Environment Society appeals against South Ballina development
South Ballina Beach looking to Evans Head
Ballina Environment Society has lodged an appeal with the Federal Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, urging him to assess plans for a residential development at Patchs Beach, South Ballina, as possibly constituting a Federally ‘controlled action’ under the provisions of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999).
“This Patchs Beach development approval was confirmed by Ballina Shire Council at its last meeting, when Greens Councillor Jeff Johnson’s rescission motion was rejected,” the association’s Lee Andresen said.
“Ballina Environment Society firmly believes the approval was a mistake, based on an inaccurate assessment of the environmental impact the development will have. It should have been rescinded for further investigation or rejected outright.
“An appeal to the Federal Government is the only recourse left to halt things now.
“The plan for this development is only marginally better than a previous one refused by council and thrown out of the NSW Land and Environment Court 10 years ago.
“Our Federal appeal is based mainly upon the argument that clearing for this development will impact substantially upon littoral rainforest which in October 2008 became listed as a Critically Endangered Ecological Community under the EPBC Act.
“And in addition, the site is known to be home to two Nationally Endangered Fauna species which will be directly impacted by the removal of an avenue of mature Coast Banksias which provide their corridor for movement and the food they forage on.
“The association further believes that Ballina cannot afford this kind of fragmentation of the extremely narrow, regionally-significant wildlife corridor existing between the canefields and the beach at South Ballina.
“We fear that the open-slather precedent set by this approval will be environmentally disastrous for the entire South Ballina coastal strip.
“There has to come a time to say ‘enough’ and we believe this is it.”
