West Culburra Mixed Use Subdivision

Please see attached.

I support this project. Although we haven't lived in Culburra Beach for very long, we have decided to make this our permanent home and think it is important to support this development. As is evidenced by the many businesses operating short hours due to the lack of profitability in opening longer, a larger population can only have a positive impact on current and future business owners, with more people comes more money to spend locally and therefore the ability to hire staff and open for the increased demand. As this land has been zoned residential for many many years, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that it is now being developed. I think this current proposal takes into account and deals with a lot of the environmental objections made in their last application. Regards Lisa Heffernan

Jerrinja LALC submission to West Culburra amended proposal SSD-3846

February 25, 2021


We would like to raise serious concerns about the protection of cultural and environmental heritage of the land subject to the amended West Culburra proposal by Halloran Trust and Sealark Pty Ltd.

Despite a reduction in size and scale of the subdivision and removal of development within the Lake Wollumboola catchment, Jerrinja LALC still considers that much of the land in question is adjacent to Jerrinja traditional land titles, including significant swathes of land within the traditional boundaries of the Jerrinja people.

Our culture is a whole lot more than the physical evidence of thousands of years of occupation evidence left by our ancestors. It also involves the intangible cultural values and beliefs we still hold and are connected with today. The Jerrinja people are committed to sharing this culture, heritage and land with future generations.

In objecting to the proposal, we refer to the NSW Independent Planning Commission’s 2018 decision to refuse the developer’s plans for this development, which we believe still apply to the current proposal:

“The Commission finds that the West Culburra area may be suitable for some limited urban development but that the Project as currently proposed is inappropriate in scale and has the potential to adversely impact the adjoining SEPP 14 wetlands, adversely impact water quality in the Crookhaven River estuary, with potential flow-on effects to POAAs.

“The Project has potential to adversely impact the Crookhaven River, and furthermore has potential to irreversibly impact on Aboriginal cultural heritage, in particular the Crookhaven midden complex.”

In our opinion, Commissioner O’Kane’s decision should stand because the new, amended plans still involve significant clearing and development on the Crookhaven River and Curleys Bay, with inadequate protection of Aboriginal heritage in these areas.

These areas hold significant cultural heritage value and contain known midden sites and other precolonial evidence of Jerrinja traditional owners.

Further, neither the Halloran Trust nor Sealark Pty Ltd has entered into any genuine consultation with Jerrinja LALC about the amended plans before plans were developed.

The proponent has a long history of claiming that consultation with our people has been conducted because they typically send us a copy of their Aboriginal heritage report and/or advise us by email that they have a new proposal for review.

However, Jerrinja LALC does not consider this to be adequate consultation about our cultural heritage, because, again, this has not happened prior to develop plans being drawn up. They have not met with the LALC to discuss any mitigation of cultural heritage losses nor collaborated on the development of a jointly managed cultural preservation plan for the amended West Culburra proposal.

We strongly recommend that the “opinion” of Aboriginal culture and heritage needs to urgently change, our Jerrinja Wandi Wandian culture is our knowing, it connects us to that land, the country and all living things on it. In our Aboriginal language and connect. Previous Cultural Heritage Assessment's cannot be proven to be an adequate or definitive indicator of the Cultural Significance of a cultural landscape. To be given Development Approval before definitively knowing the cultural values of a site can potentially be impacting the cultural and physical wellbeing of our people, and potentially breaching our Human Rights to continuing our connection and practise of our traditional rights and customs.

Therefore, Jerrinja Local Aboriginal Lands Council strongly opposes the amended West Culburra proposal in its current form and believes the rejection of the development by the IPC in 2018 should be upheld.

Sincerely,


Alfred Wellington.
Chief Executive Officer
Jerrinja Local Aboriginal Land Council

I object to the destruction of the forest, to the dishonesty of the developers, to the ignorance of cultural significance, to the greed of the Trust and to the precedence this development will set for this beautiful pocket of paradise.
I stand for the protection of our waterways, our forests and it's inhabitants, the acknowledgment and respect of significant cutural land. I think not much thought has been given to the single road access, to the beach parking and access and to the affordability of housing. I have lived in Culburra Beach for 25 years and I have never seen it so busy, Im pretty sure our little township is thriving and so I stand with my community to oppose this development and all it stands for.

