FOREST IN DANGER needs your help to stop an inappropriate development application in progress to clear more than 450 trees from Blue Gum High Forest and Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest adjoining the Cumberland State Forest in West Pennant Hills . FOREST IN DANGER needs your help to stop inappropriate development with a development application in progress to clear 450+ trees of the critically end
angered ecological communities (CEECs) of Blue Gum High Forest and Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest. The previously proposed rezoning was to allow apartment dwellings on almost the entire site with no protective environmental zoning for the critically endangered ecological communities of Blue Gum High Forest and Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest. After strong resistance from residents, approximately half the site is now going to be rezoned for environmental conservation, but the rest will be bulldozed. FAST FACTS
· Site is over 25 hectares adjoining the Cumberland State Forest.
· Some of the Blue Gum High Forest & Sydney Turpentine Forest on the site will be protected as an Environmental Conservation zone, some is supposedly going to be transferred to the Cumberland State Forest (with no time frame provided!!) but the rest will be cleared.
· Crucially these CEEC Forests are listed under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
· While the original Environmental Report done for Mirvac refers to 12 hectares of Forest being retained in the south portion, Mirvac is now only dedicating 9 hectares. Yet this southern portion has still been divided up into small lots. Could this be for future development instead?
· The southern portion contains the old growth remnant Blue Gum High Forest and Sydney Turpentine Forest. The trees in this portion are much older than the ones in the Cumberland State Forest next door as that had previously been cleared many years ago
IN SHORT:
The proposal would allow for up to 400 high density apartments and 200 medium density houses. The great bulk of this site is covered in the critically endangered ecological communities of Blue Gum High Forest and Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest but only partial protective environmental zoning has been provided. The development would also destroy Powerful Owl habitats. The owls are listed as vulnerable species in NSW. An ecological assessment of the site discovered nesting trees and roosting habitats on, and adjacent to the proposed 28 hectare development. Not only is the proposed development environmentally damaging – it also lacks appropriate infrastructure and amenities, with the nearest public transport link more than a kilometre distant. Apart from losing treasured local bushland, neighbouring residents would also have to contend with additional traffic gridlock on local roads, especially Castle Hill Rd, as a result of the increased local population. None of the critically endangered ecological communities of Blue Gum High Forest and Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest should be cleared. We want this beautiful forest to be protected, not bulldozed for high-density apartments. To TAKE ACTION and lodge an objection letter please go to the Forest in Danger website at https://www.forestindanger.org.au/take-action-submission-guide
You can also help by liking, commenting and sharing posts on this page through social media, as well as writing letters to editor of local and mainstream media outlets. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN SAVING THIS FOREST IN DANGER!
