Residents fight to save Garden Suburb bushland from development

The fight to preserve bushland along Myall Road adjoining the suburbs of Cardiff and Garden Suburb is heating up following claims that Landcom has damaged valuable habitat while collecting soil samples.

Cardiff resident Stephen Warham said exploratory works were being undertaken on behalf of Landcom by Johnson Civil at the bushland on Myall Road.

"They arrived at Myall Road Bushland on Monday [July 10], ... then proceeded to drive two excavators through the site to 24 locations knocking down trees and flattening bushland which is home to protected and threatened species," Mr Warham said.

Each of the 24 locations were sizeable, he said, measuring about 1.8 metres by 1.8 metres, he said.

"Surely in an environmentally sensitive area there is a more sympathetic method of obtaining those samples?"

Mr Warham said Landcom had conditional approval only, and if certain aspects of their development approval were not met the development may not go ahead.

"It is not appropriate to be undertaking destructive processes prior to obtaining consent that the development can proceed," he said. "There is no stewardship agreement in place ... so you cannot commence destroying parts of the planned area of destruction on speculation that your development will proceed."

The pocket of bushland is critical to the wellbeing of a community which has little or no access to any other valuable green space, Mr Warham said, as well as being home to the black eyed susan, a threatened plant species, as well as the powerful owl, sugar gliders, and microbats.

Father of two Martin Gray said the bushland was used by the whole community, including his two children.

"My daughter goes in there and builds toy camps with her friends, the kids go in there with their mountain bikes, I go running in there, we walk the dog as a family in there, and many other people do as well," Mr Gray said. "It's just really well used by the community and during COVID it was a lifeline, and that's it really, that's all we've got.

"There's not a lot of safe places for the kids to get outside and exercise unless you're getting in the car and driving them which is not ideal. We're telling 'em to get outside and be more active and then we're chopping down all the places for them to do that in."

A lake Macquarie City Council spokesperson said the Regional Planning Panel granted consent for the development in late 2020, for 66 residential lots and three larger lots for medium density housing, retaining 28 hectares of bushland.

"Extensive ecological assessments were undertaken on the site by ecological consultants and reviewed by council's ecologists," a statement to the Newcastle Herald said.

That consent was granted via a "deferred commencement approval" involving conditions such as the development of a conservation offset mechanism, and a vegetation management plan.

"Council appreciates that many local residents have accessed this piece of crown land for recreational activities or simply for the enjoyment of the bushland for a number of years," the statement said.

"The future management of the preserved bushland is intended to provide a balance between preserving and improving the natural vegetation whilst still permitting a level of public access to enable enjoyment of this bushland."

Landcom said through a spokesperson that the residential development within the suburbs of Hillsborough and Garden Suburb aimed to deliver about 105 homes, with at least 30 per cent set aside for affordable housing.

"The Lake Macquarie City Housing Strategy 2021 indicates the area will need 13,700 dwellings to,meet low growth projection trends over the next 10 to 13 years (2036)," the statement said.

Less than a third of the 38 hectare site would be developed, leaving 68 per cent, or about 26 hectares, as "bushland in perpetuity" for conservation purposes.

"Under the conditional development approval geotechnical testing was carried out between July 11 and 12 within the approved development footprint," the statement said.

"As part of the testing process, an excavator was required to dig test pits. The testing pits are used to understand the geological conditions for pavement and retaining wall design to inform future construction plans for the site."