PlanningAlerts

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1. Johnson Property withdrew the previous application for 60 Avondale Rd only to lodge the same proposal for a new location.
   As a homeowner located on Freemans Drive Cooranbong, adjacent to the proposed location, I am strongly opposed to the development/installation of this facility.

   NSW Government guidelines suggest a buffer zone of at least 400 meters from residential areas, I fail to see how this new location would meet with these guidelines.
   Is there any reason, other than financial, as to why Johnson property cannot utilize the facilities that are already established and operated by Hunter Water, ie, Marconi Road?

   Positioning of the proposed plant gives no consideration for many who will be subjected to either sight, smell or noise factors that will diminish their current standard of living and create health hazards. Please consider the health and lifestyle of the existing residents of Cooranbong.

2. I object to the proposal for a sewerage water treatment plant on Freeman's drive. I live only houses away from this proposed development, having just moved away from the stink of Marconi roads sewerage plant. In summer, this place was quite smelly...havong to wind wondows up driving past. I do not want to live near this! I have small children with respitory problems. We moved here for fresh air. I believe that placing this development here will also reduce my houses value...after all who wants to live nearby a sewerage plant. There is also a preschool across the street. What about their health?

   Rethink this proposal...where there are no houses or preschools nearby.

3. Johnson Property withdrew the previous application for 60 Avondale Rd only to lodge the same proposal for a new location.
   As a new homeowner located within 2km of the development, I am strongly opposed to the development/installation of this facility. We moved to this area to be away from this type of development and to enjoy the fresh air and natural bush surroundings.

   NSW Government guidelines suggest a buffer zone of at least 400 meters from residential areas, I fail to see how this new location would meet with these guidelines.
   Is there any reason, other than financial, as to why Johnson property cannot utilize the facilities that are already established and operated by Hunter Water, ie, Marconi Road?

   Positioning of the proposed plant gives no consideration for many who will be subjected to either sight, smell or noise factors that will diminish their current standard of living and create health hazards. Please consider the health and lifestyle of the existing residents of Cooranbong.

   Rethink this proposal...where there are no houses or preschools nearby.

4. I’m sure that you will understand that it is not an easy job for a layman to scrutinize and understand all the documents submitted with DA 714/2014 and that questions may arise along the way.

   My first question is one of land ownership. On property websites it states that 617 Freemans Drive was sold for $1,400,000 on 9 April 2014. Further enquiries show it was sold to the SDA church. In the details of this DA, which was submitted on 15 May 2014, the owners for properties 615 and 617 Freemans Drive are given as Peter Thomson and Barbara Watson.

   In the Application for Development for the proposed “utility installation for sewerage, recycled water and potable water” on 615 and 617 Freeman’s Drive, a letter written on 27 Mar 2014 is included from the owners of 617 Freemans Drive, Peter Thomson and Barbara Watson. This letter is addressed to Keith Johnson and grants JPG permission to “lodge any applications required by Government in relation to this property.” As noted in the first paragraph, by the 15 May, when the DA 714/2014 was submitted, according to the real estate records, it was already sold to the SDA church. Why has the ownership not been changed?

   We are also wondering why 615 Freemans Drive is included in the DA when it does not appear to be included in any of the submitted plans. In DA 157/2012 (submitted 2 Nov 2012) an application is made by JPG for a 32 Lot Residential Subdivision on properties 615c, 615 and 617c Freemans Drive. The owner is given as Avondale Greens (sole director Keith Johnson). The property 615 Freemans Drive is listed on internet property sites as being sold on 24 Mar 2004 for $826,387.

   Could you please clarify the owners of 615 and 617 Freemans Drive at the time DA 714/2014 was submitted on 15 May 2014, and what part of the utility involves 615 Freemans Drive.

5. As a resident living only a few hundred metres from the proposed sewer plant I have concerns regarding its smell, noise and sight. I am not objecting to a system which may environmentally benefit the area by providing houses with grey water for irrigation, but I definitely object to its location being close to existing homes. We do not have the luxury of "not buying" one of the new blocks which may be close to this plant - we already live here, and value the fresh air we currently breathe!

