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ACF branch calls for a new DA

Work under the current Development Application (DA) for a retirement village on rare bushland at Woy Woy should be stopped, according to the Central Coast branch of the Australian Conservation Foundation.

A new DA should be required before development is allowed to proceed on the site, said branch president Mr Mark Snell.

Mr Snell claimed the developer has said that he did not intend to comply with conditions of the current DA and his suggested amendments to consent conditions amounted to a new proposal which should be subject to a new development application.

The site contains endangered Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland.

Mr Snell said the developer had written to council (March 8) that he was not prepared to abide by the conditions of consent.

Commenting on condition 80, which requires the developer to implement "ameliorative measures documented in Section 7 of the SIS" outside his own property, the developer wrote: "it was made clear that it was impractical to offer these services."

"Council staff have confirmed that he continues to have no intention to meet this requirement," said Mr Snell.

"If the developer is not willing or able to comply with all the conditions of consent, work under the current DA should be stopped."

Mr Snell said: "I understand the developer is now proposing 'clarifying' conditions for at least five consent conditions."

"However, what is actually being sought by the developer are conditions which contradict or lessen the requirements of the approved conditions.

"The developer is asking that the provisions of the Species Impact Statement (SIS) and Bush Management Plan (BMP) be changed.

"He wants the compensatory offset provisions eliminated," said Mr Snell.

"The SIS and the BMP have been the basis of the assessment by both Council and the Department of Environment and Climate Change.

"Any variation requires DECC concurrence.

"What the developer is requesting is a totally new proposal, which the public has not had the opportunity to examine or comment upon.

"Therefore, a new Development Application should be required, with a new SIS and a new BMP," Mr Snell said.

Press release, 9 Jul 2007 Mark Snell, Australian Conservation Foundation