DA Discussions

Caring for the planet is vital for our survival, so the United National declared on World Environment Day (5/6/19), and we all have the opportunity to express that care by thinking globally and acting locally.

It’s no secret that there are a few ‘environmental types’ that lurk amongst the shrubbery within our community, many don’t overtly label themselves as such but you get a sense that this community does care about our neighbours, the lake, the bushland, and the wildlife that call our peninsula home. These features are some of the main attractors for living here and contribute to the premium on property pricing. Leafy -friendly suburbs are sought after for their calming qualities, leafy - lakeside living has the added aquatic bonus.

So what happens when your neighbourhood becomes a speculation zone and property is purchased not with the intent of being a part of the community but to tear apart the community, destroying the beauty and the very reason for its unique character? Neighbours become not-so-nice, hard surfaces echo where birds don’t, rain fall turns into a torrent as it cascades in piped culverts down hill pluming the lake brown till the sediment settles.

Each month in the Chronicle a list of Development Applications (DA) is compiled from LMCC’s Application Tracking website as a community service to inform locals what is happening in our own backyard. The listing started when the council’s notification requirements changed so that only adjacent neighbours to the DA would get notified, and only then if council deemed it to have an impact. If taken to the extreme a house could be built and no one would know till construction started.

In the last month the CPPA has been thanked for providing this service on one hand, alerting neighbours to a local subdivision and being asked to not include a DA on the other hand, because the neighbours got upset. This resulted in the Committee discussing the criteria that determine what gets on the list that is published in the Chronicle and seeking feedback from the community as a whole as to what is a useful service.

The discussion so far as to what makes the list is anything that affects the character of the area, this includes subdivisions, multiple dwelling housing, housing demolitions and tree removals. Have we got it right? Please let us know what you think about the DA listing, drop us a letter, post on facebook or an email.