I begin with an acknowledgement of the local Jerrinja people, upon whose land I write this submission, and upon whose land this development is set to take place.

As the wife of an RFS member you become accustomed to the pager going off and your husband rushing off to an emergency. Some days it’s as simple as an automatic fire alarm, other days it’s a bbq fire, on the bad days it’s a house fire or car accident. However, the two days etched in my memory don’t involve a pager alert, on each occasion I wasn’t with my husband when he got “the call,” in fact, on each occasion, he was just a Culburra resident, the first time, on his way home, the second, on his way to work.

Both “occasions” which I refer to involved car accidents which resulted in the deaths of drivers who were also going about their own business on Culburra Road. The first time, in August 2016, involved Scott Morrison, who with his wife and daughters, was travelling to Culburra for a family day out. He was hit head on by a drug affected driver and both were killed instantly. My husband happened to arrive on the scene as a private citizen just as the first ambulance arrived, with just one paramedic as it was a weekend, and the other paramedic was still on their way. My husband did his best to support the paramedic to breathe life into both men, while Scott’s wife and daughters remained trapped in their car. I will never forget the smell of fuel on his clothes, the quiet nights, or the unspoken words as my husband processed what he had witnessed in the days and months following the accident. This accident occurred on a stretch of Culburra Road, which as your own plans will show you, is the only way in and out of our township, one road in, and one road out.

The second occasion occurred just over six months ago, in July 2020. I myself was preparing to leave for work, and I heard the RFS alarm go off, signalling they’d had a call out but needed more members to respond. My husband had left for work only fifteen minutes prior, I checked on the “find-my-iphone” app and realised he was still on Culburra Rd, less than ten minutes from home. I rang his phone and it went unanswered. I rang a second time and again it rang out. As panic began to set in, he called back. I could sense urgency in his voice, he was quite obviously occupied with something important, all he could get out was that there had been a bad accident on Culburra Rd, that I most likely wouldn’t get to work that day, so to call and make alternate plans for the day. It turned out the accident occurred three cars in front of him, again a head on, again a fatality. Once again, my husband saw the worst of this accident, on the scene before emergency services arrived. He arrived home and the first thing he said was “I think I need new shoes.” My husband, an RFS fireman, lifesaver, and at the top of his job as a public servant managing a staff of approximately thirty people, the most stoic and strong man I know, was just shattered, and all he could talk about was that his shoes stank of diesel, had shattered glass in them, and would need replacing before he went back to school the following day. We drove into Nowra that afternoon after the road reopened. We had no choice but to drive past the scene of the accident. He relived every detail, including the fact that somehow our son’s mate, aged just 18, had somehow narrowly avoided death himself as he was following the truck that was hit and somehow drove through the shattering carnage as both vehicles disintegrated around him following the impact. So many what ifs that day. What if my husband had left a minute earlier or later? What if our son’s friend had decided to overtake the truck but instead chose to play it safe as it was raining? What if my husband had been involved? Once again, our town ground to a halt, as the one road in and one road out reality trapped us all. On that day our local pharmacy and pre school, as well as other businesses, could not open as staff could not get through to work, the local school also remained short staffed as teachers could not get through, our town ground to a halt as the one road in was blocked, and essential workers could not get through.

I hesitate to speak of fires and floods which have also left us marooned in our town recent years. I will not go into details about the state of the one road in and out, which even after recent roadworks still has undulations in it resembling that of a roller coaster in a theme park, albeit on a bend in a 100km zone.

One road in, and one road out. That’s all we’ve got. Most of the time it’s not a problem, but when we have a serious accident, a flood, or a fire situation, we all have to stay put. Sometimes we get lucky and can be blessed to remain in Culburra, other times you’re trapped on the “other side” and have to rely on the generosity of friends to look after you and your family until you can return home.

