‘Weed species’ is protected bushland say Carina group

Carina residents are engaged in an ongoing battle to save dense bushland from being destroyed as a developer plans to clear a controversial site despite Council stressing the vegetation needs to be retained.

Work crews with chainsaws are photographed at the heavily vegetated area next to the Kate St side of the former Goodman Fielder Bakery site at Carina on November 30. Picture: Brian Bennion

CARINA residents are campaigning to save thick bushland running through the former bakery development site at Fursden Rd.

Frasers Property has lodged plans for 197 units and 20 residential lots at 179-193 Fursden Rd.

While the company said the treed area on the western side of the site, a buffer between neighbouring townhouses and the bakery, was mainly weed species, residents cited a council document showing the importance of the habitat.

The strip of dense bush which runs from Kate St through the site to 179 Fursden Rd is protected under Natural Asset Local Law.

Council’s planning department has stressed this vegetation needs to be retained, referring to NALL, to facilitate a fauna movement corridor.

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Neighbouring resident Jennifer Matton questioned the need to remove trees on the Kate St side, which Frasers said was part of asbestos clean-up on the site.

She opposed the density of the proposed development.

“The sheer size of what they are proposing, cutting it down by 22 townhouses is still not good enough,” she said.

“We, the residents of 179 Fursden Rd, are not against the proposed development in whole, more so that it should allow for and accommodate sustainable habitat to be retained in particular 179 Fursden Rd where a multitude of protected fauna reside.”

She also said there was already an oversupply of townhouses in the area.

The former Cobbity Farm Bakeries property at 179-193 Fursden Rd, Carina.

Frasers Property General Manager - Residential Cameron Leggatt last week told the Advertiser the company had increased communal open space allowance to 26.4 per cent of the site and had concentrated efforts on revegetating the north-east corner of the site opposite Minnippi Parklands.

Cr Ryan Murphy (Doboy) said council had made objections to the size of the development, asked for increased planting and to retain a mature gum tree on the site and other vegetation and requested more parking and more pathways to connect to the public transport network.

“So far it looks like they will meet us on all of those requests,” Cr Murphy said.

“The north-east part of the site is the only part covered by a biodiversity interface area subcategory. That is where those koala trees interface with the Minnippi Parklands.

“What I want to see in this area is a transition away from industrial use and towards a residential use that is less intensive. It is no good for the gliders, it is no good for the koalas to have this enormous volume of bakery trucks barrelling down Fursden Rd day in, day out at all hours of the night, particularly when you are dealing with nocturnal animals.

“We’ve had a residential area here for some time now. I think it is a good thing to see we are finally closing the chapter on the bakery.”