Planning Department accused of ignoring koala advice at Wilton

THE NSW Planning and Environment Department has been accused of ignoring expert advice on koala protection when it rezoned the Wilton South East Precinct earlier this year.

The Department of Planning has been accused of ignoring expert advice on koala protection in Wilton.

• Wollondilly Council launches legal bid to stop Wilton development
• Plans lodged for Wilton development

THE NSW Planning and Environment Department has been accused of ignoring expert advice on koala protection when it rezoned the Wilton South East Precinct earlier this year.

Documents obtained by the Wilton Action Group and publicly available on the DPE website show the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) recommended part of Wilton South East Precinct not be rezoned due to the devastating impact it would have on the local koala population.

The Macarthur region’s koalas are the only disease-free colony in the Sydney Basin.

Wollondilly Council today launched a legal bid to repeal the rezoning of Wilton South East in the Land and Environment Court, in part identifying the OEH’s advice as grounds to overturn the rezoning.

Development proponents Walker Corporation lodged plans to develop stage one of the project late last week.

In an OEH submission to the Planning Department during the public exhibition of the planning proposal last year, OEH director greater Sydney regional operations Alex Graham said koalas would be adversely impacted by development of the South East Precinct’s southeast section.

“Based on the advice presented in the attached OEH technical koala report, there would be an adverse impact on koalas because of the proposed residential development in the southeast corner of the Wilton South East precinct,” Ms Graham said.

The land identified by the OEH as a priorty koala corridor and recommended for no urban development.

“In the light of information now available on koalas, OEH recommends not rezoning predominantly cleared land within the identified primary koala corridor in the southeast portion of the site.”

According to OEH documents submitted to the Planning Department, the Wilton South East project directly adjoins two of the largest koala corridors in the Wollondilly local government area: the Allen's Creek corridor and the Cordeaux corridor.

“The Allen’s Creek Corridor and Cordeaux Corridor are important core habitat for the regional koala population,” the report states.

“Based on 370 new spotlighting sites for koalas undertaken as part of the Wollondilly Koala Conservation Project, the density of koalas within core habitat is estimated to be one koala for every 19ha.

Data captured by OEH on the number of koalas in the Macarthur region.

“This means that Allen’s Creek and Cordeaux corridors contain a significant component of the regional koala population.

“Severing or degradation of this corridor will impact on the size and viability of the regional koala population”

The document identifies specific land which should be excluded from development.

“Residential infill of this area will result in reduced connectivity and viability of koala populations within the Allens Creek and Cordeaux koala corridor,” the reports states.

“OEH advises that development within the cleared lands and scattered trees in the southeast corner of the site may have a significant impact on the koala population.”

An OEH spokeswoman confirmed the advice submitted in the exhibition period remained current.

“OEH’s role in the rezoning process is to provide advice to the Department of Planning and Environment, and the advice provided previously by OEH remains current,” she said.

Documents obtained by community advocacy organisation Wilton Action Group show an independent environmental consultant, Biolink Ecological Consultants, prepared a report in February this year to examine the differences between the findings of the OEH and Walker’s own environmental consultants Cumberland Ecology.

A Planning Department spokeswoman told the Macarthur Chronicle that research and advice from OEH and experts had been taken into account prior to the rezoning.

“This included extensive research into koala movements and habitats by OEH and experts,” the spokeswoman said.

The final report released by the Department of Planning for the Wilton South East Precinct.

“Following further assessment and consideration of all submissions and additional expert advice, changes were made to the final zoning plan for South East Wilton.

“These changes included identifying a koala corridor along the southern edge of the proposed development area to connect to an upgraded fauna underpass of Picton Rd, a reserve network along the Allens Creek and Nepean River corridors and the proposed inclusion of controls in the development control plan to ensure koala habitat was fenced off.

“This resulted in more than 160ha of highly significant Cumberland Plain woodland being protected in the South East Wilton Precinct to allow koala movements and helping ensure that the Wollondilly and Macarthur koala colonies continue to thrive.”

The spokeswoman said the Planning Department was preparing a Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan with the Federal Government that was expected to be in place by 2019.

“This is one of the largest conservation planning exercises ever undertaken in Australia and will seek biodiversity certification from OEH for development sites across western Sydney, including Wilton,” she said.