Draft Tweed Shire LEP 2012- CEC Comment

 koalaDraft Tweed Shire LEP 2012 – Coastal Koala habitat loses over 1200ha of protection

The Tweed Shire draft LEP 2012 is currently on exhibition for public comment. During the exhibition period there have been four public workshops to explain the draft LEP, with a fifth workshop to be held at Tweed Heads in early January.

Council promotes the draft LEP as a rollover of the current Tweed LEP 2000. This current LEP includes environmental protection zones in the west of the shire. The LEP 2000 was revised in 2010 when a draft LEP 2010 was put on public exhibition. This draft LEP provoked a public response with over 400 submissions with the majority being concerned about the loss of environmental protection zones in the west of the shire. Tweed Council did not proceed with the draft LEP. Amendment 21 which was adopted by council and supported by the Department of Planning in 2010 provided environmental protection zoning to the majority of areas of native vegetation remaining east of the Pacific Motorway.

Tweed Shire Council had the opportunity to prepare a draft LEP which retained the environmental protection zones in the west of the shire (LEP 2000) and the east of the shire (Amendment 21). Such an action would be in line with the state government announcement that there was to be no new environmental protection zones over rural land.

Instead the exhibited draft LEP 2012 has removed the Amendment 21 environmental protection zones from the east of the shire. This decision is a step backwards as the remaining highly diverse coastal habitats are under immense pressure from development.

Analysis of the loss of coastal habitat currently protected by environmental protection zoning shows that over 1200 hectares has been changed to other zonings which do not provide such protection. In addition areas currently protected by way of Tree Preservation Orders have decreased by about 10000ha. Examples of loss of protected areas are at Koala Beach, Black Rocks, Tweed Coastal Reserve, Wooyung and Tweed Heads west.

Council is currently preparing a Koala Plan of Management (KPoM) for the Tweed Coast to protect the highly vulnerable remaining population of Koalas. The proposed LEP’s extensive loss of environmental protection zoning on the Tweed Coast means that the KPoM’s ability to protect the current population is diminished. Council previously resolved to protect Koala habitat on the Tweed Coast.

Council has prepared an Environmental Strategy which has not been provided to councillors or community. In order for the community to be able to fully assess the implications of the proposed loss of environmental protection it is necessary for this document and the KPoM to be put on exhibition with the draft LEP.

The community has not been provided with this information during promotion of the draft LEP 2012 at the public workshops and in the promotional material. An extension of the exhibition period of draft LEP 2012 (presently 18 January 2013) is required to allow time to take into consideration the draft Environmental Strategy and examine the losses of environmental protection on the Tweed Coast.

Contact Tweed Shire Council and your councillors to extend the exhibition period and to provide all relevant documents.

 

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