THE TWEED www.tweedecho.com.au Volume 4 #12 Thursday, November 17, 2011 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 editor@tweedecho.com.au adcopy@tweedecho.com.au 21,000 copies every week CAB AUDIT
FESTIVAL 2011 p.9
LOCAL & INDEPENDENT
Ell named over ‘shocking’ illegal clearing Upper House Greens MP Cate Faehrmann says suspicion has turned to the developer as the one responsible for excavating Blacks Creek and removing trees along its banks despite its protected status. Staff reporters
Billionaire developer Bob Ell has been named in parliament in connection with ‘a shocking case’ of illegal vegetation clearing within the Cudgen Nature Reserve. Upper House Greens MP Cate Faehrmann says suspicion has turned to the developer as the one responsible for excavating Blacks Creek and removing trees along its banks despite its protected status. She says if guilty, the property mogul should be hit with ‘the most severe penalty available’ to act as a serious deterrent.
Scathing attack In a scathing attack, Ms Faehrmann said Mr Ell and his Leda group had a past history of illegal clearing and used intimidation and bullying tactics against people to get their way. She said a dossier which Leda selectively leaked to the media recently named people it considered hurdles to their two satellite cities planned for Kings Forest and Cobaki Lakes. ‘It is understood that some people were targeted simply because they made submissions during the public consultation process,’ she said of the 74-page dossier containing claims of an anti-development conspiracy. The document was given to councillors and government MPs last month following a public outcry over the extent of the clearing in the nature reserve adjoining the 1,000ha Kings Forest property, as reported by The Echo. The dossier contains sweeping allegations against Greens councillors,
consultants, and senior council planning staff and government agencies, including National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), which has been involved in a prolonged investigation into the clearing since it was reported in July, but has remained tightlipped ever since, despite repeated requests from The Echo for comment. Ms Faehrmann told parliament an onsite inspection revealed that about 300 metres of vegetation had been cleared within the nature reserve on the banks of the creek, the creek dredged and soil spread across the cleared bank ‘in flagrant defiance of its status as a habitat for threatened species. ‘The vegetation removed also represents the loss of 0.4 hectares of what may be an endangered ecological community, swamp sclerophyll forest on coastal floodplains, which is protected under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995,’ she said. Ms Faehrmann said it was apparent the work was undertaken by one or more machines entering from Leda’s Kings Forest property, which provided the obvious access to the adjoining reserve. She said the former state government gave Leda approval for 4,000 homes to be built on the Kings Forest site, despite its high conservation value, strong community opposition and the developer’s history of illegal vegetation clearing. Ms Faehrmann said in November 2007 the Gold Coast council obtained court orders directing companies owned by Mr Ell to revegetate major portions of a 100ha holding which
was illegally cleared at Pimpama. ‘As well as the recorded conviction for illegal clearing, Bob Ell has a reputation for getting away with many other instances of native vegetation clearing and habitat destruction,’ she said.
‘Once discovered, with legal pressure and the assistance of compliant consultants, he has managed to obtain retrospective approvals under dubious excuses and loopholes.’ She cited an instance at Mr Ell’s Cobaki Lakes development where Leda cleared a stand of old-growth scribbly gum and then had a consultant state that the trees were dangerous to human health. She said on another occasion he excavated a section of Blacks Creek
on the Kings Forest site through a state wetland claiming it was merely ‘drain clearing’ (see page 2). On both occasions his claims and excuses were accepted by Tweed Shire Council. Ms Faehrmann asked whether the recent clearing within the Cudgen Nature Reserve was a repeat offence. ‘Is it an example of a developer clearing vegetation from public land with the highest level of continued on page 2
Fingal Head Coastcare honoured
Fingal Head Coastcare members are celebrating a statewide award for rehabilitation work. The group won a Community Involvement Award at the NSW Coastal Conference last week. In the picture above Rosie Lomas, vice-captain of Fingal Head Public School, who has worked with Fingal Head Coastcare for six years, takes a breather on the headland as Coastcare president Kay Bolton and vicepresident Kate McKenzie look on. ‘We’re very happy with the award,’ said Kay Bolton.
The group has been operating for over 20 years, regenerating local dunes and forests. Ms Bolton said the Fingal group could be one of the oldest dune care groups in NSW. ‘Fingal Head has also been shortlisted (which means we’ve won a place) in the NSW Northern River Keep Australia Beautiful Awards in the categories of Community Involvement (of course) and Overall Clean Beach Challenge,’ she said. Photo Jeff ‘Oops a Daisy’ Dawson
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