From Len Yearsley, Chairman, Fame Cove Sub Committee, NACCAi
The NACCAi sub- committee met (2/8/2021) early this week. Midcoast Council officers Adam Matlawski, the Major Assessment & Regulatory Services Manager, and the recently-appointed Brad Ferguson, Senior Compliance Officer, explained the details of revised Land and Environment Court Orders handed down 20 May 2021.
The meeting was also attended by the Hon Kate Washington, our local State member who has had an association with, and closely supported our community’s endeavours over the past 10 years.
Among the 25 pages of the Court Documents and other detail provided by the Council Officers at this and a previous meeting it was learned that:
Mr Lee, the property owner, is no longer a director of Tea Gardens Farms Pty Ltd. Mrs Lee also withdrew earlier, but the ownership remains unchanged.
If property ownership were to change Court Orders would carry through to new owners.
Mr Glen Handford, former General Manager Great Lakes Council and once acting as consultant to TGF, has withdrawn and is no longer recognised by Council as acting for TGF.
Earlier Development Applications for sealed and surfaced roads are to be replaced with unsurfaced constructed roads to RFS farm and domestic access standards.
Around 2/3 of existing roads and tracks made without permit are to be closed and rehabilitated. Only two access roads, one on the eastern side of Fame Creek and the other on the western side, both giving access to four previously determined house sites with one on each lot, will be allowed along with two pre- determined farm management trails.
There are to be no hard hoofed animals allowed within the property (cows, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys) and those that exist must be removed.
Revised reports concerning the Farm Management Plan, Soil Conservation, Land Surveys, Geotechnical Reports, Engineering concerning Erosion Control, Sediment Control, Landscape Architecture, Ecology, were called for by 29 July 2021 have been provided by TGF and are presently being considered by Council for approval or revision by 1 November 2021. Details within these reports will be provided to this sub- committee when they have been reviewed by Council Officers.
All temporary sediment and erosion controls must be serviced and maintained until works are finalised.
All works called for in these reports involving restoration, rehabilitation and construction are to be completed by 30 December 2022.
Council has a contracted an onsite manager to control works at TGF expense and is conducting a weekly meeting of a dedicated management group to follow through the demands of the Council and Court Orders.
Fame Cove sub-committee members were impressed by the positive approach taken by Council Officers whose aim was expressed as seeking to ensure works outlined in Court Orders were carried out to reinstate the land to its condition 9 August 2014. It was explained that this was a better option than one which pursued prosecution for works previously not carried out which could leave the Fame Cove property in a damaged state without Land and Environment Court Order Works being undertaken.
The attached map shows the end use status of the roads, tracks and disturbance areas.
Len Yearsley.
