GREAT NEWS! We have over 2000 signatures and our voices are being heard by the Shoalhaven Council. Mayor Amanda Findley has put forward our questions about the Council’s support for the West Culburra Development - to be discussed in a Council meeting on Feb 23rd - IF the councillors agree to discuss them.

We urge Shoalhaven Residents and Ratepayers to write emails to all the Shoalhaven councillors today, demanding that they take our questions seriously and give us answers. Tell them how you feel about the development and insist on your questions and concerns being heard NOW.

 Please spread the word with people who you know share our views. We must insist on these questions being discussed at the meeting on Tuesday. We have 2 days to make this happen. Ready, set, go!

 The questions can be found below and on the Burradise Don’t Go Changin FB page. Click on the link below.

The email addresses are here. We voted them in. Lets make sure they don’t ignore us again!

nina.digiglio@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au andrew.guile@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au jo.gash@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au mitchell.pakes@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au watsong@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au mark.kitchener@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au bob.proudfoot@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au patricia.white@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au annette.alldrick@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au findleya@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au kaye.gartner@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au john.levett@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au john.wells@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au

CL21.30 Question on Notice - West Culburra

HPERM Ref:D21/65009 Submitted by: Clr Amanda Findley

Question: Members of the Culburra community have been asking questions in regard to the latest iteration of the West Culburra Application. A recent community meeting was limited to “supporters of the development only” which left those who are undecided or firmly against the development no forum in which to ask questions. The following questions are submitted on behalf of the community.

1.Has or will the NSW Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Environment / Land and Environment Court of NSW undertaken an analysis in respect to the proposed retail development?

Background: There are concerns that the proponent’s development will have a major negative effect on the retail economy of Culburra Beach / Orient Point. The proponent’s own Economic Impact Statement that Culburra Beach has a large oversupply of retail space, based on Australian local average retail space per capita: “At an existing population of around 3,600 residents, this would suggest the Culburra Beach Catchment Area could demand around 4,000sqm of retail floorspace. An estimate of retail floorspace in the Culburra Beach Town Centre identified some 7,100sqm of retail floorspace, suggesting the Catchment Area is already oversupplied by some 3,000sqm of retail floorspace. It is therefore unsurprising that the Town Centre has faced historically high levels of vacancy given the limited resident population.

”The proponent expects the development to lead to an increase in population of 847 residents. From the proponent’s own numbers this increase has the potential to absorb 930 square metres of Culburra’s 3,000 square metre excess. This would still leave approximately 2,100sqm of excess retail space, based on Australian local average retail space per capita: “Based on a retail demand ratio of 1.1sqm per person, new residents accommodated through the Proposal could demand an additional 930sqm of retail floorspace”. Yet despite this, the proposal includes adding a further 2,438sqm of retail space in Culburra.

2.What justification has been made for a 140% expansion of the Culburra Beach industrial precinct?

3.What studies have been undertaken with regard to demand for that level of space? Particularly given the proximity to South Nowra industrial precinct?

4.Has council or the State Government undertaken a peer review of the proponent’s Economic Impact Statement to verify the claims made in respect to job creation as the Economic Statement appears to over inflate the overall jobs available for the existing and new populations?.

5. Council is not the approval authority for this development, but does council have any obligation to test the validity of the claims in respect to water runoff from the site into Curleys Bay, considering that should the development be approved, Council will have the ultimate responsibility to mitigate and manage runoff from the new subdivision.

6.Will Council or the NSW State Government undertake any further unbiased community consultation to further inform the process and to understand the issues that community members have?