ref: Newcastle Herald Sept 27 2002

Community "inundated" on Tomalpin

By Paul Maguire

The public has until Oct 23 to read, research and respond to 12 volumes of development information about Cessnock's contraversial Tomalpin industrial subdivision.

Community group Friends of Tumblebee spokesman James Ryan said yesterday that the situation put an unreasonable burden on the community and would reduce the subdivision's environmental protection.

It said it could allow the clearing of bush throughout the 860ha site, which the development company Hardie Holdings has called the Hunter Employment Zone.

Cessnock Greens councillor Clair Cosh will call on the Council to introduce an ethics policy for putting documents on exhibition. "What the council has done is legal but its also appalling' she said.

"I will be asking the council to adopt a code of ethics that prevents the community being inundated with so much material that it cannot possibly make fair comment on it."

Hardie Holdings general manager Matt Somers said the developments opponents were being difficult to please.

They wanted more information and now they have it they're being critical," he said.

"The strategic plans will not wind back environmental protection, they will enhance it, and it's a furphy for anyone to say otherwise".

The documents on display are a development plan for the entire site; nine environmental strategies covering air quality, water pollution, noise and habitat; a development application for the main arterial road and a species impact statement for the roadworks.

Mr Ryan said five consultants had taken up to six months to prepare the documents.

"The documents have a bearing on each other and should have been through an orderly process where the main ones were assessed by the public, and amended if necessary, before the associated ones were put out for comment," he said.

"Some of them have blank pages and missing information but even if they were complete their sheer volume makes it impossible for an ordinary person in the community to fully comprehend them in the time allowed.