| |
The Lady Carrington Estate South
precinct must be
zoned E2 Environmental Conservation, and recognised as not only an
important part of the wildlife habitat corridor between the Royal
National Park, and the Illawarra escarpment, but also that it sits
above tributary creeks leading to the Hacking River. Ideally
the degraded fund should also be restored to the former bushland and
litterol forests, to not only strengthen and fill in the fragmented
wildlife corridor but also restore the ridge scenic views from the
Grand Pacific Drive.
In short, this whole area must
be E2 Environmental Conservation because of the
bordering Royal National Park, and nearby Camp Creek and
Gardiners Creek flowing directly to the Hacking River. The
forest and bushland north of this precinct should not only be preserved
but restored. It provides an important buffer and air filter to the
airborne coaldust from the Metropolitan Colliery, and a natural block
to hot westerly winds, keeping the Otford valley and Hacking catchment
moist and temperate.
All
stormwater and run off leads
directly to the Hacking River. The effect of any excavation
and land clearing on this section of Helensburgh plateau is
evident at every rainfall, as downstream become extremely turbid with
clay deposits and Helensburgh refuse. Containment ponds in
Helensburgh have failed , and more will not help. There is no guarantee
stormwater and pollution control systems will work effectively in such
a high rainfall region. The only
method to retain the relative purity of the Hacking catchment and
river, is to cease and prevent any new development, and restore
degraded land to native bush. There is no assurance either
any methods employed by the developers of proposed rezonings, to retain
and filter stormwater,
will be continued by the new residents - with out strata titles, a
sinking fund will not exist. Instead, the responsibility and
costs of the less than dependable containment ponds etc will fall on
Wolllongong City Council. Wolllongong City Council will then seek to
increase rates across all of the Helensburgh district.
An E3 zoning is not
adequate protection against land clearing nor future dwellings.
We have already seen how quick the Department of Planning can
remove clauses that would otherwise inhibit development. This
precinct must be zoned E2.
For the remainder of the the '7d' lands I do not support the
zone downgrading of environmental protection of any '7D' land in the
2508 region.
Yours faithfully
|   |
