West Yamba 2007

In March 2007 I was one of seven community members who addressed Clarence Valley Council’s committee meeting.  I spoke on behalf of the Clarence Valley Conservation Coalition (CVCC) about the Maclean Local Environment Plan 2001 (West Yamba Amendment) and serious concerns about the wisdom of this LEP amendment.

It’s interesting looking back at what I said to those councillors then.

On the amount of fill that would be required I said, “Our concerns relate firstly to the effects of the fill on the environment from where the fill is sourced and secondly to the impact that changing the elevation in the West Yamba area will have on drainage in the immediate area and the water quality in the river and nearby wetlands.”

The CVCC was also concerned that ecologically endangered communities (saltmarsh and casuarina swamp forest) were in the area to be developed.

Climate change was another concern.  The CVCC believed “there is likely to be an increase in flood events as well as sea-level rises and increasingly violent storms which may see storm surges affecting low-lying areas such as West Yamba.”

Other points made during this deputation were that sea-level rises will affect estuaries as well as beachfronts; there were currently 200,000 buildings in NSW at risk from sea level rise; and some coastal properties will become uninsurable.

The councillors were asked three questions:

“Why is this matter so urgent that it needs to go ahead before the Floodplain Risk Management Plan for Yamba is finished?”

“Would it not be advisable for Council to adopt a precautionary approach in line with its Sustainability Initiative?  The CVCC was very pleased to see Council adopt this document.  We believe that Council must do more than pay lip-service to this initiative.”

“Should we be allowing large housing developments on floodplains?”

Despite what the speakers at this meeting said and the many written submissions Council received detailing concerns, Council went ahead with the amended LEP.  While events earlier this year showed the folly of their decision, there are major concerns about what Yamba is yet to experience.

Leonie Blain