The Department of Planning and Environment has issued a Stop Work Order over a large tract of land at Doyalson following reports of unauthorised clearing in a conservation zone.
A Department spokesperson said the Order was issued under the Biodiversity Conservation Act to halt any further clearing while an investigation by the Biodiversity and Conservation Division was undertaken.
An initial complaint was made to Central Coast Council over the alleged unauthorised clearing of endangered species.
A Council spokesperson said they immediately responded to the complaint after realising it could relate to endangered species and referred the matter to the Biodiversity and Conservation Division the same day.
Council formerly owned the 234.85ha site over three lots at 200, 740 and 1550 Thompson Vale Rd and in June this year sold it for a reported $6.05M as part of its extensive assets and land sell-off to help the organisation recover from financial mismanagement.
It was a sell-off of environmentally valuable land strongly opposed by the Community Environment Network (CEN) which said it was a significant area with many ecologically endangered communities of animals and plants including woodland areas found locally only in the north.
“Council’s irresponsible sale of this valuable conservation land at Doyalson may have already resulted in the new landholder contravening both the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act and Local Land Services Act,” CEN Chair Gary Chestnut said.
“It’s a situation that begs many questions about the behaviour of Central Coast Council before and during the sale of the land.
“Did Council properly inform the purchaser of the environmental sensitivity of the land at Doyalson? “Did the purchaser understand that the land was originally purchased by the former Wyong Shire Council for employment opportunities, but mainly for its conservation value?
“It was to be used as offsets for one of the former Wyong Council’s failed airport development proposals.
“This is a classic example of Council’s neglectful approach to environmental protection,” Chestnut said.
“Most of the Thompson Vale Rd land should have been zoned for Conservation (C2) but Council chose to adhere to the former Wyong Shire’s narrow definition of land uses which meant only a small portion of the land was zoned C2 and the rest left as RU6?
“Was the new owner aware that RU6 is a zone to protect and maintain land that provides a transition between rural and other land uses of varying intensities or environmental sensitivities?
“Was the new owner under the misapprehension that the RU6 zoning allowed them to clear native vegetation?
“We know Council ignored the advice of its own land valuer, who recommended that a biodiversity study would have increased the land’s value by at least $1.5M.”
Chestnut said this Stop Work Order was further evidence of the environmental importance of this land.
“It should never have been sold,” he said.
“Now that Council is back in the black, it needs to buy the land back, enter a conservation agreement with the Biodiversity Conservation Trust to ensure its long-term protection and add it to the Coastal Open Space System.
“Mr Hart needs to fix his error of judgement. He was Acting CEO when the Executive Leadership Team decided which land to sell to satisfy the Council’s commercial lenders.
“His paw prints are all over this.
“CEN again calls upon the Administrator to restore the public’s trust in Council’s credentials as an environmental steward by re-purchasing and protecting this vital part of the LGA’s northern biodiversity corridor,” Chestnut said.
Sue Murray