   JPG are obviously "in it for maximum profit" and wish to locate this facility in a spot which will have the least impact on how many housing blocks they will be able to sell. The large parcel of land that they are developing has adequate space to locate this facility in an area that wouldn't impact on any existing or proposed houses - albeit at the expense of a few proposed building blocks. How can they morally so blatantly ignore the standard of living of existing homes.

   No matter what feasibility studies say, the new plant will have smell, noise and chemical impacts on our environment. It needs to be located at a suitable distance to alleviate any of these impacts on current or future residents.

   Why not use the current Hunter Water sewerage facilities at Marconi Road and avoid all of the problems?

6. I have been a resident of Cooranbong for many years. At present I live in the Avondale Retirement Village. I would like to object to the installation of a recycling sewage water facility in the centre of this village.

   Apart from being a most inappropriate place in the vicinity of houses, a pre-school, community centre and Asian Aid centre I am concerned at the extra traffic this is going to bring to Freemans Drive and in particular at the intersection in front of the shops.

   We are having more and more units crowded into the retirement village and I notice another JPG subdivision being opened up in Alton Road. All these developments mean extra traffic. I have seen a number of near accidents at the intersection. The building of this facility would mean more trucks and heavy vehicles for at least a year.

   Traffic lights have been promised for some time but nothing has eventuated.

7. Earlier in the year we strongly objected to the building of a Sewage Water Recycling Facility in 60 Avondale Rd, which was close to the back of our home. This application was withdrawn, it was said, because of community concerns.

   Now we discover that another application has been made for the same facility, only this time in our street and not that very far distant from our home, and once again in the midst of existing homes.

   We do not think that the near centre of a village is at all a suitable place for such a huge facility which will take up a large area. We cannot understand why the developer would do this after expressing their concern for the interests of the community.

   We would like to object to the rezoning of this land at 617 Freemans Drive and to the installation there of a WRF.

8. Having lived in Cooranbong for a number of years and still regularly visiting a number of relatives and friends there, I am appalled to be told that there is an application for a sewage water recycling facility to be installed in the centre of Cooranbong.

   The application shows that this facility will cover a very large area and be in the vicinity of many established homes. Cooranbong is an historical village, and though I am not against progress in general, this is not what Cooranbong needs. It has become a tourist village including shops and a museum to cater for visitors. We need to keep the picturesque village environment.

   I strongly object to the possible rezoning of this land (617 Freemans Drive) and to the installation of this type of facility.

9. As a local member of the community I am extremely concerned regarding the current proposal for a sewerage water recycling plant to be built in what appear to be close to the center of Cooranbong.

   Q1: how was the housing development approved without utilities such as sewerage water recycling plant location or connection to existing structure approved?

   Q2: I have never seen or known of any other town that has a sewerage water recycling plant in or close to the center. Can you provide an example of how this is appropriate?

   Q3: how is it appropriate to have a (planned) supermarket, pre-school, and private residents in close vicinity to sewerage (raw and treated)?

   The future development of Cooranbong and property values will be negatively impacted by such decisions as to plonk a sewerage utility plant in the center (at 617 Freemans drive) of Cooranbong town.

   From a resident's view would it not be better to insist and have agreed to prior to the start of a project that they connect with existing systems where feasible or have a designates location on the project site and not in other peoples front yards.

10. What I havnt been able to work out is why they would plan for a sewage treatment plant, which I understand will have a sight, smell and sound impact on neighbouring homes, built on the main road running through cooranbong? I understand that the new housing development needs supporting infrastructure, but wouldnt having a sewage pool in the middle of cooranbong lower everyones property value, and make it, not just an undesirable place to live, but also drive through. Ive lived in Cooranbong my whole life, it is a wonderful place to live and raise a family, i hope that how this small town develops in future will protect the existing residents quality of living.

11. There is only one proposal for a high quality long-term solution for Watagan Park sewerage treatment that meets the needs of the community without any detriment or potential detriment (smell, noise, leakage, pollution, financial, and community sentiment).

    Please connect the effluent to the existing sewerage system which has none of the problems associated with the developer's current proposal, and has higher effluent processing standards than the one proposed by the developer. Professor Timms, water scientist, demonstrated this well in his presentation to the public forum.

