Attempting to 'resolve' the irreconcilable

In 1998 a group of people decided that removing the sand dunes at Town beach was a good idea.

The Ettalong Beach Reserve Plan of Management currently on exhibition is based on that decision.

Other decisions were to "clean up the beach and foreshore, and clean up the scrub at the beachfront. (p9)"

Unfortunately Council has taken on these and other unsustainable decisions, and attempted to justify them.

The main report states that the Council brief for this Plan "required resolution of issues associated with preservation of the beach, conservation of the foreshore reserve's open space, appreciation of the reserve's character, and arrival of the new fast ferry. (p5)"

However the 1998 group's desires cannot be "resolved" with Council responsibilities to manage Crown land.

Council is required to manage Crown land so that "environment protection principles are preserved, natural resources are conserved, and the land and its resources are sustained in perpetuity. (p6)"

The dune report states very clearly that the dune in front of the Club is in excellent condition because the dense vegetation makes it stable.

This statement cannot be resolved with a group's decision in 1998 to have the dunes removed.

A powerful lobby group should not be able to sway Council from its statutory responsibilities.

Further, environmental factors have been highlighted in the eight years since these decisions were made and the process of implementation begun.

Tsunamis provide graphic evidence that preserving and rehabilitating the Peninsula's dune system is our best protection from the increased severity of storms, high seas and windblown sand that are inevitable.

Given this environmental significance, it is interesting to note that the environment report was not placed on exhibition.

As you would expect in a Plan that has irreconcilable aims, the report contains a host of matters that are problematic.

One of these is the vested interest of the Club which is located behind where these works are proposed.

First, the $300,000 Deed of Agreement between the Club and Council indicates why, against all common sense, Council is prioritising this area that is in least need of work, and is neglecting areas in the Reserve that need urgent remediation.

Second, I refer to the illustration used to sell Resort apartments off-the-plan several years ago.

It shows a completely flat, turfed and cemented area in front of the Club-Resort.

There is no dune or dune vegetation.

This picture suggests why vested business interests now complain that this Plan does not go far enough in destruction of the dune and its vegetation.

The EBRPOM is fundamentally flawed.

It attempts to resolve and reconcile matters that are not able to be reconciled.

It advocates destruction of a healthy dune and its vegetation.

I urge Peninsula residents to view the exhibited documents either at Woy Woy Library or on Gosford Council's website, and to submit their views to the Lands Department by August 30.

Shirley Hotchkiss, Umina