Residents at Mirador are vowing to continue their battle against the clearing that would take place to create stage 13 of the Mirador development with plans to take legal action and a petition to the NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts.
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There is concern that a DA that is over 30 years old can continue to be valid without any review. In the intervening time bio-diversity laws have changed considerably to help protect eco-systems, flora and fauna.
The group called Save Tura Beach Biodiversity have started a GoFundMe page. They have a $12,000 fundraising goal to help with legal costs and have raised over $2700 in the first four days.
They also have an online petition which they want to present to NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts and NSW Environment Minister James Griffin. The petition raises the issue of sleeping development applications some that are over 30 years old, such as the one in Mirador and how they can put critical habitats and endangered species at risk throughout NSW.
Council says its hands are tied because the DA is current, having been started, albeit some 30 years ago.
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The group is hoping to put pressure on the NSW State Government and in particular the Planning Minister, in a bid to get changes made so that long-term DAs can be reviewed to fall into line with more recent regulations around bio-diversity. They said it was not the time to allow wanton destruction of old growth trees, and rich natural habitats.
On Friday, July 15 around 100 people attended the proposed development site where 10ha is proposed to be cleared for development.
Greens MP Cate Faehrmann attended the rally, as part of a tour of similar sites up and down the coast.
She explained to the group that these remnant coastal pockets of threatened species habitat were more crucial then ever, after the fires have decimated so much of the inland forests.
Ms Faehrmann hopes NSW Environment Minister James Griffin may take action to close the planning loophole, and further, offer to buy back the land from developers and secure it as National Park estate.
The GoFundMe page is called Save Tura Beach biodiversity from development. The petition 'Stop the Zombies that threaten wildlife & biodiversity in NSW' is on change.org.
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