The SLEP 2009 Review Group was established in September 2009 as a resource to review the detail of the Draft SLEP 2009. Its members consist of people from the majority of Shoalhaven Community Consultative Bodies, environmental and community groups. The detail contained in the following submission is the considered opinion of all the member groups.  The Review Group has provided Shoalhaven City Council with submissions on all aspects of the Draft SLEP2009, however believe that it is important that you receive a concise record for the research and observations carried out by representatives of our member organisations.

We intend to submit a separate submission on each key issue within the Draft SLEP 2009.

Sincerely,  Alan J Burrows, for and on behalf of: SLEP 2009 Review Group

SLEP 2009 Review Group - member organisations:  (new members are very welcome)

Huskisson Woollamia Community Voice; Basin Villages Forum; Red Head Villages Association; Ulladulla and Districts Community Forum; Hyams Beach Villagers Association; Vincentia Ratepayers and Residents Association; Lake Wollumboola Protection Association; Kangaroo Valley Community Association; Berry Alliance; Currarong Progress Association; Friends of 2538; Bawley Point-Kioloa Progress Association; Tomerong Forum; Lake Conjola Lakecare Assoc; Budgong Community Group; Shoalhaven Branch of the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Key Issue Summary - Maximum Building Heights in the SLEP 2009   Key Issue Summary - Environment and Natural Resource Issues in SLEP 2009

Huskisson draft Zones Map.  A list of Huskisson SLEP 2009 issues has been compiled by Alan Burrows - this list has wider application to many parts of Shoalhaven City, and is a useful starting point for CCB responses.   See Steve Murphy’s personal website on draft R3 Medium Density zones (with special reference to Huskisson) here:  sites.google.com/site/huskissonr3zones    Info on Huskisson ‘Airport’ (i.e. cleared runways in pine forest west of Huskisson).

2 May, 2012 - LEP move is an affront

South Coast Register - Letters:  http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/news/opinion/letters/general/lep-move-is-an-affront/2541624.aspx

The urgency motion by Councillor Greg Watson to delegate local environment plan decisions to a committee is an affront to democracy. The ability for interested community members to engage in the LEP process will be reduced. But worse still, councillors who can’t attend will get away with being able to say they didn’t vote for the LEP changes.  The community wants all councillors to vote for the LEP changes at a full meeting so there is no question about who is responsible for the inappropriate planning decisions being made.

J. Field, Manyana.

SCR web comment  by Cllr John Fergusson:  I couldn't agree more! That's why with the support of Councillors Findlay and Proudfoot I submitted a rescission motion at the end of the (full) Council Meeting on 24th April. That rescission motion is due to be dealt with on Tues 15th May. Hopefully by then the majority of Councillors will have come to recognize that if we are going to allow opportunistic 'spot rezonings', let the applications be dealt with by full Council, rather than buried in a committee process. Posted by John Fergusson, 2/05/2012 1:48:47 PM, on South Coast Register

1 May 2012 (am):  Alan Burrows interviewed by Murray Peters on radio 2ST (91.7 FM or  999 AM) 

Here is a summary of points made by Alan about the SLEP, and provides a good overview of the current state of play in the city.

25 April 2012: [Our Shoalhaven] Campaign is after 10,000 signatures  South Coast Register:  http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/news/local/news/general/campaign-is-after-10000-signatures/2533116.aspx

The Our Shoalhaven community campaign has launched a campaign to collect 10,000 signatures on a petition supporting a strong community voice in local planning. “The petition is directed at both local council and the state government requesting that the community’s views be considered and reflected in the local environment plan,” said SLEP Review Group convenor Alan Burrows.  Mr Burrows said the goal of 10,000 signatures was “important because that is enough to trigger a debate in state parliament on this issue if we are ignored by council. “Petitions are a great way to have a conversation with the local community,” he added.

“We are asking our members and supporters and the general public to download the petition, put it in their local shop or get their neighbours, friends and family to sign it and send it back to the Our Shoalhaven team.”  Mr Burrows said the petition’s key request was that councillors read the many public submissions and properly consider the merits of community recommendations.

MEDIA RELEASE  - 10 April 2012

Frustration turns to community action in Shoalhaven planning review

The community group reviewing the draft Shoalhaven Local Environment Plan, has launched a community awareness campaign called ‘Our Shoalhaven’ to raise awareness within the community about what it sees as a failure of Shoalhaven City Council to listen to what the public wants from its new Local Environment Plan.

