Minister must respond as Yamba community unite against dangerous floodplain developments
25 January 2024 - In a petition to the NSW Legislative Council, Yamba residents have demanded stop work orders at two proposed local development sites, citing unacceptable and unknown new flood risks and irreversible native species loss. Petitions regarding proposed development at 52-54 Miles Street and 120 Carrs Drive have each been signed by over 500 concerned residents and will be tabled in State Parliament by Sue Higginson MLC on the 6th of February. Both meet the threshold of signatories that requires an official response from the Minister for Planning.
Statement from Sue Higginson MLC
Greens MP and spokesperson for planning and environment Sue Higginson said: “This is gutsy and urgent community organising. Tearing down bushland and filling and burying complex wetland ecosystems is criminal in the face of the catastrophic impacts of climate change. The community is rightly concerned that developers are taking advantage of our broken planning laws so that they can make a profit.
“To make matters worse this is development for housing, it is incomprehensible that after the floods we have been through in the northern rivers we could even contemplate putting more people in homes on these extremely low lying floodplains. It is dangerous and will have harmful impacts on people, property and the natural environment.
“Our planning system is currently not fit for purpose and it is putting developers profits above local communities, their safety and our fragile coastal environments. We need to have a scientific, long term and strategic approach to land use on floodplains and at the moment in Yamba it is the community leading this charge calling to rezone this land for community recreation and biodiversity conservation. We now need the Minns Government to take the reins and stop these dangerous developments.”