Which brings me to my point of bewilderment. I find it absolutely appalling that there are plans to increase the population of our town with no consideration whatsoever given to the limited road infrastructure, and in fact, with plans to actually SLOW our one road in and out by placing roundabouts along them. Added to this will be increased traffic volume on a daily basis as our one road in and out struggles to support a growing population. Many of us left behind the traffic and chaos of Sydney roads to move to this quiet and idyllic coastal location, yet through no fault of our own are about to face our own traffic nightmare on a daily basis. There are no indications within the submission as to how Shoalhaven Council plans to upgrade Culburra Road to accommodate this increase in traffic flow, or if it will convert it to dual carriageway to enable safe overtaking of slow vehicles. Who will be financially responsible for such infrastructure? Will it be the Halloran Trust or Shoalhaven Council, which inadvertently forces the cost back onto us as ratepayers? Inclusion of roundabouts along the road will lead to increased noise and air pollution as trucks and vehicles gear down and up again to navigate the roundabout, noting particularly that our current road rules will force all traffic leaving the Culburra township to give way to traffic joining Culburra Road from the West Culburra subdivision. This includes all heavy vehicles servicing the township, as well as school and public bus routes.

As well as concerns about increased traffic volume, there remains other concerns about adding to the local population, such as the current inability to get an appointment with a GP within a week. Those who know our local doctors are well aware that they struggle to attract extra staff to their practices, hence the long wait times to see a GP. Our local physiotherapist also cannot attract additional staff, despite offering generous incentives to those wishing to relocate to the South Coast. Our local schools and pre schools are currently struggling to attract qualified and experienced staff to teach our children, yet we want to add to their burdens by increasing the local population? It would appear that none of these issues seem to be a priority to the developers, whose aim is to make profits for the Halloran Trust with little to no consideration for how it will impact on the wellbeing of existing local residents, as well as that of the new residents who will find themselves unable to access basic medical care and education.

I will refrain from commenting on issues related to the environmental impact of this development, or the concerns about indigenous issues, as I am well aware that other local residents have more expert knowledge on these topics. However, I wish to note my objection to this development based on concerns related to both of these topics.

With just one road in and one road out, our community cannot afford to add to the daily traffic volume on our main road which is already inadequate and unsafe for the current local residents. It would appear, from looking at the plans for the West Culburra Development Proposal, that the Halloran Trust has ignored the needs of the current local residents, and the impact which their development will have on our own access to and from our town. With just one road in and out, it is important that we raise and prioritise the issue of access to our own homes, as well as point out the current reality of our situation where access can be cut off within seconds due to the poor choices of just one individual at the wheel of a vehicle on a road which is clearly dangerous and should not have any more increased traffic using it on a regular basis. Many local residents are concerned that we will have to wait for more fatalities to occur on this road before any plans are made to upgrade it, since the most recent accident not one change has been made along the stretch of road where the latest fatality occurred. As a wife and mother, I fear the future impacts that this road may continue to have on my family, as we all negotiate the road on a daily basis to go about our lives.

I thank you for taking the time to read my submission, and trust that these concerns will be acknowledged and considered by those making decisions which will directly impact on the residents of Culburra, most of whom stand to gain very little from this development proposal.

This project will cause the destruction of precious natural forest and native habitat. This destruction following on from the 19/20 bushfire catastrophe which already destroyed a horrific amount of vegitation and wildlife in our area and NSW as a whole: "The 2019–20 bushfires were unprecedented in their extent and intensity, with the fire ground in New South Wales covering 5.5 million hectares (7% of the State)" NSW Government website.
This project poses a significant environmental risk to the Curleys Bay system and the farms within it. Development materials and contaniments during the clearing and building phase followed by residential rubbish and pollution from the then established residences.
The development size (clearing) as well as the number of dwellings is inconsistent and unsustainable for the Culburra Beach area. Facilities and maintenance is sorely lacking for the permanent residents and visiting tourists. This needs to be rectified before further development in our area is approved.
Thank you for you time and consideration.

