TAREE COUNCIL DELETES NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Tuesday, 14 December 2004 10:00

 Total Environment Centre's coastal planning campaigner Fran Kelly said the decision -endorsed by Taree Council at a recent meeting meant "it couldn't even be bothered to pretend it cared about the environment, natural resources or even the environmental viability of its coastal villages any more,"

"They've decided that real conservation of the natural environment via zoning is too hard, leaving it to measures that have no legal weight or method of implementation. In others words they will delete the natural environment from their agenda," said Ms Kelly.
 

"Since they don't want to do professional planning under the Act, the Planning Minister should make it official and completely remove their planning powers."

"Planning is meant to be about balancing the needs of the environment, society and the economy, but Taree Council seems to care only about the economic wellbeing of a few land speculators or developers. That's it." said Ms Kelly.

"Although these council decisions are unlikely to be endorsed, especially as they ignore current directions they have been given by DIPNR, they again give out the sad message to any landholder keen to make a buck, that the natural environment has no place in the Taree Shire's landscape. It is these messages that encourage the speculative land clearing occurring across the Manning.