Ed,
A special peer review was commissioned as a result of the deferral of the “Parkside” development application for 136 moveable dwellings at 8 Park Ave Yamba because of stormwater and flooding issues. That review found several glaring deficiencies in the proposal and the flooding report that had been used to support the development.
The Northern Rivers Planning Panel (NRPP) which is to make a final decision on whether there will be an adverse outcome if the 136 homes plus a clubhouse goes ahead meets again on 26 Oct 22. Both the developer and Clarence Valley Council (CVC) are required to make their submissions (in writing) seven days prior to the meeting. The CVC response has been published and it might have been written by the developer! It dismisses the peer review’s findings as too conservative and relies on the previous report (which proved totally inadequate during the February and March floods of 2022!). Residents abutting the development site in Yamba Road, Barbara Close, Telopea Ave, The Halyard, Wattle Drive and Park Avenue itself were SEVERELY affected by both stormwater and riverine flooding (there were fish swimming in front yards along Yamba Rd) yet there is still more fill to be dumped on the site before the 136 homes are positioned there.
The CVC response states that the residents of the new homes will be able to evacuate to the Yamba Bowling Club (Yamba’s evacuation centre) because the Park Ave site is within three km from the bowlo: BUT, Shores Drive adjacent to the roundabout at Yamba Rd intersection was about 1.3metres under water AND the Angourie Rd roundabout was also flooded AND the SES, Police as well as Fire & Rescue say “Never drive through floodwaters”. So, I ask how on this giddy Earth are they supposed to evacuate from their “shelter in place” jam-packed clubhouse with about 270(ish) people plus their dogs & cats & birds along with the food for such pets. Yes, it is proposed that all of the new residents (plus any of the locals who’d like to) will “shelter in place” on the island called “Parkside”. SES policy is against “shelter in place”.
One of the BIG selling points for the “shelter in place” policy is the 24/7 on-site management to activate certain pre-flooding evacuation procedures yet three other sites/resorts owned by the same developer share just ONE manager. Their Grevillea Waters Resort residents in the Feb/March floods in Golding Street were left to fend for themselves because their “On-Site Manager” lives in Grafton and couldn’t get through!
The CVC response to the peer review is a betrayal of the citizens of Yamba!
Ian Warlters, Yamba