Nelson Pde, Hunters Hill contaminated site to draw crowd
HUNTERS Hill residents are rallying their neighbours to attend a public meeting on Tuesday over the State Government’s inaction on a toxic site — and have slammed MP Anthony Roberts’ decision not to attend.
Northern District Times
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HUNTERS Hill residents are rallying their neighbours to attend a public meeting on Tuesday next week over the State Government’s inaction on a toxic site — and have slammed MP Anthony Roberts’ decision not to attend.
The residents of Nelson Pde and surrounds will gather at Hunters Hill Town Hall to discuss and demand the government follow through on its pledges to remediate the site, after 10 years of excuses.
The sloping, waterfront site at Nelson Pde contains low-level radioactive waste from a uranium processing plant operated in the 1900s. The site is fenced and vacant after it was declared unsafe in 2007.
Philippa Clark, who lives in the street, said she and her neighbours were trapped and unable to sell their homes due to the site’s adverse effect on property values.
She said she wanted people to stack the hall and show the government there was strong community feeling for the site to be decontaminated.
NSW Legislative Council MP Robert Brown, who sat on the 2008 parliamentary inquiry into the site, will address the meeting.
Organisers also expect academics and scientists to attend.
The residents invited Mr Roberts, Lane Cove’s state Liberal MP, who they hoped would champion their cause. But they said that as with previous requests Mr Roberts declined to attend.
“I am well aware of the Nelson Pde issues and share residents’ concerns and frustrations,” Mr Roberts told the Times.
“I am actively engaging across government to land a solution.
“Everyone agrees that this is a very complex issue and I hope to be able to announce a solution to this problem that has been overshadowing our community and successive governments for more than half a century”.
His decision disappointed meeting organiser John Atkin.
“I find it staggering that the local MP doesn’t find it necessary to attend,” he said.
“I fear they are taking us for granted and don’t realise how serious we are.”
Ms Clark said Mr Roberts had ignored her requests for four years.
The residents say Property NSW, which has responsibility for the site, will have a representative at the meeting to observe.
Hunters Hill Council is backing the residents, and will have representatives at the meeting. It is exploring legal action against the government, which has done little to follow an Environment Protection Authority order from 2014 to remediate the site.
However, on Monday, the council’s general manager Barry Smith told a council meeting that its legal advice was a court challenge would be very weak.
The councillors have asked for more information.
The public meeting will begin at 7pm.