The Tweed’s LEP is council’s primary land use planning document and should provide surety for future strategic and sustainable planning. Legislation is in place for proper/due process in the preparation of LEPs by local councils.
The vast majority of our shire’s population is in our coastal and wider Tweed Heads area, outside Thomas George’s electorate. So how did Mr George have a mandate to make representations to his minister to have the Environmental Protection Zones (EPZ) removed from these areas in our draft LEP 2012?
Contrary to our council’s adopted position to conserve our environment and to save our last remaining coastal koalas, Mr George’s representations have removed vital EPZs, including critical koala habitat, effectively severely compromising the ability to prevent the extinction of our koalas.
The NSW government’s, ‘Guidance on LEPs’ for our shire now is that our shire’s EPZs are to be reviewed by the minister’s consultants, with no local on ground knowledge. After meetings with ‘key stakeholders’ a final Report will go to the minister. There will be no community consultation! Under the political control, our E2/3 zoned lands and overlays will be excised from our draft LEP 2012. This is despite extensive work/resources by our council’s professional expert staff and tens of thousands of ratepayer dollars being spent in the preparation of our LEP to provide for sustainability of our natural resources and biodiversity values.
This is also despite the fact a directive was issued to our council under Section 117, NSW EPA Act, including that council “must include provisions that facilitate the protection and conservation of our environmentally sensitive areas in our draft LEP”. There has been no further S117 directive issued!
Further, a Section 65 Certificate was issued for the draft LEP 2010 with EPZs. There has been no further certificate issued to invalidate the draft LEP 2010.
Does our community want the future of our shire controlled by Sydney? We need our elected representatives to act in the interests of our shire and community and stand up to the political bullying.
The political and other inappropriate interference in the proper/transparent process is becoming increasingly murky. The loss of our shire’s EPZs has huge implications re CSG, carving up our farmlands and open slather development.
L Smith
Tweed Heads
