Rodney Stevens

The Draft Plan of Management (PoM) for the Brooms Head Reserve will be revised with input from the local steering committee and the Yaegl people after Clarence Valley Councillors voted not to adopt the draft plan.

When concern about the lack of detail in the draft PoM was raised by the Brooms Head community steering group, it was proposed to prepare a site plan for the reserve while Crown Lands review the new new PoM.

But at the February 27 council meeting, Cr Ian Tiley put forward a motion that was seconded by Cr Debrah Novak:

1. That council not endorse this draft PoM for forwarding to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPH&I-Crown Lands)
2. That Council amend the current 1998 PoM to incorporate the relevant up to date legislation and PoM guidelines template currently in draft PoM, and to include the required detailed information as outlined in the “Revised PoM guidelines January 2024” and the “Coastal Crown Guidelines October 2023”
3. That the Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (YTOAC) be invited to provide advice to Council for inclusion in the PoM on the components, details and other matters that are important to the Corporation.
4. That Council conduct further consultation with the steering Group Committee in the above preparation of the amended PoM 5.
5. That Council does not prepare a detailed Site Plan (Masterplan or Development Plan) until the amended PoM is adopted.

When Cr Karen Toms asked Director Environment and Planning, Adam Cameron whether updating the 1995 PoM for the Brooms Head Reserve would be sufficient to satisfy the planning department, he replied that the previous PoM is no longer in effect and council is required to prepare a new PoM in accordance with NSW government guidelines.

Cr Tiley said he understood the previous PoM is still in effect until a new plan is amended, which takes into account the revised PoM guidelines of January this year and the coastal crown guidelines of October last year.

Cr Steve Pickering then said he had new information, a letter sent from the Department of Crown Lands to a Brooms Head resident indicating the original plan of management was still in effect, confirming Cr Tiley’s statement.

Councillors voted unanimously to permit the letter Cr Pickering received to be tabled.

Cr Toms then foreshadowed a motion to defer the matter until the March 2024 meeting to allow council staff time to address the advice in the letter tabled by Cr Pickering.

“The community has been highlighting that the draft PoM does not adequately address several issues, is not designed to resolve the concerns of the community and would provide very minimal benefit to residents,” Cr Tiley said.

“The community is rightly demanding that the new PoM is written in such a way that its enforceable, rather than mere motherhood aspirational provisions which could be ignored.”

Cr Tiley said he was advised the night before the meeting by the traditional owners, the Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation that they do not accept the draft PoM and desire to be able to give direct input to the PoM to ensure that the Native Title Act is implemented.

He said CVC as the Crown Land manager can’t adopt the PoM until they get written advice from the Native Title manager.

The motion was passed six votes to three, with Cr’s Johnstone, Toms and Whaites voting against.