Conservationists in Port Stephens are mounting a vigorous campaign against a controversial council plan that would allow residential development on protected wetland buffer zones, aiming to address the region's housing crisis.
Environmental Concerns Take Centre Stage
The Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group (MWWCG) is demanding that Port Stephens Council delay adopting its Salamander Bay Town Centre Place Plan, arguing the proposed developments would jeopardise the adjacent Mambo Wetlands and its delicate ecosystems.
Group spokesperson Kathy Brown expressed serious concerns about the plan encroaching into crucial buffer zones. "Those zones are there for a specific reason and they are protected," she stated emphatically. "They help prevent pollution and rubbish from entering the wetlands."
The wetlands serve as vital habitat for numerous threatened species including koalas, gliders, bats, amphibians and white-bellied sea eagles. Council's own signage identifies the area as koala habitat and part of a travel corridor, according to Ms Brown.
Development Plans Versus Environmental Protection
The conservation group discovered with alarm that much of the southern area near Tomaree Library and Salamander Way has been earmarked for multi-storey apartment blocks in the council's draft plan, which underwent public exhibition in July.
The area of particular concern is zone three, designated for residential development west of the existing library facility. Ms Brown highlighted that this zone acts as a crucial buffer between developed land and the wetlands, while also being prone to flooding - a significant concern for any future residential construction.
Port Stephens Council will discuss a report into public submissions before voting on whether to adopt the town centre plan on November 25.
Council Response and Community Resistance
The council's report addresses environmental and flooding concerns by proposing that proceeds from selling council-owned land in the town centre would be invested into wetland conservation and management.
However, MWWCG president Irene Jones countered this approach, stating: "We support council's efforts to develop housing here in Port Stephens. However, we don't believe pockets of Mambo Wetlands should be sacrificed for this purpose."
Ms Jones questioned the logic of "selling off parts of the wetland, to save the wetland", while Ms Brown added that "you can't bribe off environmentalists with this carrot."
The report notes that any future development applications would need assessment under State Environmental Planning Policies, requiring demonstration that development wouldn't damage the "biophysical, hydrological or ecological integrity of the adjacent coastal wetland" or water quality.
In a statement, Port Stephens Council defended the plan as being "developed with extensive community input" and emphasised it "does not include the Mambo Wanda Wetland." The council committed to completing detailed environmental studies before submitting any development application.
This isn't the first battle over development around the wetlands. Previous campaigns successfully won support from Port Stephens MP Kate Washington, forcing a state buyback of land on the corner of Foreshore Drive and Port Stephens Drive.
