Animal Liberation has launched an online action following a protest held outside Wyong Council Chambers on October 14 objecting to ongoing operations at a dog breeding facility at Palm Grove.
Around 75 residents and animal welfare and protection advocates demanded the facility be closed as Central Coast Council’s Development Assessment Unit assesses ongoing use of the site before referring it to the Local Planning Panel (LPP) for determination.
The dog boarding, training and breeding business was approved by the LPP in December, 2020, with a 15-month trial period set.
With that trial period having expired in March this year, opponents are stepping up a campaign to see the facility shut down.
A Council spokesperson said there are currently no outstanding compliance matters relating to the facility, which is being allowed to continue to operate while the latest development application is under assessment.
“Council understands that the RSPCA has investigated complaints regarding animal welfare at the property and determined that no action is required,” a spokesperson said.
The protest highlighted frustrations and concerns regarding the three-year protracted and “questionable” nature of the planning assessments, including retrospective approvals, the now expired 15-month trial period, the lack of Council compliance enforcement in response to ongoing consent condition breaches, and the general lack of response from Council and the LPP.
Animal Liberation Regional Campaigns Manager, Lisa Ryan, said the protest was a “positive and very successful demonstration of people power”.
“We’re buoyed by the enormous amount of good will, positive feedback and support we’ve received from the community and the broader public.”
Animal Liberation Regional Campaigns Manager, Lisa Ryan
“Many people who were unable to attend the protest have reached out to us asking what they can do to support the campaign.
“Animal Liberation has now launched an online protest follow-up action allowing anyone to directly email Anthony Roberts, NSW Minister for Planning, requesting his urgent intervention.
“Council and the LPP must start listening and remembering who pays their wages; sloppy planning assessments, poor decision making and puppy factories aren’t acceptable, and won’t be tolerated.”
Local resident Tony Voller said the development had “sorely tested our trust and faith in Central Coast Council’s processes and compliance system”.
“Complaints of non-compliance are rewarded with retrospective approvals that have already happened on three separate occasions and a fourth retrospective approval is pending,” he said.
“These retrospective approvals include approval for a buried Septic Waste Water System associated with the puppy farm.
“This development also highlights other concerns with Council’s management systems.
“Council’s planning portal malfunctioned on many occasions during the submission process for the latest DA to amend the provisional 15-month approval to permanent approval.
“Local residents have endured continued noise issues while waiting for the DA’s resolution.”
Animal Liberation Campaign Director, Alex Vince, said the organisation would continue to apply pressure.
“We have been able to send a strong message to the Central Coast Council, the Local Planning Panel and decision makers,” he said.
“More than 1,200 submissions to this harmful development have been lodged; the vast majority of these have been objections.
“Our animal protection laws are weak; they are inadequate and they continue to fail the very animals they are supposed to protect.”
Animal Liberation Campaign Director, Alex Vince
“Our planning system is outdated and not fit for purpose.
“The decision-makers, in the main, either don’t care or comprehend the public’s demand for progress in line with the community’s expectations about animal welfare, democracy and justice.”
The campaign has the support of Greens MP and Central Coast resident, Abigail Boyd, who said the puppy farm had been allowed to operate despite “strident opposition from the local community and animal advocates across the state” because of a “fundamental failure of our planning laws and our democracy”.
Shadow Minister for the Central Coast, David Harris has also expressed his support.
In a Private Members Statement on May 11, 2022, Harris said there were two issues at play.
“One is that some people have a fundamental disagreement with puppy farms because of the way they operate and the stress they cause to animals etcetera,” he said.
“The other issue is the way the planning system works.
“For both those reasons, this particular development is causing genuine concern for the residents and the wider community.
“There is no use in having a planning panel and planning laws if people can deliberately flout them and then seek retrospective approval; an operation either complies or does not comply.
“If it is non-compliant, the operators should be compelled to discontinue, particularly when so many objections have been made.”
Protests can be lodged online at https://www.al.org.au/letter/stop-the-cc-puppy-factory.
Attempts to contact the owner of the facility for comment were unsuccessful.
Source:
Media release, Oct 18
Animal Liberation