A group of Crestwood residents say Port Macquarie-Hastings Council will be destroying critically sensitive wetlands and koala habitat if its Ocean Drive upgrade goes ahead on the western side of the roadway.
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The almost 750 metre stretch of the upgrade is from Crestwood Drive roundabout through to Maranatha Place.
The residents are also challenging council on a number of aspects to the road upgrade.
Tom and Barbara Cannon, Peter Varney and Jenny McBain say they have continually voiced their concerns at each community meeting council has hosted on the topic.
The residents say their concerns include, the encroachment onto critically sensitive wetland, increased noise levels, loss of koala habitat, loss of trees, the installation of a four metre wide median strip and a lack of genuine consideration to the works being undertaken on the eastern side of Ocean Drive.
“Specifically, we are very concerned about the duck pond, which is a designated wetland area that directly adjoins Lake Innes,” said Mrs Cannon.
“This is an ecologically endangered space – and that’s according to council’s own maps on its website.
“Council has taken the approach that the works can only be undertaken on the western side of Ocean Drive. We dispute that. Council has said that the eastern side contains ecologically sensitive and high quality vegetation containing Melaleuca biconvexa (paperbark) which is listed as vulnerable under NSW and commonwealth legislation.
This is an ecologically endangered space – and that’s according to council’s own maps on its website.
- Crestwood's Barbara Cannon
“However, consultants Kendall and Kendall also say in one of its reports that it had ‘also identified the southern duck pond as sedge swamp/open water and stated that this community is included in the freshwater wetlands on coastal floodplains of the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South Coast Bioregions NSW TSC Act Threatened Ecological Community’.
“It would appear council will likely destroy a ecologically threatened community as opposed to a ‘vulnerable’ community.”
The residents have also questioned council’s depth of testing in relation to noise. They say that noise monitors were placed at either end of the planned upgrades rather than being strategically placed along the planned route.
As well, the residents say the decision to expand the road footprint between 20 to 27 metres closer to homes, the felling of existing buffer trees and constructing the new road over the duck pond will only increase noise levels.
“Noise travels further and louder over water. We have concerns because council says that noise levels will actually decrease – despite the road being nearer, over water and with a loss of buffer trees.
“This duck pond is a wildlife habitat for all manner of nature including koalas, herons, turtles, water dragons, whistler ducks, cormorants, goannas, egrets to name a few.”
Port Macquarire-Hastings Council’s response will be published separately.