Letter to Diane Beamer demonstrates more of ADI Site can be saved

The above letter, in principle, demonstrates more of the ADI Site can be saved by the NSW Government.

This letter from Lend Lease to Diane Beamer followed from hurried meetings between her Office and Lend Lease. At the time (May 2004) Diane Beamer was under enormous pressure from the Sydney media, namely the Daily Telegraph, to do more to protect the ADI Site.

The Daily Telegraph campaigned to protect the ADI Site and featured pictures of one of the sites larger wetlands when it ran its stories. The Tele called its campaign, 'Save Sydney's Secret Garden'. Some people, including Diane Beamers office, began focussing their attention on the wetland, and not on the rest of the site. 

In meetings and correspondence ADI RAG had with Diane Beamer we continually stressed to her that significant bushland areas, including the Telegraph wetland, were earmarked for development by Lend Lease. In an obvious effort to appease the Daily Telegraph Diane Beamer had a meeting with Lend Lease and the above letter appeared guaranteeing that the wetland would be part of the Regional Park. (Note - Lend Lease have since reneged on the above claim - May 2005) 

Whilst the above action by Diane Beamer proves that the State will and can  seek to save more of the site the whole exercise was really a con job that had no substance and no guarantee. 

The wetland is located in the South West Corner of the ADI Site near the Northern Rd. It is located in a 5 hectare area that is zoned for urban development. Lend Lease actually propose to put a road through or over the wetland.

Lend Leases letter claims the wetland will become Regional Park, what it doesn't say is that the land around it will not. This proves what rot this announcement was. The wetland will then be a little Regional Park on its own surrounded by development. The sensible and proper thing to do is to declare that the wetland and the 5 hectares surrounding it will be added to the Regional Park and that no road will go through this land.

ADI RAG believes that a Regional Park larger than 900 hectares, with manageable boundaries, can be created in two ways; Lend Lease can voluntarily add more of its developable land to the Regional Park or if it refuses then the NSW Government can rezone developable land as Regional Park when it gets around to amending SREP 30. 

The State can get tough with Lend Lease, the State can refuse to release any further Precincts for Lend Lease to develop if they fail to cooperate. 

Lend Lease only have to sacrifice around 30 hectares of its developable land (out of over 400) to resolve the issues that NPWS claims it faces with management of the Regional Park. Yes this will cost Lend Lease a lot of money in lost profit but when you consider how cheap the price was that they paid for the ADI Site it is not an unreasonable ask. 

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