    There is no need to have SDA church owners and their developers going for a second-rate system which also upsets the community on a number of levels.

    The only viable reason that has been given to the public is regarding the developers wanting to save money. This was admitted by the developer's representative at the community meeting earlier this year.

    This town is for the community not the developers, who are on public record as having been one of the largest donors to NSW political parties. Their money would better be spent on doing the right thing in providing for the communities they work in rather than for political favours. The owners, SDA Church and Avondale College, and the developer are both on record that this development is a strategy for making highly significant amounts of money for both in the short and especially long term. Thus there is no need to cut corners at the expense of the community and environmental /ecosystem wellbeing in order to assist the owners and developers in making even bigger profits.

    All participants in the Cooranbong community need to be responsible citizens, good neighbours and making choices for the best in short and long term wellbeing for every member of the community: humans, nature, church, college and business.

    Cooranbong for everyone, not a privileged corporate few.

    Thank you for considering the needs of the community foremost.

12. I live adjacent to the proposed sewerage facility. I have lived in Cooranbong for over 30 years and in my current residence for nearly 20 years. I do not want to be smelling foul sewerage odours and hearing noise from this facility impacting on my semi- rural environment. There is a Community Pre-school and a popular Community Centre across the road and a housing estate that will all be adversely impacted by this proposed sewerage works. Thus is not an appropriate location for a sewerage treatment plant.

13. The various negative environmental impacts of the proposed sewerage treatment plant in Cooranbong have been outlined in the large number of submissions to the LMCC.

    As a resident of Avondale Springs, I would like to highlight the fact that there will always be potential run off and resultant negative impacts on waterway nutrients if the plant is located as proposed or within Watagan Park estate, as Avondale Springs is downstream from it. Connecting into an existing treatment plant like the one at Marconi Road is the safest solution for the community of Cooranbong at so many levels. A decision that does not consider all possible repercussions - one that is based on financial concerns alone, is environmentally and socially irresponsible.

    Connecting to the existing treatment plant is the most sensible proposal if we wish to achieve a high quality, long-term solution for Watagan Park sewage treatment that meets the needs of the community.

    Please consider connecting the Watagan Park effluent to the existing sewerage system which has none of the problems associated with the developer's current proposal, and has higher effluent processing standards.

    I would like to reiterate: A decision that does not consider all possible repercussions - one that is based on financial concerns alone, is environmentally and socially irresponsible.

14. I strongly oppose the proposal for a sewage treatment plant on Freeman's Drive. The smell, noise and environmental concerns of this proposal make me worried for the future of our little village.

    Johnson Property Group has already shown its true colors and lack of community spirit by its handling of the relocation of the aviation school where Watagan Park is now being built.

    We have something wonderful here in Cooranbong and should not sell our piece of paradise to the highest bidder.

15. I believe that the reason for the treatment plant at Cooranbong is because it is cheaper to build the plant in Cooranbong than to connect to existing pipes and thus needing to upgrade Marconi Rd treatment plant.

    The proposed site is in a very close proximity to Childcare facility, community hall and commercial shops which are about to be upgraded themselves. I do not think it would be good for any business in the centre if there is a woft of sewerage drifting past the front doors and the noses of customers while they shop. Customers will go elsewhere to avoid the stench.

    Surely LMCC would have had to request a complete utilities plan from JPG all those years ago when the initial master plan was created for Watagan Park which included sewer. If the plan was to put it where its now proposed than why was it not disclosed to me (or anyone else) when I went to purchase the land in Watagan Park.

    Upgrade Marconi Rd now and be done with it. I am sure that was the original plan, so stick with it and stop trying to save a buck at the expense of local residents.

16. Once again, and disappointingly, I wish to formally object to this proposal on many of the same points of abject failure as the original submission for 60 Avondale Road. In essence, I still believe that this new proposal contravenes Government guidelines for buffer zones, and in doing so, significantly increases the risk to the health and safety of existing residents. In addition, the nature of this facility and proximity to major environmental regions (for example, Avondale Springs lake and associated waterways) demands the highest level of diligence and assurance and in it's current form this proposal (as per the original for 60 Avondale Road) is an obvious failure. Short of blatant commercial interests, there are NO broader benefits to the community within this proposal. In fact, the probable impact to the community of this proposal in it's current form is almost entirely negative. Thank you once again for your time and consideration.

