Community Group Save Wallum welcomed the announcement from the NSW Legislative Assembly - Environmental and Planning Committee last week, that a public inquiry will be held into historical development consents in NSW, also known as Zombie DAs.
Public submissions are due by the 3rd June 2024.
The NSW government announced the Inquiry partly in response to questions to the NSW Senate Estimates in 2023 by NSW Greens MP, Sue Higginson.
The animated NSW Legislative Assembly video promoting the historical consent Inquiry, posted on the 19th March, quite aptly summarises the issues with Zombie DAs.
In response to this announcement, Save Wallum is calling for an immediate moratorium on all NSW Zombie DAs, including ‘Wallum’ Brunswick Heads.
NSW is the only state in Australia to allow such historically approved developments to continue without contemporary Environmental and Cultural Heritage Impact assessments.
“Save Wallum is calling for an immediate moratorium on all NSW Zombie DAs, including this site at Brunswick Heads, and all the other historically approved, ecologically disastrous development proposals.
“It is well known, clearly even by the NSW government, that the planning laws in this state are woefully lacking and failing the environment. Zombie DA’s are a legacy of even worse past planning failures and they must all be stopped immediately, stopped at least until the outcome of the inquiry is determined,”says Save Wallum spokesperson Svea Pitman.
“We know developers are using these current laws to their advantage, the General Manager of development company Clarence Property even said in an interview with ABC radio last week "If people are uncomfortable with the system they should go and talk to people about changing the system. For us we’re going to work through the process…", it is shocking to hear them so blatantly using the flawed laws to the detriment of the environment”, Ms Pitman concluded.
Public submissions are due by the 3rd June 2024.