GOVERNMENT CALLED ON TO STOP SURGE OF LAND CLEARING ON NSW COAST

Monday, 03 September 2001 10:00

Total Environment Centre natural areas campaigner Fran Kelly said that in some council areas, reports of such clearing were so common that it seemed as if landowners wishing to subdivide and develop their land had been advised to clear their land to destroy its conservation values and any possible threatened species potentially easing approval.

"We urgently need strong intervention by the State Government, where this is happening, to put a halt to the tide of clearing occurring in some areas" said Ms Kelly

"In some cases the land clearing is extensive and repeatedly illegal in other cases where zoning does allow minimal clearing it is entirely inappropriate for small high conservation value parcels of coastal land to be cleared and zoning provisions and laws need to be changed to prevent this" said Ms Kelly. 

"Such action seems to coincide with efforts by landowners to get their land rezoned for subdivision or approved for developments. What a smart way to ensure there will be no species left to asses - bulldoze every plant and animal off your land then describe that land as being of no conservation value and improving your chances of approval.

Ms Kelly said the worst affected council areas that she knew of so far appeared to be Great Lakes and Greater Taree Councils but other council areas in which similar problems had been reported included Wollongong and Nambucca. She believed the problem would be found along the entire coast to greater or lesser degrees.