17. I am struggling to believe that this proposal is even being considered. A pre-school, Community Centre and homes all next door or opposite the site should be of enough concern to all involved in the approval process. There is also aged care facilities and schools a short distance away and very poor roads with a history of accidents, including at least one fatality and the addition of heavy vehicle traffic to an area with so many vulnerable people and poor facilities seems a strange choice.
    There are other facilities nearby that have the capacity to process these materials with zero impact on the community. I believe Council should consider that the primary reason for this application is too avoid the cost of connecting to those facilities rather than genuine need for the extra capacity. Not because this is particularly their concern but because the impact on the character and also the detrimental affect on land values and associated health risks seems to be being overlooked.
    What dollar value would be sufficient to compensate the residents for all of the impacts this development would have? Can financial gain for the developer take precedence over the well being of the local community? Should that not be the priority of OUR local council? This application has ZERO benefit for the local community and DOES NOT process local waste. The only one who benefits from this is the developer but HUNDREDS of local residents, Seniors and Students are affected to their detriment.
    Please for the sake of all who call Cooranbong home refuse this application. If the developer wishes to save money let him/her build it amongst the houses it services not the homes of people who live in THIS community. At least there they are benefitting (albeit to increase the developers profits) and any detriments are to provide THEM a SERVICE that we have no need or desire for.
    Thankyou

18. I understand the developer wishes to make money ... but to allow a whole community to suffer is just wrong ..this development has no benefit to cooranbong and is only going to destroy our rural lifestyle ..... i also cannot fathom how this could possibly be allowed to go ahead when it will affect a local preschool just across the road and shopping a few doors up .... a busy but poorly maintained road will become a danger with excessive traffic that will contribute to noise and other pollution ..... why why why would it be allowed for so many to suffer for the benefit of one

19. As a property owner in the immediate vicinity of the proposed sewerage treatment plant, I strongly object to the building of such a structure which undoubtedly will have a negative impact on Cooranbong.
    Hunter Water already has a sewerage plant in operation which should have sufficient capacity to cater for the Watagan Park development.
    It would appear that this planned construction is to maximize profits for JPG and the SDA Church and does not appear to take into account the feelings and wishes of other residents in Cooranbong.
    I have grave doubts about the safety of the proposed construction. If there happened to be a failure within the plant and the sewerage escapes - especially into the Avondale Springs lake - there will be a huge cost to the environment. The lake has already been affected by mud overflow from Watagan Park when the land was cleared and heavy rain washed soil down into the lake.
    We DO NOT need such a construction in Cooranbong!
    

20. Please do not let this proposal go ahead - for all the same reason we didnt want it on avondale rd (smell, too close to homes, etc) make them spend the money and pipe it to marconi rd plant that is already set up and running.

21. As Cooranbong residents, we object to this proposal for many reasons. There may be negative environmental impact on the Avondale Springs area, there would be increased heavy traffic, its proposed placement is a poor choice in the middle of a 'village' in a rural area and given its close proximity to a preschool, community centre and shopping centre, plus it is simply unfair to inconvenience existing long term residents with noise, odour etc. to accommodate a new development. Please do what is best for the community as a whole and the township of Cooranbong and utilise the Marconi Road facility. Surely it is unusual to suggest building a SWRF in the centre of a small town?

22. It is my understanding there are plans to create a sewage treatment facility within the Cooranbong area. I am 100% unhappy for such a development to go ahead. My family has been in Cooranbong for well over 50 years and as a new father who is planning to raise their kids in the area, I would be appalled if such a proposal were to go ahead.

