Plans for a residential subdivision in bushland surrounding Albion Park have a local landcare volunteer concerned it could lead to the removal of the forested ridges above the suburb.
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Shellharbour City Council has approved the subdivision by Sydney-based Tower Holdings to create 86 lots, mostly about 600 square metres, but with a handful around 700 square metres and three that are significantly larger.
Albion Park resident Ruth Jenkins is concerned the removal of 53 trees, including 15 established forest red gums, will mean a loss of habitat for wildlife and could threaten the endangered ecological community there.
Studies show the land is also home to the endangered and rare plant the Illawarra Zieria (Zieria granulata).
Ms Jenkins is worried housing will soon dominate the wooded ridge to the south of Albion Park and wanted to draw attention to the value of the bushland before it was too late.
“At least 75 per cent of the ecological community has been cleared, and what remains is subject to ongoing pressures including further clearing by developers such as in this proposal,” she said.
The ecological community, known as Illawarra lowlands grassly woodland, was itself listed by the Commonwealth Government as critically endangered on September 16 – a step beyond the previous endangered listing.
But before this listing took effect the land had already been rezoned from an environmental management zoning to an R2 Rural Landscape zoning across most of the land, with some remaining as E3 Environmental Management.
The property in question is above Pleasant View Close.
A development application is on public exhibition until Monday regarding modifications to the vegetation management plan and some other details.
A Shellharbour City Council spokeswoman said the analysis provided by the developer’s consultant said there should not be too much impact on the endangered ecological community.
“The application has been provided as deferred commencement consent and council is waiting on external referrals to provide operational consent,” she said.
“Compensatory measures to partially offset this impact include the installation of 17 species, specific nest boxes, extensive bush regeneration and plantings in the E3 zoned land, including planting out currently cleared areas.
“A bio-banking assessment of the site showed that there would be an increase in vegetation and habitat condition once the advised compensatory measures [in the approval] are implemented by the developer.”
