WATSON COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Submission by the Watson Community Association EPBC Reference number: 2012/6418 Watson Community Association Submission on Watson Section 64 Block 9 District of North Canberra, Medium Density Residential Use Watson Community Association 2013 EPBC Reference number: 2012/6418 Watson Section 64 Block 9 District of North Canberra, Medium Density Residential Use SUMMARY The proposed and likely impacts on Box – Gum woodland of future residential development would consist of almost the total removal of the woodland within Block 9 Section 64 Watson and the Negus Crescent road reserve. Consideration of the consequences of approving medium density residential development on this 4 hectare block needs to encompass the cumulative effects of removing further Box – Gum woodland from the area of a successful breeding event of the Regent Honeyeater, and the impacts on the adjoining 18ha Justice Robert Hope Park (JRHP) woodland reserve, as well as impacts from removing valuable habitat from the site itself. The site contains a number of important habitat trees of considerable age. It should also be considered that the proposal would substantially undermine the successful efforts of a committed community group to protect and enhance the ecological values of the adjoining JRHP. RECOMMENDATIONS The Watson Community Association (WCA) urges that: 1. The proposed release of Section 64 Block 9 for Medium Density Residential development not be agreed by the Australian Government. 2. The Australian Government impose conditions on any new approved development of Block 9 Section 64 to protect the environmental value of the remnant native vegetation and the nearby environmental assets including enhancements by the local community 3. The Australian Government not accept JRHP as a suitable offset. Instead it should require ACT to nominate the location of a new reserve supporting Box Gum woodland to compensate for cumulative losses due to recent and proposed development involving the clearing of Box – Gum woodland in inner north Canberra. 4. The Australian Government determine through a credible process an appropriate offset based on full information from the ACT Government on recent and proposed development involving the clearing of Box – Gum woodland in inner north Canberra. 5. A credible strategic assessment of the area such as was recently undertaken for Gunghalin be undertaken to provide a stronger scientific basis for decision- making on offsets in the inner north Canberra. 6. A condition of consent for such future developments in the inner north should be that the horse paddocks located between JRHP and Mount Majura Nature 1 Page Watson Community Association 2013 Reserve are dedicated as the offset and rezoned as Nature Reserve or equivalent. 7. Alternative, less intensive development of the site for commercial enterprise - not residential development - should be required to reduce environmental impacts and population pressures on the neighbouring 16ha Justice Robert Hope Park reserve. 8. The Australian Government require the proposed 100 metre fire protection buffer be undertaken within the development footprint for any approved new development of the site. 9. The Australian Government impose conditions that will reduce the significant impacts of any approved development of Block 9 on the Box –Gum Woodland EEC located in the adjoining JRHP; a. all trees at the eastern end of Block 9 must be retained within the development in an open space area to maintain some of the current connectivity. b. stormwater emanating from the site must be redirected to an alternative drainage system through the adjoining Majura Rise development, and not via a lengthy pipeline through and into the JRHP. c. a new boundary fence between JRHP and Negus Cres must be constructed prior to commencement of any road works or construction activity on Block 9. d. Any new development must be established and enforced as a cat-free area to reduce impacts on wildlife using JRHP and the nearby Majura Nature Reserve. e. The road verges of Negus Cres must be planted with a low growing native grass and with Yellow Box trees. f. Lighting should be required to be designed to specifications that are known to be fauna friendly. BACKGROUND The proposed and likely impacts on box – gum woodland of future residential development would consist of almost the total removal of the woodland within 9/64 Watson and the Negus Crescent road reserve. Canberra’s long term planning for this site has been for broad-acre not intensive residential development, and this is potentially consistent with retention of its ecological values. Planning intentions included residential use ancillary to these entertainment, recreation and leisure uses, but shortly after self-government planning intentions were altered to include intensive residential development. Strong community advocacy against this proposed residential development of the woodland, not ACT Government planning processes, led to the establishment of JRHP in 2000-02. Development of Section 64 was not imminent at that time, and JRHP was not an offset for that proposal. 2 Page Watson Community Association 2013 The WCA recognised the value of this environmental asset and promoted it in the Canberra community with a scientific report it commissioned in the late 1990s (Gilles 2000). Watson community volunteers have been involved for the past 12 years in rehabilitating and enhancing JRHP, and many thousands of hours have been committed to rehabilitating the woodland. A number of community events have celebrated these achievements and the woodland is noted in the 2004 Neighbourhood plan as one of the most valued features of the nearby suburb of Watson. Separate social and other planning issues arising from ongoing ad hoc development and redevelopment of north Watson are not addressed in this submission. However, like these social issues, environmental issues are being poorly addressed due to urban planning which is ad hoc and does not quickly reflect advances in scientific knowledge in the environmental sciences. Like the reserved box-gum woodland on JRPH, the woodland remnant on this proposed development has recently been recognised as a specific vegetation type called Yellow Box ± Apple Box tall grassy woodland of the South Eastern Highlands. It includes most likely only a few remnants within the ACT (and region), which are not currently reserved for nature conservation. There are 46 woodland trees of significance mapped on the 4 ha project site, and 25 of these trees contain tree hollows. Scientific studies have demonstrated that large profusely flowering and hollow-bearing native trees provide the favoured foraging and potential breeding habitat for a range of common native birds and federally listed endangered and vulnerable species. Indeed in the important and highly relevant study published in a peer reviewed scientific journal in 2012 (Armstrong et al. 2012) an investigation of the characteristics of important localised NSW and ACT plant communities have found that the newly identified sub-type of Box-Gum woodland found at north Watson is highly limited in its distribution and may need active management or protection to ensure its survival. The five sites in north Canberra contain little more than 100 hectares in aggregate, including all those in Watson, Hackett and Gungahlin. This gives a perspective on the importance of preserving remaining remnants of whatever condition, even 4 ha, especially where a local community is actively engaged and committed to restoration work, and declining woodland birdlife and other degradation is already evident from development near the endangered Box Gum woodland reserve in the past 3 years. DISCUSSION ACT planning processes have failed to protect this rare Box - Gum ecological community in inner north Canberra, resulting also in failure to protect rare ACT habitat for endangered and threatened species. In part this has been because of undue emphasis in the quality of the understorey in 3 definitions of the quality of the threatened Box –Gum woodland ecology. This subtype Page Watson Community Association 2013 of lowland woodland such as at north Watson may have high quality tree habitat including woodland species such as the Swift Parrot and Gang Gangs, and a location in an area of documented successful breeding events for threatened or endangered migratory woodland birds such as the Regent Honeyeater, yet be inappropriately considered to be in only ‘moderate’ or ‘poor’ condition, and by implication, of limited or no conservation value. Watson Community Association supports suitable proposals for development of the site that is consistent with protecting the environmental values of the area. However, the current proposal is not consistent with the ACT public land manager’s duty of care to protect and enhance the rare environmental asset represented by this endangered grassy box-gum woodland subtype. The proposed development will have significant impacts on JRHP which are discussed in more detail below. Alternative use of the site for commercial enterprise rather than residential development should be considered to reduce increased people pressures on the small Justice Robert Hope Park reserve. Prime TV is an existing suitable neighbouring development because it does not create significant recreation pressure on the woodland and can accommodate some of the large mature Yellow Box trees within its grounds. The trees on 9/64 currently assist in providing connectivity between JRHP and a nearby