News and Reviews
Carrs Dr development approved on appeal
Carrs Dr development approved on appeal
By Tim Howard
Clarence Valley Council continues to approve developments on land that is in danger of flooding.
At its October meeting the councillors overturned their decision in April to knock back a proposal for a six-lot subdivision at 181 Carrs Dr, Yamba.
The council was asked to review its decision after the developers amended the DA to address the issues raised in April.
They were:
a) The land being a wetland (swamp forest of swamp oak) making it unsuitable for the proposed development;
b) The nine submissions raised major concerns about the potential for flooding, impacts of stormwater runoff and clearing of natural vegetation.
c) The likely impacts of the development on the natural environment;
d) Impact on areas of C2 zoning for some infrastructure.
In a report to the October meeting council staff recommended the DA be approved as the amended document address the reasons for refusal.
The proposal for six large lots, with a minimum lot size of 5000 square metres, was zoned R5 Rural, with a section of the sixth lot zone C2 Conservation.
Councillors objected to effluent disposal on the C2 area, the blocking of a wildlife corridor through the site for the Yuraygir and Bundjalung national parks and the flood prone nature of the site, which had been inundated during the 2022 floods in February and March.
The developer requested a review of the refusal after making changes to the DA which removed infrastructure on the C2 area as well as restricting the building envelope for structures on the other lots.
The developers also argued the site was not a mapped wetland or located with 100m of a wetland as indicated by State Environmental Planning Policy.
In a Biodiversity Diversity Assessment Report, it said the plant community type, swamp oak forest, did not constitute a wetland community type, but rather, was vegetation aligned with swamp oak forest.
There was a similar rationale to account for the presence of a paperbark swamp forest located nearby but not affected by the development.
The land was considered suitable for the proposed development because the biodiversity impact could be offset under the terms of the Biodiversity Offset Scheme.
Subdivision plan showing location of building envelope outside of C2 zone
Other issues of flooding, impacts on the environment were also considered to have have been satisfactorily amended.
Cr Karen Toms, who supported the original development, moved to also accept the revised DA.
Cr Debrah Novak wanted to know what changes had had been made and director environment and planning Andrew Cameron answered.
“All infrastructure for the proposed lat six has been relocated outside the C2 environmental conservation zone and a reduction in building envelope size for the proposed lots two to six from 20 by 20 to 15 by 20,” he said.
“So they’re the two main changes that have been made in response to the previous council report.”
Cr Greg Clancy was not convinced changes were sufficient.
“While, I note that the there is no map wetlands on the site or being impacted, the fact that there were swamp oaks of coastal lowlands of the NSW North Coast bio-region and there’s 0.415ha to be impacted, flags to me that the site is a very low lying site and would be subject to flooding,” he said.
“And this was an issue that I was concerned about during the original DA when it was before council previously.
“I still have concerns that it is too low lying and it is basically a swamp even if it’s not mapped as such.”
He said there needed to be changes to stop people building in flood prone areas.
“I do not think we should be approving housing in areas which are most likely to be flooding,” he said.
“And I think that might be one in 20 or something like that rather than one and 100. So, to me, it’s not good planning to be putting houses in areas that are quite likely to flood.”
But Cr Toms said the rules were the rules.
“Under the Environment Planning and Assessment Act 1979, people have an opportunity for a review under Section 8.28 of that Act. And that’s what has happened,” she said.
“The applicant has requested a further review of their determination and they have made some changes to to rectify the concerns that were caused that caused the refusal the last time.”
“So they’re tweaked to make concessions to their subdivision to satisfy the reasons why it was refused last time. So that’s the process. That’s their lawful right.”
The council voted 7-2 to approve the DA.
For more local Clarence Valley news, click here.
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Greyhound runt wins maiden race
By Samantha Elley
Australians love nothing more than a good underdog story and the life of Butcher is definitely that.
Butcher had a tough beginning when he was born the runt of the greyhound litter belonging to Lyndall Beaumont and Brad Northfield of Backmede.
“He was the runt but also his mother rolled over and lied on him,” said Lyndall.
“We thought he was dead as he was lifeless.
“(Brad) was going to the greyhound committee and he said, ‘He’s dead. Throw him in the bin.’ He was used to it.”
But Lyndall knew she couldn’t do that, so she wrapped the puppy up warm and started massaging him.
“He came back to life!” she said
“I got an eye dropper and got special milk from the vet and I took him to bed for the next two weeks and got up every few hours, like a baby, and gave him a few drops of milk.”
Butcher with his owners Courtesy Casino Greyhound Racing Club Facebook page
Lyndall said Butcher was so tiny he fit in the palm of her hand.
“Brad told me to put him back with his mother, and she rolled on him again,” said Lyndall.
“So from then on I said I was keeping him inside.”
Butcher, which is his racing name, is now a normal size for a greyhound.
He was named after David ‘Butcher’ McLeod, for all his help during trialling at the race track.
“(Butch) goes above and beyond with the trials,” said Lyndall.
“He always wanted someone to call a dog after him, so we called ours Butcher.”
Earlier this month, Butcher showed what he was made of when he won his maiden race at the Casino Greyhound races.
Brad has admitted to the Casino Greyhound Racing Club that none of that would have been possible if not for Lyndall nursing Butcher back to life and willing the puppy to survive.
“(Butcher is) special,” said Lyndall.
“It is like he is human.”
Lyndall knows there is more to come in Butcher’s racing career.
For more local news, click here.
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