Environment -
The issues relating to the shooting development are many and are summarized on the home page of this site.
Critical wildlife corridor
The site is centred in an area that has been identified as providing an east-west fauna movement pathway between sandstone plateaux in the Nattai and Nepean areas and the north-south pathway between Blue Mountains and Woronora Plateau. This is recognised in the very significant study undertaken as a joint project between the Sydney Catchment Authority and the Parks and Wildlife Group of the Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW. This study is titled "Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna of the Greater Southern Sydney Region 2007" ("GSSR").
Following the release of the Government's Environmental Assessment the HTRAG had reports prepared by independent experts in the areas of flora, fauna, soil conservation, water, noise, road safety and fire. Expert opinions on Environmental Assessment
An environmental assessment to challenge reasonableness
Everyone of these experts declared that "no reasonable person" could approve the project on the basis of the inadequacies of the Environmental Assessment.
These findings were presented forcefully to the IHAP enquiry in May 2008 by Tim Robertson SC on behalf of HTRAG.
No response was received to these points and in February 2009 the Minister for Planning Kristina approved the development.
Does spring precede or follow the bulldozers? The survey that wasn't
The minister's approval did require "additional spring surveys" before any work was done on the site. However the Government is currently seeking expedited hearing of the case raised against the development in the Land and Environment Court to enable clearing to be completed before the spring-summer breeding season commences in November.
When details of the minister's approval appeared (unheralded) on the Department of Planning Website (see link above), there was a reference to a Supplementary Spring Survey October 2008. It appeared the Government might be going to rely on this survey to meet its "additional spring surveys" condition. However the survey was conducted before the stipulation of "additional surveys" and can thus not be considered "additional to what was at the Minister's hand at the time of the approval.
This survey admitted its own limitations due to short time of survey and inclement weather conditions. Dr David Milledge prepared a review of this supplementary survey which is highly critical of the survey and details its specific inadequacies. See David Milledge report here.