THE TWEED Volume 2 #39 Thursday, June 10, 2010 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 [email protected] [email protected] www.tweedecho.com.au LOCAL & INDEPENDENT Page 11 Illegal clearing to be probed Ken Sapwell not be used after copping abuse the next day from a few of the workers. A small army or workers used chain- ‘They mowed down small regrowth saws, brush cutters and a spray last trees and trimmed branches off oth- week to clear protected areas of a con- ers. The next day at least eight workers tentious development site at Hastings arrived on the scene armed with some Point ahead of an inspection by De- heavy artillery and really got stuck in partment of Planning officials. until council staff arrived in the after- Tweed Shire Council’s compliance noon to tell them to stop. officers ordered the work to cease ‘They brought in a container load- on Friday when they visited the 18- ed with chainsaws, brush cutters and hectare creek-front property after steel-bladed whipper-snippers and residents complained a day earlier of began thinning a dense littoral forest Sun shines bright on workers using the tools to slash areas area next to the estuary where migra- of regrowth in a riparian buffer zone. tory birds could nest. A council spokesperson said the ‘They were cutting the tree branch- environment day officers confirmed that work was es to provide better access for their being carried out in an environ- equipment and one worker with a Mr Recycle was a standout participant at World Environment Day celebrations in Murwillumbah’s Knox Park last mental protection zone without spray pack was seen spraying in the Sunday. The man behind the mascot, William Davies, promotes recycling with a passion, saying government re- consent. The workers had cooper- environment protection zone along a funds for post-consumer recyclables are the key to reducing carbon emissions and environmental impact. ated with the cease-work order and fence line erected among salt marshes Photo Jeff ‘Box Camera’ Dawson the council would now ‘consider and mangroves.’ what action to take’. Hastings Point Progress Associa- Luis Feliu Professor Birkeland, author of ‘We need to retrofit the area with ‘Maintenance work’ tion’s lawyer said the Department Positive Development, was invited green walls and roofs. It’s very easy, of Planning had confirmed that it Hundreds of people turned out to to address a council workshop re- you wrap a building with “green ‘When officers attended the site planned an on-site inspection later enjoy sunshine-filled World Environ- cently by Greens Cr Katie Milne but scaffolding” and grow plants up and (they) noted that branches and limbs this month to further process the ment Day celebrations in Murwillum- was turned down by the mostly pro- around it, with water filtration built had been trimmed in the 7(a) zone,’ company’s application to develop the bah’s Knox Park last Sunday. development councillors. in to become a whole cycle which has the spokesman said in a statement. A site into 36 housing lots and two tour- Environmental experts, informa- Cr Milne, the only councillor to zero impact on the environment. spokesman for the land owner, Walter ist lots, with 14 hectares of mainly 7(a) tion stalls, demonstrations, petitions, attend the environment day celebra- ‘They should be living buildings Elliott Holdings, said only mainte- land reserved for open space. installations, food and entertainment tions, agreed with Professor Birke- created as part of the whole ecosys- nance work was being carried out. The development application, kept many Tweed locals interested in land’s views on how best to ‘retrofit’ tem, it’s called “vertical landscaping”,’ But residents, who’ve been locked which has been in the department’s their environment and sustainabil- a built environment to reduce the she said. in a long-running battle with the hands for about two years, is strongly ity during the 10th annual event or- heat generated by too much concrete At a stall run by koala campaigners, landowner, say the clearing, which opposed by the association which be- ganised by the Caldera Environment and steel. Team Koala president Jenny Hayes coincided with World Environment lieves it will further degrade the creek Centre, Tweed Council and other ‘There is a four-to-five degree in- was collecting signatures for a peti- Day, extended beyond normal main- and worsen flooding of nearby homes community groups. crease in heat in the cities and urban tion to protect koalas in the Tweed. tenance and pruning of some tree and a caravan park – flooding which A keynote speaker, Janis Birkeland, areas compared with rural areas, gen- She praised Tweed-based ecologist branches. already occurs after heavy rain. a professor of architecture at Queen- erated by too