Manyana Beach Estate: 11th hour call to delay proposal which has been approved for more than 10 years
A South Coast enivronmental group has engaged lawyers in a last-minute bid to halt construction of a controversial development which has been approved for more than a decade.
The South Coast News
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A South Coast community group is calling on Federal Minister Susann Ley to halt construction of the controversial Manyana Beach Estate development.
Three days out from when developer Ozy Homes is set to begin stage one of a 179-lot development, a lawyer for Environmental Defenders Office has urged Federal Environmental Minister Susann Ley to invoke her powers under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
There are concerns the critically endangered scrub turpentine, only found north of Batemans Bay and inland of Bundaberg in Queensland, and the swift parrot will be under threat if 20 hectares of bushland is cleared to make way for the housing development, a local ecologist has warned.
Ozy Homes has agreed to delay stage one from May 4 to May 25 for further discussions with the community, NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes, Greens MP David Shoebridge and Shoalhaven mayor Amanda Findley.
“With no indication from Ozy Homes that they are willing to further delay the start of work on this project, this morning Manyana Matters decided to proceed with engaging the Environmental Defenders Office to act on our behalf,” a Manyana Matters spokesperson said in a statement.
“The Environmental Defenders Office has informed us there is a strong chance this project may be in breach of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), given the presence of threatened species on the land slated for development.
“The EDO will call upon Minister Ley to invoke her powers under the Act to delay this project until a proper assessment can be completed.”
Concerns about the future of the greater glider, a Commonwealth-listed vulnerable species, and birds in the area including the migratory swift parrot have been heightened as the 18-hectare plot, adjacent to Berringer Rd, is one of a few areas of bushland untouched by the devastating Currowan bushfire which tore through the area on New Year’s Eve and January 4.
Australian National University professor David Lindenmayer has called for a reassessment due to the recent fires and the extent of time since the last assessment was made in 2007.
“I am particularly concerned about the fate of the greater gliders known to exist in the area and that have previously been recorded on the development site. According to the Atlas of Living Australia, the latest record of a Greater Glider in the development site was in 2017 and a survey of Conjola National Park in 2005, detected seven individuals of the Greater Gliders,” he said in a submission.
“Based on the changed circumstances due to the large spatial scale of the recent fires and the extended time since the development assessment was made, I suggest that the two-week moratorium currently placed on clearing the site be extended to at least 12 months.
“This would allow another assessment to be conducted which will better reflect the possible impacts of the development as it would occur today. These surveys should be conducted in multiple seasons to properly assess the site. This updated information could then be used to better determine the future of the site and the populations of the Greater Glider that occur in the area.”
Ms Ley’s office has been contacted for comment.