BY SAMUEL BARTLETT
Garden Suburb community members are fighting a development approved by the Hunter Regional Planning Panel to clear 12 hectares of land to make room for 66 new residential lots.
The Myall Road development application was first lodged in 2013 and was granted conditional approval in December last year, but locals say the community hasn't been properly contacted and want to take the matter the the Land and Environment Court.
Lake Macquarie resident, Steve Warham said locals attended a meeting on 8th February to discuss challenging the approval.
He said, "the group is forming as an incorporated association so it can lodge in the land and environment court."
Mr Warham believes there are better options and explained, "most residents were concerned about the destruction of the bush. There's plenty of other land already cleared and available for size of development."
However, Lake Macquarie Council is standing by their decision to support the clearing and says 28 hectares will still be spared.
Council said in a statement they are, "satisfied the development won't have significant impact on threatened species," and intends setting the extra land aside, "as a biodiversity offset for the development"
According to council, the land will be managed in perpetuity by the NSW Government's Biodiversity Conservation Trust.
As the development is a Crown development exceeding $5 million, the council is not the determining authority, only the Hunter Regional Planning Panel has the power to approve the project.
