Opponents of a major residential subdivision planned for Iluka say it puts the village's unique charm at risk.
The Birrigan Gargle Local Aboriginal Land Council has been working with the Stevens Group on a 140-lot development on Hickey Street.
The state's Joint Regional Planning Panel hosted a public briefing on the issue last week.
Tony Belton, from the Association of Iluka Residents, said it was a huge project which threatened the character of the village.
"Iluka has so far avoided the over-commercialised coastal development that now characterises many seaside destinations," he said.
"And I think that sort of sums it up, people come here for that unique coastal experience that sadly has largely been lost due to over development.
"One speaker at the meeting the other day said this kind of development would be more suitable for a place like Mount Druitt.
"And indeed that's the issue, it's a huge development with little consideration for the world-heritage status next door or for the feel of Iluka as it is now."
But not everyone is opposed.
The President of the Iluka Ratepayers Association, Graeme Lynn, said residents could see benefits in the proposal.
The shops here need more customers," he said.
"The golf club is right next door and it definitely needs more customers and it'll give better access to the golf club ... coming all the way through.
"And the shops in town need those extra customers."
A spokesperson for Birrigan Gargle Land Council declined to speak with the ABC until after the development application had been finalised.
Comments
Elizabeth Street
Iluka NSW 2466
The Iluka Cemetery has been subdivided into a lot of about .3 ha and is believed to contain three bodies. The graves are thought to be located on the crest of a small sand dune about 20 metres off the northern side of Elizabeth Street. The site of the graves is covered with scrub vegetation. Only one grave is marked with a wooden cross and it bears the name of Earnest Eaton. Graves are not visible from the road. A memorial wall is located on the same side of the road about 100 metres away.
https://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/cp_themes/metro/page.asp...
No cultural heritage or aboriginal heritage reports were presented with either the original or amended DA, despite council being advised via submissions of the likely presence on site of at least one aboriginal gravesite. This latest round of submissions commenced before the completion of both the Extent Heritage "Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment" and "Baseline Historical Archaeological Assessment" reports. These reports were released to submitters only after they complained about their absence and were then only forwarded by council to two submitters that I am aware of.
My email to council following this incident includes, "Were the local police involved in this operation advised by council that this site is currently subject to a development application and has been referred to the commonwealth with a decision still pending as to whether it becomes a controlled action? Were police advised by council that this is likely to be an aboriginal grave that they were bulldozing or is this something that council still wishes to dispute? Were police advised that this part of the DA site was an area described by the ecological consultant for the applicant as being the best example on site of the endangered ecological community Callitris columellaris? Were police advised that this is an historic sand mining site with the potential for radioactive concentrations of mineral sands to be found beneath the surface?"
The excavator operator (a local) was left unsupervised to backfill after the excavation, was wearing no safety equipment, face mask etc and advised that he had excavated to a depth of 2 metres.