LAKE MACQUARIE COUNCIL URGED TO REJECT BONNELLS BAY REZONING

Thursday, 26 August 2004 10:00

TEC has warned the Council that an environmental study supporting the application is flawed in its conclusions and should not be used as a justification for approving the development.

Total Environment Centre (TEC) has urged Lake Macquarie City Council to reject a proposal to rezone approximately half a 7.5a parcel of environmentally sensitive land at Bonnells Bay for residential development. TEC has warned the Council that an environmental study supporting the application is flawed in its conclusions and should not be used as a justification for approving the development.

TEC Urban Campaigner Mr Leigh Martin said, "The proposed rezoning would eliminate key areas and severely diminish the conservation value of the remaining environmental protection lands. The environmental study supporting the proposal also fails to study adequately consider the impact of the development on the threatened Wallum Froglet and the threatened plant species Angophora inopina and Tetratheca juncea"

The site at 270 Fishery Point Road Bonnells Bay is presently zoned 7(1) and 7(2) Environmental Protection. It is now proposed to rezone approximately half the 7(2) land on the site for residential development. The impact on threatened species of edge effects from any residential development such as weed invasion, predation by domestic animals and urban runoff are not adequately considered by the environmental study.

TEC has also questioned the adequacy of a proposed 10-20 metre buffer around watercourse and a 40 metre buffer to wetlands on the site.

"We do not believe that the proposed buffer zones are sufficient to protect water quality in the watercourse and wetland areas", Mr Martin said.

TEC has also told Council that approval of the rezoning would represent a disturbing erosion of the environmental credentials of the recently gazetted Lake Macquarie LEP 2004.

"Environmental protection zones in the LEP are already a compromise. It is very worrying to see an attempt by developers to erode one of these zones only months after LEP's gazettal. Approval of this rezoning would be sure to invite similar attempts by developers to undermine environmental protection areas throughout the city", Mr Martin said.
 

For further information

Contact
:
Leigh Martin - Urban Campaigner
Phone
:
61 2 9299 5599
Email
:
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WWW
:
http://www.tec.org.au/