Control of Local Council Planning and Development Excesses taken out of Developer's Hands

Wednesday, 27 June 2001 10:00

Total Environment Centre coastal campaigner Fran Kelly said local residents had had enough of watching their council?s bowing and scraping to every developer that came forward with a coastline subdivision, resort, or residential estate development.

Over the past year or so an avalanche of complaints from local residents have come through to us adding up to nearly 150 large or inappropriately located development proposals and approvals along the coast. This State Government initiative should be congratulated as a means of preventing developers lining their pockets at the expense of the environment and local community.

We have been assured by the Minister that there will be public consultation on development applications and he is keen to hear about sensitive environments needing protection? said Ms Kelly.

Judging by the huge turnouts at public meetings opposing developments, the massive growth in new resident action and environment groups and opinion polls showing overwhelming support for coastal protection it is the developers and their backers on council that are out of touch with local desires.

Apart from destruction of wetlands, estuaries, headlands, foreshores, and other fragile areas, the rush of speculative development proposals was also threatening the character of local towns and villages along the coast. No one but those who put profits before people and the environment wanted this to continue. The fact is we cant sacrifice the coastal environment on the alter of population demands said Ms Kelly.

Ms Kelly said the most complained about councils are those most likely to be doing the most complaining about this State Government initiative on behalf of their developer mates. She named Tweed, Ballina, Hastings, Nambucca, Greater Taree, Great Lakes, Port Stephens, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Gosford, Wollongong, and Shoalhaven as those councils causing most complaints.