All along the NSW coast, people are protesting against commercial developments on areas of environmental significance that gained approval in the past, but do not accord with today's community expectations.
They are known as "zombie DAs", and an inquiry into these historical consents is underway in State Parliament.
One of these is in Lake Macquarie.
What makes it different to others is that it concerns an area of extremely valuable bushland right in the heart of the city, just off the Charlestown bypass. At the top of Myall Road in Garden Suburb, this area has been given conditional approval for a housing development by Landcom. Lake Macquarie City Council supports the Landcom proposal.
The environmental importance of this area is unquestionable as it is a rare, largely untouched, bushland remnant. Apart from its diverse plant life, it features many large hollow-bearing trees providing habitat for powerful owls, gliders, possums and the little bent winged bat.
It also is an important wildlife corridor connecting bush to the south with Blackbutt Reserve. Apart from its high conservation value, its location makes it an extremely valuable community resource. It is heavily used by people seeking solace at the end of a busy day, by people walking for exercise and for pleasure, and by those with a special interest in studying its various life forms.
A number of well-beaten paths meander through the area.
On a Sunday last year, the Save Myall Road Bushland group (SMRB) presented their petition protesting against the Landcom development to people walking along the Warners Bay foreshore. The response was extraordinary. No effort whatsoever was made to persuade passers-by that they should sign the group's petition to Parliament, but within a few hours almost 300 people stopped by to sign it, and they were vocal in their objections.
We all need housing, but it needs to be in the right places, and not at the cost of destroying an area of high value bushland that is home to threatened species. Most people do not make submissions to Parliament, or take part in "Have your say" invitations from council. They are too busy.
What the Warners Bay event showed was that, when given an opportunity, ordinary people wanted to protest loudly about this proposal.
Councils always favour commercial developments over the environment, and legislation largely supports this. Councils have to juggle the demands of various interest groups, but their overall responsibility is always to act in the interest of the wider community. If the Landcom destruction proceeds, the only people who will benefit will be investors, private developers and the small number of future residents.
It is not necessary to build houses on this particular parcel of land and this development will be of no lasting value to the community. The SMRB group has gathered extensive evidence about the site and compiled a comprehensive proposal for its future use. If their vision is realised, what we might have instead of another housing estate is a special botanical reserve, a central botanical garden. Because of its easy access, future generations of children would have an opportunity to experience what it is like to actually be in the bush, rather than observing it from footpaths, and school groups could access the site on day excursions for environmental study.
With our burgeoning population, many more people would, in the future, value this site as a resource to maintain their mental health, for exercise and for recreation.
Blackbutt Reserve exists today only because residents banded together with environmental groups to make sure that land was preserved. The Myall Road site falls within the Lake Macquarie City Council zone, but everyone concerned with our city's future should have a say in what happens to this land.
Council is unlikely to withdraw its support for the Landcom development unless people speak up. The Save Myall Road Bushland group, which I have joined, is at saveourbush@gmail.com. The group has gathered thousands of online signatures opposing this development, and also has a Facebook page.
