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Thursday, March 14, 2024
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STORY: PAGE 5
STORY: PAGE 10
EPA requests local pesticide spray records By SHARON BONTHUYS THIRTEEN pesticide users and landholders in the Narromine and Warren local government areas (LGAs) have been asked to supply their pesticide records to the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). A spokesperson from the NSW EPA has confi rmed this request is part of a statewide compliance campaign to ensure pesticides are being used safely and appropriately. Compliance with the Pesticides Act 1999 (the Act) requires all pesticide users in NSW to create records within 48 hours of spraying and keep those records for three years. “‘[Locally] the EPA is monitoring the health of vegetation through the Macquarie Valley Pesticides Monitoring Program, which includes visual inspections, vegetation sampling and bulk deposition sampling,” the spokesperson said. “Samples are taken on a regular basis to gather seasonal data on the prevalence and types of pesticides in the environment to inform the EPA’s future regulatory approaches.” Continued page 4
Bush Chooks take on the Big Smoke! STORY & PHOTOS: PAGE 20
Controversial re-zoning proposal faces strong community backlash By SHARON BONTHUYS MATTERS before the Narromine Shire Council for consideration continue to attract controversy as the community makes its views about consultation – or rather, the lack of it – abundantly clear. Social media sites have been awash with commentary and councillors have been bombarded with calls, texts and emails on a proposal discussed at council this week after the meeting papers – including a whopping 622-page planning document – were made publicly available last Friday. All but one page of the novel-length Community and Economic Development (CED) report is devoted to a proposal to amend the Narromine Local Environmental Plan 2011 (LEP) to re-zone almost 100 hectares of land at Narwonah from RU1 (Primary Production) to E5 (Heavy Industrial). If you’ve been reading our paper regularly and the many articles we’ve published about the subject since last November, you’ll know this area just south of Narromine was the site of the proposed anaerobic digestion and gasification plant project put forward by Asia Pacific Waste Solutions Pty Ltd (APWS) – a proposal the council said at the February meeting was no longer being considered.
Narwonah resident Greg McIntyre.
The view from Craigie Lea Lane of the proposed site to be re-zoned at Narwonah. PHOTOS: NARROMINE STAR. At the February meeting, the council presented a proposal to subdivide this area to attract industry to the region, which was deferred so that Narromine Shire councillors could tour the area before making a decision. We understand this tour took place on March 5 and it was expected the deferred decision would be back on the agenda at the March meeting. But, no.
Ahead of the council meeting on March 13, Acting General Manager of Narromine Shire Council and Director of Community and Economic Development, Phil Johnston, told the Narromine Star this had been incorporated into the re-zoning proposal. Having gone to print on the day of the council meeting, our report of what happened at this week’s public forum
and council meeting will feature in next week’s issue. This article takes a brief look at what the re-zoning might mean for the site and surrounding areas, and focuses fi rmly on the issue of community engagement and consultation about the proposal.
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