I have been a resident of Culburra for the last 20 years and only see the negative impacts this development will have on our environment and our limited infrastructure we have in place. Our roads and shops can not cope with the extra influx of tourists we now receive so how would it handle a few extra thousand people as permanent residents. I also strenuously object to the proposed integrated housing as part of this development, having worked in this field i know all to well the demographic this brings with it and the impact this has on small town culture and property prices, I have invested heavily in this town not just in property but in the community.
It would be like dumping integrated housing in the middle of Huskisson it wont work and is not in the best interest of the current residents.
Environment wise, the buffer zone between the foreshore and the development will not have the desired effect of decreasing pollution entering the river, all of that storm water running off the roads will enter into our river system carrying with it oil and debris from the roads. Also the amount of vegetation that will have to be removed to accommodate this development, hundred's if not thousands of trees which in turn removes habitat for our native animals which are already under so much pressure.
Short term gain to the detriment of our environment our community and the safety of our children is not something I could ever support.
Thank you for taking the time to read my submission.

I am a permanent resident of Culburra Beach.
I support the progress & development of Culburra Beach which will benefit the majority of the community of Culburra Beach, is respectful of the local Indigenous community, economically sound, & environmentally sustainable. This is possible.
I OBJECT TO THIS proposed West Culburra Development as it stands in the current application on the following grounds:

It is unnecessary & not environmentally sound practice to clear 47 hectares of native forrest which include vulnerable & threatened species especially after the recent bushfires in the Shoalhaven killed & displaced much wildlife & plant life. This development will clear part of the 20% of the Shoalhaven which was spared bushfires in 2019/2020.

I am concerned by the proximity of the development to waterways & damage to wetlands & pollution from runoff entering waterways near by.

I believe this development WILL NOT reduce the cost of housing & solve the unaffordability of housing for young people in Culburra Beach. There is no guarantee the new housing is not bought as holiday homes & used as holiday rentals or by investors from larger cities. This development is designed to financially benefit a few & that is not the residents of Culburra Beach.

I object to this development's design & density as it is not in keeping with the current character of Culburra Beach. I am not sure the tourist who bring money to our village will still come when we clear the bush, pollute the waterways & fill it with houses packed so densely & change the nature of Culburra Beach that they enjoy & we love?

I strongly oppose the West Culburra Concept Proposal SSD3845 primarily because:

- There has been a complete lack of community consultation and transparency in the formulation of this proposal. A supporter meeting in the local licensed club is not a suitable nor unbiased venue for public consultation concerning the proposal.
- It constitutes over development inappropriate for a town like Culburra. It will negatively impact the Beach environment the Crookhaven Catchment, it’s coastal forest and wetlands, the Crookhaven River and Curley’s Bay
- The water run-off survey is not sufficiently modeled. It does not use up-to-date methodology for measuring water quality. The developer's claims to enhance water quality remain untested and hence risky and unviable.
- An increased population will increase traffic in and out of a single access road community. This too is problematic and risky esp during bushfire season. There is no evidence of increased benefit to the permanent and holiday populations.
- It is not clear or apparent how the housing estate proposed meets current building standards and regulations.
- Lastly the economic enhancement claims proposed by the developer are unsubstantiated.

To whom it may concern,
My personal opinion is this development is not needed in Culburra at the cost of decimating parts our native bushland and estuary. The subsequent rezoning of the land proposed for the development opens a precedent for adjacent land, owned under the same company, to be rezoned and therefore developed all the way back to Coonemia Road.
The proposed development site and surrounding areas support countless wildlife and sensitive waterways which remain untouched from recent Shoalhaven bushfires. The area also provides a significant natural amenity to the entrance of the Culburra coastal village which must be maintained.
In addition, local infrastructure is already stressed and at breaking point, with Shoalhaven Council unable to sustain repairs both to roads in and around Culburra as well as access roads from nearby Nowra. Adding a housing development on top of this will compound the issue further and indeed make travelling in and out of town a significant safety issue for motorists and cyclists alike.
There is provision in current cleared land and existing dwellings, in and around Culburra, for redevelopment to support emerging needs such as downsizing for elderly couples. This approach would be more appropriate in keeping with the coastal village atmosphere rather than a wholesale housing redevelopment including an expansion of the current industrial area.
I understand there are some residents who argue that we need more affordable housing options in Culburra, however this development is highly unlikely to address this issue. There also is no guarantee that the proposed development will increase our local population in order to support our excessive retail premises outside of the holiday periods, which has also been an argument for the development. Incorrect numbers stating a majority percentage of residents supporting the development have also been reported to Shoalhaven council in an attempt to push the development forward. This also a matter of concern.
In conclusion, when we currently have a global conversation about climate change and the impact of human development on our environment, I implore you to consider the impact that this development will have on our natural landscape forever. Just because more people want to live on the coast or developers want to make a financial gain is not a valid reason to change what currently exists in Culburra. I feel compelled to argue against the proposal as I feel it will cause irreversible damage and I am not comfortable with that "on my watch".
Kind regards,
Fred Burley

