Shortly after the Illawarra Greens called for the $9 million donated by Stockland developers to be diverted to community projects, the NSW Government has announced that it will give the go-ahead to the massive Sandon Point development.

Just before Christmas 2006, Planning Minister Frank Sartor stated that he had approved the Stockland and Anglican Church developments, which have been the subject of more than a decade of protests and six years after a picket and Aboriginal tent embassy were set up on the site.

Greens candidate for the state seat of Heathcote, Jill Merrin said, ‘The 2003 Commission of Inquiry found the development was totally inappropriate, but the proposed development is even bigger than the initial plan of 2000. Mr Sartor is still making claims about ‘big environmental gains’, but what we will get is ‘big environmental losses’.

‘The Labor government claims they are protecting the coast of NSW, but all we are seeing is massive over-development, continuing loss of biodiversity and Aboriginal heritage, loss of coastal wetlands and the loss of water supplies through long-wall mining.’

Out of a development proposal of 50 townhouses, 180 detached homes, a four-storey 80-unit apartment building, four-storey aged care home for 120 residents and 250 independent living units up to three storeys - the only change is the removal of 25 townhouses. Ms Merrin said ‘Mr Sartor’s claim of reserving more than 61% of the area is identical to his claim made in November 2005. However, that land is already public or not zoned for development’.

The government states that Sandon Point’s heritage will be protected through the development application process and conditions, such as flood mitigation designs, water quality protection, Aboriginal heritage protection, building design quality and ensuring adequate local and regional infrastructure.

‘Local people have learnt that you can’t rely on the DA process and conditions - we have seen the inadequate water quality treatment and disregard for watercourses and wetlands in Stockland’s first phase development’, said Ms Merrin. ‘The compliance process has been almost non-existent and to claim that local and regional infrastructure will be included in DA conditions is just laughable.’

‘More public space is about to be lost at Thomas Gibson Park to provide a gift to Stockland for an access road and a bit more development land. There is no provision for infrastructure in these plans.’ Locals have been campaigning for a State Regional Park for the area for many years, but the government has resisted the call to buy-back the land.

‘The Iemma government is able to find money to buy back land on Sydney’s foreshore for it’s marginal inner-city seats,’ said Ms Merrin, ‘but it is not able to find money for a Regional Park in the safe Labor seat of Heathcote.

‘Until government stops receiving donations from developers, we can never be sure that government decisions like this are not tainted’.

More information:
Jill Merrin, 0422 655 711