Go-Ape DA refused by Hills Shire Council.

Go-Ape DA refused by Hills Shire Council.

Go-Ape DA refused by Hills Shire Council.

I know it’s been written before but I just like typing it and reading it over and over.

Well done to everyone involved, so many people who supported the fight, and as Di said, delivered leaflets, wrote to Council, sent ideas, attended meetings and provided input and support along the way.

To those who brought this to the attention of all of us in the first place, to those who assisted with the presentations and the presenters themselves, to a few (who will remain un-named) who used their political clout and nous to bring influence to bear, to The Hills Shire Council for having in place a system which allowed us to have input into the process and for the consideration shown, to Di for her superb website which has held all of this together and to everyone else involved a massive……

THANK YOU!

Whilst Go-Ape has the option of going to the NSW Land & Environment Court I’m sure that this DA will be treated as it deserves – stay tuned!

Finally I’d like to share something that someone told me about a week ago and on reflection I believe is true and probably sums up our biggest achievement.

“this fight against the Go-Ape DA has brought the whole community together…..”

Michael

Many, many thanks to the hundreds of people who supported us in our efforts to have this totally inappropriate development thrown out! Council received 242 submissions, with 230 of them being objections and only 12 in favour.

Those of you who lodged objections should get a letter from Council advising you of the decision. Next week’s local papers should also carry a notice of the refusal of consent for DA 36/2010/HA.

The Go Ape application was Item 4 on the agenda of the Development Assessment Unit meeting held on 2 February 2010. I have extracted just Item 4 so you can read Council’s report on the Go Ape DA as it appears in the agenda (pdf – 1.6Mb). This is a lot easier than wading through the pdf on Council’s website which includes all the other DAs considered that night. Gotta love the words “Does not comply”!

As we thought, the applicant has twelve months to lodge an appeal with the Land and Environment Court. Should this happen, we will update this site and email everyone on our list.

Di

We’ve won this battle, though the war may still be simmering.

No Councillors notified Council that they wished to have the Go Ape application determined by a full Council meeting. Consequently, the Development Assessment Unit’s decision stands, and consent for the Go Ape development has been refused by the Hill Shire Council.

Council will now write to Go Ape, and to those who made submissions, notifying them formally that consent for the development has been refused.

However, Go Ape may still lodge an appeal with the Land and Environment Court. I have a feeling they have twelve months! to do this, but I will confirm that when I find out.

Council’s Development Assessment Unit met last night (Tuesday) to consider the report on the Go Ape proposal. We have been advised that the DAU accepted the report and, accordingly, refused the Go Ape application.

Councillors now have until 5.00pm tonight to “make written notification to have the matter determined by a full Council meeting”. If at least three Councillors do this, then the DAU decision will be put aside and the matter will, instead, be decided at a full Council meeting.

More news tomorrow!

It looks like it will be the new year before we hear any concrete news from Council on the Go Ape application. We’re told Patience is a virtue.

In other happenings, Go Ape have a Q & A forum for their proposed development in Itchen Valley Country Park in the UK. It includes this interesting exchange:

Council has heard from the Go Ape developer; he has advised Council that he will be writing to  them in the near future.

So this is news of the no-news variety

We did, however, want to let you know that we continue to keep in touch with Council and that the wheels continue to grind slowly.

Council wrote to the Go Ape applicant in September, expressing Council’s (and
our) concerns about the proposal. The applicant replied on 7 October, asking for
30 days to respond to those concerns.

So, it’s still a waiting game. Given the 30 day response time, it will probably
be the first week or two in November before there is any more news. I’ll harrass
Adam Dean at Council around that time

Di

The latest people to have to fight Go Ape are The Friends of Itchen Valley Country Park, which is near Southampton in the UK.

This YouTube video was posted by Go Ape themselves! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear that resonating across Bidjigal Reserve?

I wonder how many of Go Ape’s planning applications in the UK mentioned drumming workshops for 50 people. Or did their DA’s also say, “No power is used, so no noise is created”?

Page 3 of the Hills Shire Times this week carries a story about the Lands Department urging the Bidjigal Reserve Trust Board to reconsider its decision not to proceed with the Go Ape proposal. Lands (or The Land and Property Management Authority, as it now is) appears to be making this recommendation based purely on the Go Ape DA, without any consideration of the proposal’s many, many shortcomings, or of the objections received by Council.

We are still waiting on the next stage of the DA process, as outlined in Michael’s What’s Next? post. We should have news from Council by early next week – we hope!

Di