Concerned community groups and Traditional Bloodline Custodians will join forces at a town hall style meeting to discuss a controversial development proposal for Kariong on Friday, August 23.
The meeting will begin at 6pm and continue until 8pm at Kariong Hall in Dandaloo St, Kariong (near the tennis courts).
A 50-home development proposed for land adjacent Brisbane Water National Park has been the subject of controversy since it was first mooted by landowner Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council (DLALC) several years ago.
Opponents say the land, over several lots, contains Aboriginal sites, endangered flora and fauna and waterways with Traditional Custodians claiming the site which is culturally significant.
The State Government is in the process of considering a rezone of the land from C2 (the highest protection for private land of cultural and environmental significance) to pave the way for future development.
Opponents say many submissions were lost due to technical failure in the Department of Planning portal during the public exhibition period with just 395 submissions officially counted.
These are currently being reviewed by the Regional Planning Panel, which will advise State Environment Minister Paul Scully, who will then make a decision on whether to allow the rezone for housing.
Fronting the August 23 meeting will be Lisa Bellamy, Sarah Blakeway and Tegan Mulqueeney, who are standing as a team in the coming September 14 Council election.
While the Kariong proposal is now out of Council hands the women, with the team name Coasties Who Care, say they plan to ask other candidates where they stand on the issue.
They will ask candidates to commit that, if elected, they will support a motion for Council to write to the State Government and DLALC to look into ways that the land can be preserved, while ensuring that DLALC is either fairly compensated or receives a land swap of equal economic value.
Lisa Bellamy has once again called on State Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch to offer support in protecting the Kariong bushland.
“The local, State or (even) Federal Labor Governments could work together to offer DLALC some developable land where they won’t have to destroy cultural heritage and have such a devastating impact on our pristine environment at Kariong,” she said.
Traditional Bloodline Custodian, Tracey Howie from the Guringai People, said she was mortified by the proposal.
“While we are unclear of their exact intentions, we have heard that DLALC have said they have no ‘current’ plans for developing either of the sites.
“If that is the case, why is DLALC in the process of planning to rezone the land next to the Scout Camp?
“I, and many others … are hoping that our elected leaders can clarify exactly what DLALC is planning for the sites.
“We are again calling on the community to support us in opposing the destruction of our cultural heritage and endangered ecosystems.
“There are a lot of extremely positive things going on with our local Aboriginal community and DLALC is a major player in providing employment and supporting Indigenous businesses to get up and running.
“If DLALC has development aspirations also, we aren’t necessarily against that.
“But if we allow our history to be erased by allowing our most ecologically and culturally sensitive areas to be bulldozed, there’s no amount of money that can bring that back.”
Fellow Traditional Bloodline Custodian and Darkinoong woman Renee Sales said DLALC was the biggest private landowner on the Central Coast but represented less than four per cent of the entire Aboriginal community in the region.
“The main tribes on the Central Coast are the Guringai, made up of the Walkaloa, Wannabe, Wanangine and Gurigal clans, and my ancestors are the Darkinoong to the west of these groups,” she said.
“We are certainly not opposed to development, nor are we against DLALC getting ahead financially, but not at the cost of our irreplaceable cultural heritage and the bushland at Kariong that is one of the last bastions for endangered flora and fauna.”
Coast Environmental Alliance (CEA) founder Jake Cassar said if the community didn’t rise up to oppose the Kariong development, DLALC could possibly look to develop more bushland areas across the Central Coast.
“CEA is calling on other local environmental groups and others in the community to join us in protecting our local bushland before it is lost forever,” he said.
I disagree with this campaign.
Geoff, we missed you at our environmental event for Kariong the other night. Where were you?
Such a shame to see what a rapidly rising population is doing to such sacred pockets of land, particularly here on the Central Coast.I believe that in this proposed Kariong development the traditional indigenous owners should be respected and it’s the greedy developers who need to show more compassion when seeing profit over what is really a form of destruction to gorgeous local environments.
please continue to oppose this development. look at what’s happened at wyee, acres of precious bushland cleared, scaring our area again. absolutely disgusting.
This sacred land at Kariong should be protected. It is already zoned at C2 protection due to it being culturally significant and ecologically sensitive land. There are much more sustainable areas more suitable for housing development. The locals should stand up and protect this vulnerable landscape.