STRONG SUPPORT FOR PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR NSW COAST

Friday, 21 December 2001 10:00

A peak environment group has lent strong support to a report that proposes guidelines for coastal design to prevent the worst excesses of coastal development.

Total Environment Centre campaigner Fran Kelly said a never ending torrent of development proposals, approvals, rezonings and other actions made on the local council level had resulted in "vast areas of the coast being turned into concrete sprawl or ugly block developments".

"The type and rate of development has largely been done without any thought for village or town character or the natural environment. This report by the NSW Coastal Council is a welcome step to remedying this vast and well recognised problem," said Ms Kelly.
"Residents along the coast will welcome this move to protect their amenity and fragile and sensitive areas of coastal forest, wetlands, heath, headlands and foreshores among other areas," said Ms Kelly.

"In more built up areas like Newcastle residents have found huge high rises along the ocean front that block out all behind them are one of the biggest problems. In less built up areas or undeveloped areas the ongoing destruction of small village character and natural landscapes has been the biggest problem"

Ms Kelly said the latter problem was prevelant in most council areas along the coast, but those that particularly stood out included Tweed, Ballina, Nambucca, Hastings, Greater Taree, Great Lakes Council, Wollongong and Shoalhaven.

"We congratulate the Coastal Council and urge the Government to adopt these guidelines in full. It would be a positive move by the Planning Minister and the Premier to protect the coast, as promised with the announcement of their coastal package last year," said Ms Kelly.