Council steps aside in Woombah Woods controversy

Emergency order revoked as negotiations over tree clearing result in compromise

Land clearing that took place around the Woombah Woods Caravan Park.

THE owner of a Woombah caravan park will be free to continue clearing trees after council recognised a 36-year-old DA and removed an emergency order.

The order was put in place in August after significant community outcry over the felling of a number of trees at Woombah Woods Caravan Park.

In a public notice sent to Woombah residents Clarence Valley Council’s development services co-ordinator Scott Lenton said the removal of trees at the site will be completed “in the near future”.

Mr Lenton said council had been negotiating with the owner, William Hu, to reduce the amount of vegetation removed while remaining compatible with future development and reducing potential harm to wildlife.

Council staff will be on site prior to and during clearing works along with an environmental consultant who will conduct pre-dawn hollow checks and monitor active tree removal works.

“The subject land benefits from a development consent issued in 1984 that authorises expansion of the caravan park and associated works,” Mr Lenton said.

“The proposed clearing works are considered by Council to be lawful without further development approval.”

The owner, Mr Hu, said the he was happy council accepted there was an existing development application which enabled him to continue his redevelopment the site.

“It could have been done last year, we have the approval … and if we have the approval we have the right to clear the trees,” he said.

Mr Hu confirmed he would not be clearing all that he was entitled to under the DA and intended to plant trees in other areas.

“We will keep some of the trees to keep the community happy.”

The plans for the park involve increasing the number of cabins on the site and Mr Hu said his intention was redevelop the “rundown” park to a higher standard.

There has been considerable angst from the community since the start of the clearing, with some residents fearful of the effect it would have on the local wildlife and natural feel of the community.

Kerry Wilsmore of the Woombah Residents Association said the organisation “neither supports or rejects the development application” and that the development would proceed in “a community with no infrastructure”.

“We understand the developer has a valid development application, rather dated, that Council would have found difficult to reject,” he said.

“We were deeply concerned about the size of the development and the social and environmental impacts of such a development on our bushland setting for our 1,000 residents.

“Residents (already) walk on a busy Iluka Road and despite being the seventh largest community in the Clarence Valley, we have no community centre.

“It seems like the cart before the horse approach on such developments in our rural communities by CVC.”

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