    I currently live directly across from a Johnson Property Group development at 51 Alton rd Cooranbong, and having seen the developer in action, I have absolutely zero confidence that any further development would benefit the area. The disruption level was high and the environmental practices were pathetic. I cleaned up a large amount of building signage/general waste from my property for a number of weeks after completion, so I hazard to guess what types of disruption this Utility installation development will cause. I cannot believe that any such development will be of economic benefit to the area. Any amount of income received directly or indirectly from the development needs to be offset against a lifetime of reduced growth as many who would otherwise move to the area will be put off, and many who are here may in fact be unable to bear it and leave! The long term growth of Cooranbong will be severely impacted if this development is approved.

23. It is a great shame on Johnson and the SDA church, as the developers in this situation, that the community in which they have prospered is now the very community in which they plan to poop. Shame on them, and shame on you council if you approve this unnecessary sewage works.

    The works proposed here are unnecessary, as there is already a facility at Marconi Road to deal with this waste. One which in fact the developer agreed to use, but now sees a cheaper option. Shame on them for valuing money over the health & well-being of the very community in which they have prospered. Shame on you council if you approve these works.

    Besides this is also the effect these works would have in the tourist dollar of the area. Cooranbong is currently a charming village, with a country atmosphere and the natural bliss of being nestled near The Watagans National Park. People visit from far and wide to soak this up, and escape from their busy city lifestyles. Can you imagine ruining that charm with the unmistakable smell of sewage works? What a shame.

    As a new mother, and as someone who has already watched Johnson Property Development in action, I have no confidence in the health & safety of the area for my family if this works were to go ahead. After watching the Alton Road development unfold, it is clear that environment and community health are not top priorities for these developers and their workers. More of this would be a terrible shame.

    This development can not be approved due to the fact that they are unnecessary, would ruin the natural charm of the area, and would be detrimental to the health & safety of the community in which the developers have profited.

24. As a regular visitor to the Coorangbong area I strongly object to the proposal of a water sewerage plant on Freemans Drive . I could not imagine wanting to visit this area with a sewerage plant in the middle of the little village we have come to know and love . What about the health of visitors and of course the home owners of the area and a preschool in the middle of it totally UNACCEPTABLE . Think of the natural wildlife of the area where will they end up . . Please do not let the action of GREED destroy the this quaint little village EVER .

25. I am concerned about and object to the intention of Johnson Property Group to install a sewerage plant in Cooranbong for the following reasons:

    1. It is proposed that this plant be installed in the middle of an existing residential area. This is unfair to the existing residents because of noise, increased traffic and potential odour problems. The new development is creating enough noise and extra traffic without a sewerage plant being added to the mix.

    2. The plant, although above flood levels, could potentially be an environmental hazard if there were leaks or overflow problems. Potentially leaks could allow biological hazards such as e-coli and Hepatitis A into the environment and then into the water table where they potentially could infect the local wetlands, ponds, lagoons, streams and potentially end up in Dora Creek and Lake Macquarie. I believe that a sewerage plant has no place so close to wetlands that are frequented by the local residents.

    3. A sewerage plant in the middle of an old, pre-existing community is not acceptable as it will not benefit these residents. A new development needs to fit in with the ethos of the community it is being created in, not force the community to accept something that they have no desire for and that disturbs the function of the existing community which this proposed plant does.

    4. Sewerage plants are ugly. The only place for these is in an area that is not heavily developed such as at the back of the Watagan Park Estate.

    5. The Marconi Road Sewerage plant is capable of dealing with the sewerage form the Watagan Park Estate. The proposed sewerage plant is simply Johnson Property Group trying to cut costs with no guarantee of the long term future of the proposed sewerage plant.

    6. Experts such as Hunter Water should be managing sewerage treatment, not a private company with no or limited transparency as to their operations in our community.

    7. The proposed plant is too close to the community centre and to the shopping centre in our Village and potentially could prevent appropriate retail development in the future.

    8. The proposed sewerage plant will undoubtedly make the properties around it worth less than they are currently valued at. This is not fair to residents who have lived in Cooranbong for a significant period of time such as my family who have lived in this area since the late 1890s and have owned the property I now own since 1926.

    9. There has been no genuine community consultation. Genuine consultation would simply show that no one in Cooranbong wants a sewerage plant locally and that JPG should show respect to the residents whose quality of life, property values and ease of access to facilities in our village are being affected by the Watagan Park Development with no positive spinoffs to existing residents.

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