Environmentalists welcome decision

The Land and Environment Court decision to prevent development on Catholic land at the corner of Veron Rd and Hillview St in Woy Woy has been welcomed by Peninsula environmentalists.

The decision will be of great benefit to vulnerable native species and also for local residents, according to Ms Shirley Hotchkiss, one of the environmentalists who initiated opposition to the land's development.

The court decision has confirmed the bushland as Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland, an endangered ecological community, said Ms Hotchkiss.

Ms Hotchkiss said Gosford Council should be congratulated for defending the matter in the Land and Environment Court.

She said the court's decision reflected community support "across a broad political spectrum".

"I hope the Catholic Church will now donate this land to Gosford Council or arrange to have it placed in trust, so that its bush can be managed and restored.

"I understand this land was initially donated to the Catholic Church by a community member, so it would be fitting to have it donated back to the community," Ms Hotchkiss said.

"Although this bushland is just a small block on the Woy Woy Peninsula, it provides crucial habitat for species already vulnerable to extinction. These include glossy black cockatoo, barking owl, and grey-headed flying fox. Preserving this bushland will reduce the risk of extinction for these native animals and birds."

She said she would support the formation of a community-based bushcare group if the land was placed in trust.

Press release, February 22 Shirley Hotchkiss