Media Release re options available for HCC re ICAC hearings

Hawkesbury City Council Press ReleaseRedbank at North Richmond

01 Oct 2014 3:57pm

At Council’s Extraordinary meeting held on 9 September 2014 a Notice of Motion was considered in relation to Redbank at North Richmond following references made to the development during recent ICAC hearings (Operation Spicer).

As a result, Council’s resolution, in part, called for ‘a report setting out all options available to Council to halt any further processing of DA’s or other applications associated with the North Richmond rezoning until Operation Spicer has produced its final report.’

As requested by Council, a further report in relation to this matter was submitted to Council at its Ordinary meeting held on 30 September 2014. Subsequently, Council resolved, in part, that:

“In light of the information now available to Council in response to part 1b) of Council’s Resolution of 9 September 2014, that Council adopt the following course of action:

a) In the interim, continue to process DAs, etc., including the application requiring referral to the JRPP, for Redbank at North Richmond.

b) Continue to process the proposed amendments to the Hawkesbury Development Control Plan to introduce a Chapter in respect of Redbank at North Richmond.

c) Request the Minister for Planning to issue an order to Council under the provisions of Section 117 of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act directing the Council not to use its powers to consider and determine any DAs in respect of Redbank at North Richmond until such time as the ICAC has handed down its report resulting from Operation Spicer and the relevant portion of these findings, as related to Redbank at North Richmond, were considered.

d) In accordance with part 1(c) of Council’s resolution of 9 September 2014 a report be submitted to Council in relation to any findings contained within the report following the current ICAC hearings (Operation Spicer) regarding the planning process for the rezoning of Redbank at North Richmond.

A letter will now be forwarded to the Minister for Planning in respect to part c) of the above resolution.

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The Hawkesbury – urban playground or developer’s dream?

Sydney’s breathing space or Sydney’s urban sprawl – what is the future for the Hawkesbury?

On Friday evening, February 26, the local community will put state and local politicians on the spot to explain their vision for the future of the rural lands surrounding the historic townships of Kurrajong, North Richmond, Pitt Town, Richmond, Wilberforce and Windsor.

“Hawkesbury residents are fed up with Council not supporting the wishes of the community,” local resident and spokesperson for the North Richmond & Districts Community Action Association, Dave Perry, said.

“Our major concern is to make sure any development within the Hawkesbury local government area is in keeping with the district’s heritage, and protects our farmlands and beautiful rural scenery.

“We have requested our political representatives actually come clean about what sort of development they see for our area and what infrastructure they feel will be needed here over the next five years.”

Mr Perry said the Hawkesbury’s history stretched back to the earliest days of the colony when Governor Macquarie personally located and named what are today still known as the five Macquarie towns.

“The fertile lands alongside the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system saved Sydney Town from starvation,” Mr Perry said.

“The Hawkesbury still feeds Sydney, and it’s still Sydney’s playground – just over an hour’s drive away. Here you can visit farms, buy local produce, go bushwalking, water-skiing, or just enjoy our beautiful rural scenery and historical buildings.”

The NSW Premier Kristina Keneally has been invited to attend the public meeting, and Opposition leader Barry O’Farrell will be represented by Hawkesbury MP Ray Williams.

Hawkesbury City Councillors will also attend, including representatives of the major parties.

A new umbrella community group will also be launched on the night.

“Local community groups will keep their autonomy, but if an issue is a community wide one, we’ll all band together to have strength in numbers,” Mr Perry said.

“We’re facing major problems like the prospect of a ‘superhighway’ through our mountain towns, daily traffic jams between Richmond and North Richmond, lack of infrastructure, medical facilities and river / water issues and poor public transport.

“Meanwhile our Council turns a deaf ear to the community and keeps on supporting urban sprawl over our rural lands.

“This will be the chance for politicians to be honest with the community. It promises to be a great night.”

The Hawkesbury Community Forum will be held at Panthers North Richmond, Beaumont Avenue, North Richmond, from 7pm sharp on Friday, February 26.

Media contact: Dave Perry, mobile 0421 985 162

TIME TO ACT PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE – TIME TO ACT - PRESS RELEASE

The community of North Richmond and surrounding areas of the Hawkesbury have major concerns about a proposed development at 108 Grose Vale Road, North Richmond. The proposal is for an initial Seniors Living development followed by land rezoning for residential use, effectively creating a residential precinct more than twice the size of the current township.

