Community groups are stepping up their campaign to save the Peat Island precinct from housing development and will hold a Save Peat Island Picnic this Sunday, December 12, at 12:30pm.
The Central Coast Community Environment Network (CEN), the Dyarubbin Peat Island Association (DPIA) and the communities of the Lower Hawkesbury River are concerned that Property and Development NSW – the development arm of the NSW Government – has put forward a proposal to rezone the island and adjacent foreshore land for private housing, a tourist hotel and a retail precinct.
“CEN has now written to every NSW parliamentarian to ask them to consider a Better Vision for the Peat Island Lands as we believe the current proposal to rezone the land to build at least 267 residences is a lost opportunity,” CEN Chair, Gary Chestnut, said.
“We need as many people as possible to tell the State Government that their proposal is not good enough for these lands which have immense Indigenous cultural significance, heritage value and ecological importance.”
Chestnut said Sunday’s picnic will celebrate the landscape annd its cultural significance and give everyone who attends the opportunity to make a submission opposing the current planning proposal.
“The planning proposal currently on exhibition fails to see the compelling potential of this landscape,” DPIA spokesperson, Tracey Howie, said.
“This part of the Lower Hawkesbury could be turned into a cultural, environmental and community asset with the potential to attract tourists from around Australia and the world.
“It is only a few years ago that UNESCO visited with the aim of giving it World Heritage listing.
“The NSW Government has had multiple attempts at getting its proposal for the future of the Peat Island Lands right and the best they can come up with is three-storey flat buildings and a tourist hotel.
“Ancient carvings on this site tell stories of the First Nations’ creator beings; the buildings on the island that were home to generations of the community’s most vulnerable must be respected and the foreshore land simply is not suitable for housing.
“We are calling for a better vision for the Lower Hawkesbury – we will fight to make sure this land remains in public hands and is planned in keeping with its cultural, heritage, ecological and scenic significance.”
The picnic will be held in the grounds of the Peat Island Chapel, accessible from the Old Pacific Hwy at Mooney Mooney.
It will include a traditional Smoking Ceremony, Welcome to Country, Didje performance, speeches and a mass submission-writing session.
People are invited to bring their own picnic lunch to the COVID-safe, family-friendly event.
For more information visit https://cen.org.au/peat-island-lands.
Source: Media release, Dec 9, 2021 Central Coast Community Environment Network andDyarubbin Peat Island Association