Peninsula Community Access Edition 370
News Phone 4325 7369 Fax 4321 0940
22 June 2015
More time granted to Bells developer The developer of the controversial Bells Living and Bells Green development proposals at Killcare has been successful in asking Gosford Council for more time to consult with the community.
This site in Booker Bay Rd was deemed to be a site of significant Aboriginal Cultural Heritage in 2012
Work halted at aboriginal burial ground Work has come to a halt on a Booker Bay development after it was claimed to have damaged a culturallysignificant aboriginal burial ground. The Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council has claimed that excavation for a new building had “significantly damaged” a shell midden and that Gosford Council was responsible for providing incorrect information which allowed it to occur. Gosford Council had written to the developer stating “that the site was clear for development” and it “did not declare the previously identified requirements for an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit”, according to Darkinjung CEO Mr Sean Gordon “It’s just heartbreaking to see a potential site of our collective history bulldozed over because of an administrative error, oversight or any other reason,” he said. “Despite the damage to the site and potential breaches of the National Parks and Wildlife Act, we remain committed to working with all relevant parties to develop an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit for the site so that works can proceed. “With an increased awareness of our culture and history, we can all ensure that we’re protecting our shared history. “Together, we can make sure that errors like this don’t ever happen again,” he said.
According to Mr Gordon, the recent history surrounding the site in Booker Bay Rd, Booker Bay started in July 1970 when aboriginal remains were found within property. In April 2010, a development application was made for the property by its former owner. Then in June 2010, an initial inspection reported the possible presence of an Aboriginal burial ground and shell midden. The site was then registered with the Office of Environment and Heritage’s Aboriginal Information Management System. In April 2012, the property’s former owners commissioned a report on the property by Austral Archaeology. Austral determined, among other things, that the entire study area was considered to be of high potential significance and any subsurface activity in the study area could have had an adverse impact on the important site, Mr Gordon said. The Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council formally responded to Austral Archaology in June 2012 and suggested further investigation was warranted. “In July 2012, Gosford Council received notice from Office of Environment and Heritage that recommended an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit and strict compliance with its terms,” Mr Gordon said. According to Mr Gordon,
between August 2012 and February 2015, the property was sold to its new owner, Urban Growth NSW. “The new owner demolished the existing dwelling on the property and developed a new dwelling under State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP, Affordable Rental Housing) 2009,” Mr Gordon said. “In February 2015, the Office of Environment and Heritage received a report of damage by construction works to a registered shell midden on the site.” “For more than five years we’ve been working with Gosford Council, various state government departments and the former owner of a property in Booker Bay to properly determine the cultural significance of the site,” Mr Gordon said. “It’s extremely disappointing that after all this time, diligence and effort from so many people, we now have an unapproved construction sitting on top of a potentially culturally significant site. “As a community here on the Central Coast and especially on the Woy Woy Peninsula, there is a strong recognition of the importance of our heritage. “This is not just aboriginal heritage, this is Australian heritage.” Media release, 10 June 2015 Ashleigh Milne, Brilliant Logic
The decision follows a previous abortive attempt to reverse a previous decision of the council, where the council did not have enough councillors in the chamber to make the decison. The process started at the council’s May 12 meeting, when it decided to defer voting on the development proposal and instead decided to arrange a site visit. That site visit was then put on hold at the request of the developer. At its May 26 meeting, the council was unable to rescind its motion from May 12 due to the lack of a quorum. Council’s latest meeting, held on Tuesday, June 9, did secure a successful vote to rescind the May
12 resolutions. Councillors then passed a new substantive motion that: “At the request of the applicant this matter be deferred for the applicant to consult with the community, after this consultation the site inspection take place at a future date”. Each time the Bells Living and Bells Green development proposal has come before Council, general manager Mr Paul Anderson and Councillors McKinna, Bowles, Bocking, Morris and McFadyen have each declared some degree of personal interest in the development. On the latest occasion, once those with significant interests left the chamber, Cr Bocking moved that the recommendation to rescind the previous resolution and Cr Ward seconded the motion. A further motion was then voted on and adopted, that a site visit be arranged for a later date if required. Gosford Council agenda NM.4, 9 June 2015
Bells at Killcare
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