Henrietta Dubb's Diary - 21
We Can't Wait Until Then. This is
Now!
Last time I asked: Where will Op-Shop Mark II come
from?
Someone asked: Wouldn't it be logical for a developer
to provide practical help for such a thing, particularly if this developer were
seeking public approval for a 1000-unit development in the vicinity?
Now that's an interesting idea! And it got me thinking
further. Why should we view that as a bribe. If we are serious about mutual
obligation shouldn't we assume it is already part of our normal way of doing
things?
With that in mind I took a trip to the woodland on the
site of the proposed estate. It is located on the southside of the Bellarine
Highway just opposite the Portarlington Road turnoff. What follows are
questions I now ask about the current owner's use of the land.
How is the future of that ancient treasure to be
safeguarded? It is a fact that it is under threat. A "new" wrecked
motor has been added to the ones already resident. This has happened in last 6
months.
What is being done to protect the delicate eco-system
of this part of the site? Trail-bikes ride around this 400 year-old woodland
leaving their tracks behind. Chain-saws have been used to make sure riders do
not have to negotiate over-hanging bows.
Do I need to go on?
What about water reticulation into Swan Bay? How has
the flow been improved and safeguarded in relation to adjacent wet-lands?
Do I continue?
Has the developer given a response to the repeated
projections of rising sea levels due to global warming across the globe in the
next 50 years? Does not such a possibility make large-scale development
near coasts unwise?
As I say, I'm not waiting for the planning process to
hear how the developer and the developer's plans address these matters. These
are matters that have to be addressed before any planning process gets under
way. We're not idiots. The developer's bona fides would have been
demonstrated by now had a Park Officer been appointed to oversee the ongoing
care, maintenance and development of this little Moonah woodland. We can't wait
until then. This is now.
May 2004
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