Newcastle Herald 07/11/2002

Rowdy gallery stops council

By PAUL MAGUIRE

CESSNOCK City Council's regular meeting was temporarily halted last night when rowdy members of the public disrupted debate about the controversial Tomalpin industrial subdivision. Mayor John Clarence warned members of the gallery several times, then adjourned proceedings for five minutes to allow everyone to settle down.

Despite the disruptions, the council approved two aspects of the subdivision, which development company Hardie Holdings has called the Hunter Employment Zone. The first approval was for a series of management plans under which the site will become the biggest industrial development in the State. These strategies will be reviewed within six months and again within 12 months.

The second motion granted delegated authority to the council's general manager Col Cowan to approve vegetation clearing. Mr Cowan's authority is subject to Hardie Holdings completing an Aboriginal archaeological inspection of the area and a State Government report on the site's native flora and fauna. Greens councillor Claire Cosh was the only councillor to speak against the approvals.