much concrete develop- Dr Stephen Phillips as ‘the best friend ‘A few workmen arrived on Thurs- Residents have complained several sland University of Technology, told a ment and not enough vegetation’ Cr the koalas have in this area. If the day with a ride-on mower and whip- times about clearing activities by the workshop that changes were urgently Milne said. developers of Kings Forest had fol- per-snipper and started clearing veg- developer since he acquired the site needed in the way communities ap- ‘It’s really become a health issue lowed his koala friendly plan in the etation in the buffer zone,’ said one 10 years ago, but only one had led to proached development, saying ‘we’ve now as thousands of people die from first place, Team Koala would never resident who photographed the un- a successful court prosecution for the already overstretched our environ- heat stroke in cities around the world have had to form,’ she said. folding events but asked that his name continued on page 2 mental carrying capacity’. as a result,’ Cr Milne said. ■ More pictures, page 6 ABN 82 087 650 682 <echowebsection=Local News> Local News Rain or acid? Tweed River turns red around Chinderah have been ‘a major filtration degrade the farming potential Her comments follow the system failure for this result’. of the land’. purchase of some of the farms Council maintains it was ‘I think the erosion of such by developers who want the sediment loss due to heavy valuable farmland is a seri- NSW government to remove rainfall adding that a sedimen- ous matter and I want the a classification of agricultur- tation basin, berms and ripar- council to ask the Depart- al land of state significance, ian filters to control sediment ment of Agriculture to carry claiming the land is no longer loss from part of this catch- out an inspection.’ viable as farm land. ment’ had recently been built jointly between landholders Illegal clearing to be probed and council. ‘The loss of sediment from continued from page 1 Council said they acted the Cudgen plateau is an ag- illegal clearing of bushland. after an inspection revealed ricultural issue which Council Earlier this year the coun- part of the chicken and historically has had a minor cil set a March 15 deadline for barbed-wire fence, which the role in addressing,’ the spokes- WEH to seek retrospective company says was erected to person said, adding that coun- approval for an unauthorised stop trespassers, was built in cil’s Tweed River and coastal fence around his property an environmental protection committees had recently which residents say threatens zone without approval. A Chinderah resident took this picture last week showing the river turning red from suspected worked in with landholders on wildlife and blocks access to The company’s chief, Walter The soil runoff from the Cudgen plateau. ‘better management practices fishing and swimming spots Elliott, declined to return to reduce soil loss’. along the creek. Echo’s call. Luis Feliu with reports of falls of over River’s major seagrass beds The spokesperson urged 100mm in an hour. Council that we protected from the residents to report all po- Chinderah residents were says the redness was more ob- Chinderah marina. I’m sick tential pollution events to alarmed last week when the vious last week due to lack of of seeing the river run brown council officers ‘in the first Tweed River turned red near rain and runoff in the main or “upside down”, but seeing instance rather than the me- their homes, thinking it was river catchment. it run red is just too much! I’d dia’, but Mrs Mack said the acid-sulphate runoff which But Greens councillor Katie hate to think if it’s acid.’ public had ‘no faith in report- could cause a fishkill. Milne says the discolouration Erosion of the rich red soil ing anything to council’. But a spokesperson for originally thought to be caused has become a common prob- ‘Reporting to the media Tweed Shire Council said by top soil runoff, is back in lem after rain, with adjoining at least gets a response from the red colouring of the river question after new testing in- Kingscliff landowner Stephen council who apparently ignore last Thursday was the result dicated that it may actually be Segal recently lodging several the public’s view if it isn’t what of heavy rain on the coastal an acid sulphate event. complaints with Tweed Coun- the council wants’. part of the catchment last Cr Milne, the chair of coun- cil after parts of his land were Cr Milne said there had Wednesday night as sedi- cil’s Tweed River Committee, buried under mud slides. been complaints that some of ment washed down from the says this was a ‘terrible situa- Chinderah resident Lyn the landowners on the plateau A worker sprays poison on vegetation in a protected estuary Cudgen plateau.