Dear Save Calabash Bay Petitioners We are sad to let you know that after a lengthy debate that went for hours, the community has lost its appeal to stop DA 1009/2013. 3 Councillors Tillbury, Gallagher and Azizi voted against and 5 Councillors Hutchence, Cox, Browne, Anise and Mayor Russell voted in favour of the DA. Councillor Berman and Singh did not attend the meeting. We had managed to get all Councillors down to see the site with us with the exception of the Mayor and they respectfully listened to our arguments. We thank them for that. All Councillors acknowledged that it had been a tough decision, one that had not been made lightly. The overall theme that came through was the entitlement of the Applicant to build and that Council had to compromise and accommodate this. The proposal was seen as the best outcome on balance, although not ideal by any means. The NSW RFS and NSW Fisheries had signed off on their respective concurrences which left Council exposed and with no option but to follow suit. We see this whole matter as a bureaucratic bungle and one which the Applicant has exploited. The relevant authorities in their Head Offices have just signed off on a series of flawed and inaccurate ‘expert’ reports paid for by the Applicant. The ultimate irony is that the Planning and Environment Minister Rob Stokes will have to sign off on this DA (because the Applicant bypassed local planning laws) only weeks after announcing his draft plan to map and protect the State’s wetlands. After 4 years of writing letters and lobbying Council we feel exhausted. We only ever received a handful of ‘thanks for your email’ one liner type responses and ultimately the only thing that stopped this DA being passed earlier was a series of legal letters financed by generous members of our Community. Over the years we have also alerted Council about our concern on another matter. That of the fire trail that leads from Mc Callums Avenue Berrilee to the Fretus Ruins (above Calabash Bay) and its mysterious upgrading at tax payers expense in 2014. Some of the Councillors say they will follow up and assure us that Council is finally looking into this matter. It is a small consolation, but may shed some light on residents’ grave concern regarding a road being built down to Calabash Bay in the future. We suggest that you should write some feedback comments to Rob Stokes via the link below. If he receives 25 letters on this matter he will have to send it off for an assessment review. https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministercontactform/contact-minister-planning. Let Rob Stokes know how Hornsby Shire Council are just a bunch of bureaucrats and box checkers and have passed the buck and now left him with the difficult decision of allowing this inappropriate development to go ahead. In an area that is just metres from a pristine wetland. Just weeks after he has announced he is trying to save the States wetlands! Oh the irony! Where to from now???? Some of us will be bowing out of the legal challenge and leave it to those who have the ability to fund such ventures. Our stash of letters and knowledge and advice on the matter are at the lawyer’s disposal. We will not give up. We will endeavour to get Rob Stokes to visit and see the Wetland he will ultimately be signing off on the destruction of.