A ray of hope on the horizon

At last I see a ray of hope on the horizon.

Mayor Jane Smith's proposal, asking the Deputy of Planning to create a new zone to protect conservation lands, was unanimously endorsed at the NSW Local Government Conference.

This should see the expansion of our Coastal Open Spaces System lands extended throughout the whole of our new Council area.

This will mean that a new zone, E5 Public Conservation, will be applied to all public land designated as conservation land, presently not within National Parks or Reserves.

At last, our Council is a leader and we can be justifiably proud of the local initiative to start and develop these lands, which enable wild life to move more safely through larger areas and to move away from the coast to feed, when necessary, at different times of the year.

It is just unbelievable that at last it will be extended throughout the Central Coast, thus giving consideration to the needs of other animal species that share this space with us, wildlife that is part of the real Australia.

At last, we seem perhaps to have a Council that seriously considers a number of elements that constitute a pleasant and healthy region, not just development, hard surfaces and money.

For the first time in nearly 50 years, I am looking forward with some optimism to the future.

Letter, 11 January 2018

Margaret Lund, Umina