Close to 200 residents attended the Public meeting at Dunoon Hall to discuss Hardie Holdings proposed urban subdivision for Dunoon Village

A public meeting was held at Dunoon Hall on Thursday January 24th 2008 regarding Hardie Holdings proposed urban subdivision for Dunoon Village.
Seven out of twelve Lismore City Councillors attended: Mayor Merv King, David Tomlinson, Jenny Dowell, Ros Irwin, Vanessa Ekins, Peter Graham, Frank Swientek,
Councillors Meineke, Chant, Crimmins, and Hampton sent their apologies. Councilor Meineke had met the DCG committee the previous week.
Before the public meeting, members of The Dunoon Community Group (DCG) met with councillors at the Sports Club for an on site meeting. We wanted to show them exactly where this urban development and it’s sewerage plant was to be placed in our village.
Approximately 200 people attended the public meeting. The revised DA from Hardies is almost identical to their original DA in 2006 - it completely ignores any community concerns outlined in our submissions and completely ignores Lismore City Councils DCP and LEP documents. We discussed the impact that such a development would have on the amenity of our village. The social problems that could occur. Conflict with future residents and the Sports Club. The concerns regarding the sewerage system and it’s impact on the extensive wet lands lying below it. The community called for a full Environmental Impact Statement to be done.
Most alarming is the fact that this will be an urban type Community Title development with a sewerage plant and storm water treatment plant sitting on the headwaters of Numilgi Creek, near the boundary of Avondale Estate. Therefore, the residents of this new subdivision will be responsible for the maintenance and running of the sewerage system. If this development is approved it could set a precedent for high density development in our villages with small, satellite sewerage systems to be established throughout the catchment area and Rous Water has absolutely no control over them. The fact that Council Staff have not at any time attempted to consult with the Dunoon community regarding a large piece of infrastructure such as a sewerage plant beggars belief.
Lindsay Walker from Council Staff also attended the meeting and patronisingly told us to focus on village amenity - the reasons why we live here - in our submissions and leave the technical data of the DA to his department. Didn’t they read our submission in Oct 06? This is a department who wanted the developer of Avondale to increase the number of lots as Council Staff are encouraging ‘maximum land usage’. The local developer of Avondale followed Council guidelines laid out in their own DCP and LEP and therefore had no more room for extra lots.
DCG are currently going through Freedom Of Information avenues to aquire documents regarding correspondence and discussions between Council Staff and Hardie Holdings over the last 15 months as Council Staff refuse to give us that information.
160 signatures so far have been collected for the community submission that will be put forward on behalf of the community by DCG. The submission deadline is Friday 1st February, but Lindsay Walker has said that he will accept submissions that arrive shortly after that date. We urge you to put in your own submission and please remember to quote council’s reference number: DA 06/647 on your submission letter and address it to The General Manager, Lismore City Council, PO Box 23A, Lismore NSW 2480. If you wish to put your name to the community submission please call me on 6689 5954.
Thank you to those who donated towards DCG admin costs - ie phone calls, printing, photocopying. The Council Staff are expected to have their report on Hardies proposal before Council in the March Council meeting and we’ll need as many bums on seats as we can muster at Council chambers. We’ll keep you updated via a letter drop as to when that will happen.
Paula McDougall