A silent protest was held outside the offices of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s in Mann St, Gosford, on Friday, February 16.
The protest highlighted what attendees claim was a lack of transparency and fairness during the community consultation phase of a controversial rezoning proposal for land on Woy Woy Rd, Kariong, to make way for a housing development.
During the consultation period, which closed on January 29 but was extended to February 12, community members reported difficulties engaging with the process.
Many individuals who submitted via the Planning Department portal did not receive confirmation emails, raising concerns about the integrity of the process.
Following years of campaigning against the development on environmental and cultural grounds, groups including Coast Environmental Alliance (CEA) and Save Kariong Sacred Lands say issues with the submission process have escalated the situation.
The rezoning would convert environmentally protected land (C2) to R2, to make way for Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council’s (DLALC) proposed 50-house development.
Coast Environmental Alliance (CEA) spokesperson Jake Cassar said there were concerns over a new planning policy to pave the way for the rezone.
“Why create a separate set of rules for this developer by establishing an entirely new planning policy with the stated intent (of making) it easier for land councils to ‘unlock’ some of our most precious and vulnerable bushland for development,” he said.
Lisa Bellamy of Save Kariong Sacred Lands said the planning proposal and supporting legislation were inherently flawed.
“The very department overseeing and potentially approving this development is the same entity that introduced legislation to make it easier for land councils to develop environmentally sensitive land,” she said.
“Talk about putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.”
Environmentalists, community advocates and local Traditional Custodians have opposed the project, citing concerns about irreversible biodiversity loss, endangerment of species, removal of threatened wetlands and degradation of the adjoining National Park and Brisbane Water Catchment.
Critics argue that the project fails to acknowledge the ecological and cultural significance of the land.
They say an evaluation of the area for Aboriginal heritage sites was inconclusive and a management plan for sites that have been located was “questionable”.
Concerns about strains on local infrastructure and housing diversity and risks associated with urban sprawl have also been raised.
“Our silent protest was a symbolic representation of how public voices have been stifled,” Bellamy said.
“We will never know how many public submissions were not received.
“After the protest our spokespeople approached the customer service desk of the NSW Department of Planning to voice our concerns in person only to find that there was no customer service.
“The lack of face to face customer service at the NSW Department of Planning’s Central Coast office only reinforces our concerns.”
Accountability is absolutely essential in a so called democratic society. When we are fobbed off and ignored, we will try even harder. Who is hiding behind their protected closed doors? Time to speak TRUTH. It’s not too hard! Or is it?? TRUTH TIME!
The Darkinjung land council should be ashamed of themselves. It’s obvious they can’t be trusted to take care of culture or the bio diversity of the hanging swamp at Kariong. Large corporations and State governments are supporting land councils to wreck havoc in the name of profit. Who is getting the benefit of it? Where is the money from the Magenta Shores sale? It would be comical if it wasn’t causing so much disunity in our community.