Forum –
As residents of Palm Grove and surrounds, we strongly object to a development application at 604 Ourimbah Creek Rd, that seeks retrospective approval for an unauthorised intensive French Bulldog breeding enterprise. (Coast Chronicle, p8 Oct 7)
This unauthorised business has been permitted to entrench itself and expand over 16 months demonstrating utter contempt for the Council’s compliance directives to cease operation and demolish structures.
Council appears impotent in the face of recalcitrant business operators despite officers fulfilling their various roles in the process.
This has implications for all of us, wherever we live.
Council received 45 submissions objecting to the development application from our small but concerned community and Council recommended rejection of the proposal.
The submissions were broad based addressing animal welfare, unsuitability for the local area, impact on the public amenity, environmental and significant compliance issues in addition to the serious noise impacts of this intensive dog breeding business.
No submissions were received in support of the development application.
The Local Planning Panel, which has taken over the decision making process, has ignored Council’s recommendation and have requested an additional acoustic report.
This should have been submitted with the Statement of Environmental Effects accompanying the development application 97/2020, but was not provided.
Council requested that one be submitted and requested additional information.
It would appear that this was either not submitted or was also inadequate.
This puts Council to even greater expense, which it can ill afford, when empirical evidence reported by multiple affected neighbours and assessment by two Environmental Protection Officers attest strongly to the unacceptable noise impacts of the business on nearby homes.
Although the business continues to operate, numbers of dogs on site are significantly reduced at this point in time.
This calls into question the validity of any further acoustic reporting whatever new parameters are created.
What does a community have to do to say no and be heard?
We understand due process must be followed and the community has fulfilled their part with no exceptions.
So, enough already!
We call on the Planning Panel to reject this proposal and support Council in its attempts to protect our precious amenity.
Email, Oct 14
Gay Murrills, Palm Grove