SANDON POINT COALITION
MEDIA RELEASE
 
3rd December 2007
 
Following last week’s landmark judgement in the case of Jill Walker versus the Minister for Planning found at http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lecjudgments/2007nswlec.nsf/00000000000000..., the Sandon Point Coalition has again called for all the land at Sandon Point to be protected as open space.
 
The ruling by Justice Peter Biscoe in the Land & Environment Court voids the Minister’s consent to the Concept Plan put forward by Stockland and Anglican Retirement Villages. The court ruled that the effects of global warming and climate change must be considered at Sandon Point.
 
Jill Walker said: "The Sandon Point Commission of Inquiry vindicated the community’s fight to protect this sensitive land, and now Judge Biscoe has agreed. Our coastal floodplain is already exposed to coastal erosion, with no studies to measure the extent of future coastal, rainfall, flooding and social impacts!"
 
“Both the State Government Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of Environment and Conservation (now the Department of Environment and Climate Change) objected to this development.”
 
“The Department of Natural Resources advised the Minister that:
‘Given the flood risks and liabilities to current and future residents and landholders on the site, and in adjoining areas, the DNR recommends that the above concerns be carefully reviewed and considered by the Department of Planning with specific regard to obligations, provisions and principles of the NSW Floodplain Development Manual ... the DNR considers that the CoI adequately documented the relevant flood risk and riparian corridor management design requirements and issues for future land use planning of the site..[including] identified solutions to existing flood problems and issues associated with contemporary creek corridor design and stormwater management. It is noted that the proposal currently before the Minister does not address these requirements and is therefore not supported by the DNR.’
 
Furthermore, there has been no study of the effects of coastal recession, flooding and creek engineering on the Aboriginal Place of significance gazetted for the entire McCauleys Beach foreshore. High seas continue to gouge the burial dune, and recent rains have poured sediment-laden water into the bay from upstream creek-works.
 
The four creeks and lagoons create a unique biodiversity with more than 160 species of birdlife, a turpentine forest, endangered communities habitat, rock shelves, estuaries and sea. There are several endangered ecological communities, which have still not been mapped as requested by the Department of Environment and Climate Change.  Aboriginal cultural heritage includes a meeting place for many tribes,  burial grounds, men's and women's sites, middens, tool-making sites, artefact sites, landmarks, scar trees and stories told by Elders.
 
For these reasons, the Sandon Point Coalition continues to demand that the whole site be resumed by the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) for management as a Regional Park.  “Regional Parks are specifically designed for areas like Sandon Point”, said Jill Merrin of the Illawarra Greens. “They are to provide protection for areas of high conservation, while also providing for recreational opportunities for areas which are not pristine.”
 
“By preserving the open space green corridor to naturally function as a coastal regional park - many activities including an Aboriginal cultural and art centre, bushtucker gardens, escarpment walks, a surfing reserve, bird and wildlife sanctuary and open space enjoyment will be kept for everyone,” said Jill Walker.
 
The DECC must now step in to take over Sandon Point, and save it for the future!
 
 
For more information contact:
                        Jill Walker 4268 6100
                        Jill Merrin 0422 655 711