Shoalhaven Council's Development-At-Any-Cost Stance Results in Environmental Disaster in Jervis Bay

Tuesday, 03 June 2003 10:00

 The Total Environment Centre has called for immediate State Government intervention to stop further development and obtain rehabilitation funds from the developer following the collapse of a huge retention basin on the clear felled sloping site of a large subdivision at Old Erowal Bay

'The collapse at the 300 lot Henry Kendall Retirement Village, following recent heavy rain has seen the suffocation, siltation and pollution of surrounding environmentally fragile and supposedly protected SEPP 14 wetlands, creeks and the Bay with untold damage to wildlife and water quality on a much broader scale," said TEC coastal campaigner Fran Kelly.

"Not only does Shoalhaven Council fail on common sense grounds by approving such developments in such crazy locations, it also fails to ensure that adequate controls are used when building them," said Ms Kelly.

"The State government should place an immediate Stop Work Order on the site, and order the developer to rehabilitate the area at their own expense. Then they should consider holding Shoalhaven Council to account for the disaster they allowed to be unleashed."
"This is not the first or last inappropriately located and over the top development for this area. And this is unlikely to be the last disaster as a result," said Ms Kelly

"There is wholesale clearing and approval for quite a number of similar subdivisions right now in the whole Jervis Bay region, eating into forests, wetlands, around lakes, creeks and on slopes. A large number of these are around the St Georges Basin where Erowal Bay is located; others are for areas close by. Clearly something has to change," said Ms Kelly.
 

For further information

Contact
:
Fran Kelly - Coastal Campaigner
Phone
:
61 2 9299 5599
Email
:
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WWW
:
http://www.tec.org.au/