMBA,
ROKAMBA;
(3) contain
the second largest area of seagrass (83 ha), the largest area of mangroves (765
ha) and the third largest area of saltmarsh (290ha) in the northern rivers
region [Williams et al 2006 in Northern Rivers
Regional Biodiversity Management Plan 2010];
(4) are part
of the largest combined river-ocean fishery in NSW containing high fisheries value
marine species; and
(5) are a
vital component of regional tourism,
perhaps Premier
Berejiklian and Minister Pavey can answer two vital questions.
1. Is the Woombah asphalt batching plant
site above the 100 year flood level for the lower Clarence Valley flood plain?
Because if it
is not, then the NSW Government’s cavalier attitude to flood risk management
would potentially see toxic waste from asphalt batching flow into the Clarence
River estuary during a flood event – including solid waste and any organic
solvents/hydrocarbons captured in holding ponds for the life of the plant –
along with any nearby excavated plant/road construction materials. After all, extreme flood event
height predictions for that general area are 3.5 to 4.5 mAHD.
2. Why on earth was a decision made to
site the asphalt batching plant and access road at a point along the Pacific
Highway where it would cause the maximum damage to Iluka’s clean, green destination
image and vital tourism trade?
When the NSW Government
first mooted the Pacific Highway upgrade on the North Coast one of the
advantages it canvassed was an increase in tourism numbers due to better road
conditions.
In the 2015-16
financial year annual visitor
numbers to the Clarence Valley were approximately 986,000 persons and their
estimated spending was in the vicinity of $383.3 million. By
the end of the 2016 calendar year the tourism
visitor count for that year had reached over 1 million.
Most of these
visitors holidayed along the Clarence Coast and Iluka is a strong component of that
coastal tourism.
If the NSW Government seriously believes that leaving Woombah-Iluka with only one safe, unimpeded access point
for day, weekend and long-stay visitors, the Yamba to Iluka foot passenger
only ferry, will
not significantly affect tourism numbers over the course of two and a half
years, one has to wonder if it bothered to investigate the issue at all before signing off on the proposed plant site.
The effect of
siting the asphalt batching plant and access road on the designated site will
in all likelihood have the effect of diminishing not growing tourism traffic to
Iluka for a period beyond the years it actually takes to complete the Maclean
to Devil’s Pulpit section of the highway upgrade, as visitor perception of a holiday area can change when industrial level activity becomes visually prominent.
When it comes to commitment to the community consultation process, the NSW Government obviously hasn’t insisted that Roads and Maritime Services live up to its undertaking to engage
with communities to understand their needs and consider these when making
decisions.
In fact,
looking at satellite images of the site one cannot escape the suspicion that pre-construction
ground preparation had already commenced before any information was sent out to
selected Woombah residents.
Since news of the asphalt batching plan site reached the Lower Clarence and residents began to approach their local state member, there appears to have been a promise made to hold a "drop-in information session" at an unspecified date.
Having experienced NSW departmental drop-in information sessions, I am well aware that they are of limited value as purveyors of anything other that the meagre degree of information found in the aforementioned three page RMS document and, ineffectual as vehicles for genuine community consultation.
The people of Woombah and Iluka deserve better. They deserve a formal information night which canvasses all the issues, with representatives from RMS and the Pacific Highway project team prepared to address concerns and answer questions, as well as representatives of both the Premier and Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight in attendance as observers.
Since news of the asphalt batching plan site reached the Lower Clarence and residents began to approach their local state member, there appears to have been a promise made to hold a "drop-in information session" at an unspecified date.
Having experienced NSW departmental drop-in information sessions, I am well aware that they are of limited value as purveyors of anything other that the meagre degree of information found in the aforementioned three page RMS document and, ineffectual as vehicles for genuine community consultation.
The people of Woombah and Iluka deserve better. They deserve a formal information night which canvasses all the issues, with representatives from RMS and the Pacific Highway project team prepared to address concerns and answer questions, as well as representatives of both the Premier and Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight in attendance as observers.
I’m sure that
all residents and business owners in both Woombah and Iluka would appreciate
both Premier and Minster taking the time to consider these questions and ensure government genuinely consults with both village communities before considering proceeding with any Roads and Maritime Servces site proposal.
Sincerely,
Clarence Girl
Monday 11 June 2018
Teven Valley residents to meet concerning community objections to unwanted petrochemical plant in midst rural properties
Echo NetDaily, 6 June 2018:
Community meeting will be at Tintenbar Hall on Saturday, 16 June 2018 from 3.30pm until 5.30pm.
Labels:
asphalt,
coastal development,
mining,
Northern Rivers,
pollution
Tuesday 8 May 2018
Gladstone Qld inherits serial fantacist
Still trying to sell 'the dream", former truck driver Des Euan has moved on from Port Of Yamba NSW to Gladstone in Queensland....
The Observer, 16 March 2018:
North Coast Voices readers may recall that he was touting both the Yamba 'mega port' and the Gladstone mega logistics hub to the Dept. of Infrastructure and Development in August last year.
Following in his previous footsteps Euan has created a shell company, set up a website and is apparently well into his patter.
Both Resources and Northern Australia Minister and Liberal Senator for Queensland Matt Canavan and local state Labor MP for Gladstone Glen Butcher reportedly support Euan's scheme.
Perhaps the people Gladstone should ponder on the reasons why that ancient Roman maxim caveat emptor has lasted down the ages.
* Hat tip to Clarrie Rivers for supplying link the newspaper article.
Labels:
coastal development,
Gladstone,
pipe dreams
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