Rodney Stevens
Three James Creek locals made strong deputations to the July Clarence Valley Council meeting highlighting more than 16 issues with the controversial development proposal that was previously rejected by the Northern Regional Planning Panel in July 2023.
Mr Allan Adamson and Mrs Lorri and Mr Glenn Brown made deputations on behalf of the James Creek Residents Action Group about issues involving DA2023/0759 for a 290-lot subdivision and childcare centre at lot 104 James Creek Road, James Creek.
Before residents presented to Clarence Valley Council prior to the July 23 Council meeting, Mr Peter Bell spoke for the development on behalf of the owner of the site Kahuna No 1 Pty Ltd.
As Mayor Peter Johnstone and Cr Ian Tiley are members of the Northern Regional Planning Panel NRPP they left the chambers during the deputations.
Mr Bell spoke about the modifications to the DA that was refused by the NRPP on June 29, 2023, and that the site was zoned for the proposal.
Owner of land opposite the proposed development site, Mr Adamson said he and his wife had lived in James Creek for 32 years and they weren’t opposed to development.
He said stormwater was a critical issue as 86 per-cent of the stormwater from the site runs directly into his property and the modelling used for stormwater by the developer was last updated in 2009.
Mr Adamson said this was the third attempt by the developer to get the DA passed which he believes ‘doesn’t sit within the framework’ for the James Creek area.
“We don’t need a Lego Land style development in James Creek…stormwater design and road network are critical,” he said.
“This actual proposal is worse than the last one, from what I can see.”
Mr Adamson said the proposal didn’t comply with Council’s Development Control Plan for the area which is to provide “urban release areas that will maximise opportunity for urban development in a socially, economically, and environmentally suitable manner,” which he said this DA doesn’t address.
He said at a recent meeting of residents they discussed developing a masterplan for James Creek to ensure any future development in the area is appropriate.
Mr Brown, who has lived at James Creek since 1991, said there had been many changes to the area over the years, all have been good, positive, and with minimal impact on the environment, but this development stands to change all of that, as it is a much poorer proposal that previous versions.
He said the development is proposed on 5.5 hectares less land than the previous DA, with 354 dwellings including multi-units compared to the previous 363 (a 14 per-cent density increase), there is significantly less green space (1 per-cent of the lot) in this DA than previously, and the childcare centre addition was to convince others there is social infrastructure in the area, but will create further traffic issues.
Mrs Brown said the DA is inconsistent with the NSW State Disaster Mitigation Plan 2024-2026 and the North Coast Regional Plan 2041.
“This development application is incomplete, it’s insufficient and it applies inaccurate data,” she said.
Mrs Brown said the changes made in the proposal had resulted in an inferior DA to previous versions that were rejected and amounted to overdevelopment.
“The ramifications of overdevelopment are extensive, enduring, and irreversible,” she said.
“To place the combined populations of Angourie, Lake Wooloweyah, Harwood Island, and Palmers Island on a limited, confined block, with inadequate, or non-existent physical and social infrastructure, and without the provision or the protocols for evacuation or support during a critical incident is over development and poor practice.
“This proposal negatively impacts on the livelihood of neighbouring primary producers.”