SLEP Review Group Convenor Alan Burrows said, “We have launched the ‘Our Shoalhaven’ campaign which is about giving the community a real voice in planning decisions in the Shoalhaven. “It is just so frustrating that after months of preparing submissions and attending meetings the community seems to be being ignored by council. We’ve decided to turn that frustration around and reach out to the community with this campaign,” Mr Burrows said.

The Our Shoalhaven website will be an information resource for the community to follow the progress of the LEP through council. The community can sign up to receive our regular email newsletters and follow the campaign on facebook.

Group members feel the Shoalhaven public has been sidelined. “The preferred strategy in some quarters seems less about engaging with us, than in shutting us down,” said Keith Learn from Kangaroo Valley. “We have consulted directly with our communities, we meet and talk regularly. Then we hear from some sources, that our views are unrepresentative, or we are verballed as supposedly anti-development.”  “We hope these online tools become a great resource for the community to really see how our councillors are dealing with these important planning issues that impact our future.”

Frances Bray of Culburra Beach is concerned that the majority of councillors are ignoring the purpose of the Shoalhaven Local Environment Plan to provide a vision and strategic land use framework to address the environmental, social and economic challenges that the Shoalhaven Community will face over the next 20 years. Ms Bray said, “It is disturbing that a majority of councillors are shutting down consideration and debate of recommendations from expert staff, government departments and community representatives, contrary to their responsibilities to consider and assess issues on merit. This practice applied in particular to recommendations aimed at enhancing environment protection.”   

Our Shoalhaven - ourshoalhaven.com   - Petition -97kb   - Poster -622kb

Media Contacts:

Alan Burrows:       4441 8855

Frances Bray:        4447 2185

Keith Learn:          4465 1117

4 April 2012:  the following Letter to the Editor appeared in the South Coast Register.  SCR link:  http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/news/opinion/letters/general/why-have-staff-if-you-ignore-them/2511057.aspx

Reading your article (SCR, March 28) makes one wonder why council pays for professional planning staff since the majority of the attending councillors are willing to overthrow their recommendations again and again (only councillors Fergusson and Findlay consistently support community submissions and staff).

In a meeting between three Valley residents, then mayor Greg Watson and head of planning (since retired) Ernie Royston in early 2008, on a matter unrelated to the LEP, we were told by Cr Watson that we should not worry about the LEP because “there is little change for Kangaroo Valley”.

What absolute rubbish this advice was! Rural buildings up to 11 metres high, helipads in the village, loss of important environmental protections, spot rezoning … the list could fill your paper.

I have sat through many of the current round of Special Development Committee meetings and they are not very special at all.  Of all the issues highlighted in your article, that of the spot rezonings and subdivisions submitted as part of the draft LEP exhibition process, is the worst.  Some lucky residents stand to make windfall profits from subdivision in areas where general manager Russ Pigg advised councillors there was no strategic necessity for same.  Why are these ad hoc decisions being made?  Why are 33 of them presented by just three major local consultancy firms?  Why are these requests not being dealt with under the normal process of notification to neighbours; compliance with the various planning documents including the South Coast Regional Strategy, the Nowra-Bomaderry Structure Plan and others?

Unfortunately, when no answers or explanations are forthcoming the community tends to fill in the answers itself. Perhaps ICAC needs to ask the questions.

Every one of those who made a submission (all 3000 plus) should take heed – your submissions are, generally, being ignored.

B. Woodney,  Kangaroo Valley.

28 March 2012:  the following article appeared in the South Coast Register:  article here

21 March 2012:  Railroaded on airports - SCR Letters - South Coast Register link: http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/news/opinion/letters/general/railroaded-on-airports/2495397.aspx   Last Thursday [5 March 2012], at council’s special LEP Development Committee Meeting, a small group of Shoalhaven’s councillors treated with disdain the objections of hundreds of residents and the recommendation of council’s planning staff that council “remove ‘air transport facilities’ as a permissible use (with consent) from the land use tables in RU1 and RU2 zones”. 

Councillors voted four to two in favour of a motion, put by Councillor Fergusson and seconded by Councillor Proudfoot, for “the inclusion of Air Transport Facilities across the RU1 and RU2 zones in the Shoalhaven LEP”.  This now leaves in place the prospect of an airport anywhere considered suitable in these zones.   From the gallery, I was appalled to observe how, in the diluted committee meeting environment with only six out of our elected 13 councillors present, the future direction of the Shoalhaven in this matter was determined. The outcome reflected neither the wishes of residents nor the recommendations of our professional council planners, but rather the will of only four councillors.  Are residents willing to put up with this “railroading”, in an important LEP process that takes our lifestyle into the next 15 years?  J. Burgess, Jaspers Brush.

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