The North Richmond area currently suffers chronic inadequacy in terms of infrastructure and services. This proposal would add to our already congested roads, alter the rural character of the area and result in the loss of vital and heritage keyline dams and prime agricultural land. It would forever alter the beauty and scenic value of the area. There are also major concerns with stormwater runoff into the Hawkesbury River via Redbank Creek when the river’s health is already under great stress.

Surveys conducted in recent years by Hawkesbury City Council have overwhelmingly shown the major quality valued by people in the area is its rural character and people have relocated and built their lives based on indications that this was to be maintained.

The intention to locate seniors in an area reasonably isolated from retail and community facilities with a ten-seater mini-bus as transport provision could potentially lead to isolation for residents or a major increase in use of private transport on local and main roads already stretched to capacity with major congestion problems. It would also place a burden on existing community services and facilities operating at or near full capacity

The community elected a committee to seek further information about the proposal, as many questions and concerns remain unanswered in terms of the impacts this development could have on the people of North Richmond and the wider Hawkesbury community. The committee will be reporting its findings back to the community at a public meeting on February 27th, 2009 at North Richmond Panthers @ 7.30pm.



For further information please contact 0421 985162

Time to act – Issued on Behalf of the North Richmond & Districts Community Action Association.

North Richmond & Districts Community Action Association concerned about proposed development

Time to Save Yeomans' Keyline Farm

Yeomans' unique, world-class Keyline (landscape and dam) farming system is currently under major threat by a proposed housing development (at 108 Grose Vale Road) in North Richmond.

The recently formed ‘North Richmond and Districts Community Action Association' (NRDCAA) would like to inform our community, and beyond, that developers have applied (proposal DA0852/08) to build a Seniors Living Complex on medium density housing lots, on this unique property. They plan to bulldoze two of the original Keyline dams, which currently collect excess water (preventing flooding), and make it available for the maintenance of a healthy landscape and river system, and for local fire control and prevention.

Council were also briefed by the developer, which involves nearly 2,000 homes as the extended plan for the site in November 2008. This development would require the land to be rezoned; thereby destroying what should rightfully be conserved as a National Heritage site.

If we don't address this problem now by way of the HCC "Community Strategic Plan", this invaluable rural amenity could be lost forever. Let's not have another Pitt Town or Rouse Hill type over-development within our area. It would be a major catastrophe, not only for our municipality, but also for Australia and the world, if this proposal were to be approved.

Yobarnie, the site of Yeomans' [carbon] farming Keyline System, was established in the 1940s and ‘50s. At that time Yeomans led the world in designing landscapes that can capture carbon dioxide (more effectively than by planting trees - thereby effectively addressing the climate change challenge), prevent flooding and fire, create productive soils (much faster than had ever been achieved before: an inch of topsoil in three years; normally it takes over 1,000 years), and conserve biodiversity.

Australia, in having access to this working model of genuinely sustainable farm and landscape design and management, is in a more favourable position than the rest of the world, as we all face the challenges of climate change and water related crises. BUT, the value of this asset needs to be recognised, conserved, learned from, and the model further developed.

If this unique beacon of hope for the future is bulldozed and built over, Australia, and the rest of the world, will have lost its oldest and most important model of sustainable landscape and farm design and management.

Yeomans' Keyline System provided part of the inspiration and guidance for the subsequent development of Permaculture, which is increasingly being recognised as one of the most sustainable approaches to food and renewable energy production throughout the world.

More recently, Yeomans' discoveries have been tested favourably in Marin County by researchers at the University of California Berkeley (with the help of Darren Doherty from Victoria), in a project to capture carbon in ranch-land soils.

Given that Yeomans contributed more to solving our climate, water and fire problems than any other farmer, it would seem important to our national heritage that the farms on which he developed his Keyline system should be maintained as a National Heritage site for all present and future generations. If properly managed, this could also be expected to have huge tourism value, and the local environment will be able to continue to benefit from the environmental protection services provided by the property, including preventing pollutants seeping into the Hawkesbury River.

For further information please contact 0421 985 162

Time to act. Issued on Behalf of the North Richmond & District Community Action Association