Thank you for the opportunity to comment. I'm against the proposal because of the negative impact on the environment. Enough is enough of over development of sensitive coastal areas. I'm a recent visitor to the area for the birdwatching - especially Lake Wollumboola and understand that the proposed 'development' will negatively impact the sensitive eco systems of the area amongst other impacts. My observation of the infrastructure of Culburra Beach & surrounds is that of overuse & poor road quality & a real stretching of resources. The proposed 'development' looks like adding pressure to already stretched facilities & especially the natural environment. I look forward to continued visits with family & friends but not to an overdeveloped housing / factory wasteland that will impact a significant bio-diversity area & potentially wreck it as well. Finally, its about the vibe - we need more rich bio-diversity not less. Thanks Matt

I fully support the West Culburra Development. I have been coming to Culburra for the past 7 years after purchasing a holiday home there in 2014. Over the years many of the businesses have closed due to the lack of customers during the off peak seasons. I feel this development would be beneficial to the town, proping up these businesses during the off peak season and bring life back into the town which at sometimes has felt deserted.
The design of the parks and shared walkways alongside the lake will make this area more accessible to people, an area that I don't often tend to use due to unknown access points.
I like the idea of a Tavern/Sports club or similiar with Ocean views, to take advantage of the beautiful surrounds.
I really hope this development goes ahead, it will bring life into this dying small town, and create jobs for locals living in the area.

To Whom it May Concern,

We are the owners of a house in Culburra Beach, and write to express our strong opposition to the revised development proposal at West Culburra. We believe that Culburra's main appeal to its existing and future residents is its unique setting among Bangalay Sandforest and ocean waterways. To spoil this by developing ugly and un-needed high-density residences and commercial buildings would irrepairably damage Culburra's quality of life for its residents and destroy its future as a tourism destination.

The grounds for our objection are:

1) Destruction of precious Bangalay Sandforest and native species which inhabit it

2) Destruction of Curleys Bay waterway by adding pollution caused by hundreds of additional homes and commercial businesses

3) Unsightly buildings along Culburra Road, which would impact the tourism appeal of Culburra Beach

4) Raising the visitation of Culburra and Warrain Beaches, eroding quality of life for residents and destroying tourism appeal

5) Putting further downward pressure on Culburra Beach holiday rentals by flooding the market with excess stock

6) Putting further downward pressure on Culburra Beach retail businesses by adding new premises that are unsupported by the market

7) Creating additional traffic along Culburra Road, increasing fire danger for Culburra Beach residents in the event of evacuation

We urge the NSW Government to stop the destruction of precious coastal land, the scars of which are now seen up and down the state. Once this forest is destroyed, and all the unique wildlife along with it, it can never be returned.

26th February 2021

SUBMISSION AGAINST THE PLAN FOR WEST CULBURRA MIXED USE SUBDIVISION
ID DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION: WEST CULBURRA CONCEPT PROPOSAL SSD 3846
Based on the following listed items, I fully oppose the above development.

I grew up in Culburra/Orient Point after my family made the decision to move there in 2000. I have since moved but the family home is still there, maintained by my parents. Very recently we have been made aware of this development proposal. I'm deeply concerned about the lack of community consultation, and potential misrepresentation of the communities views.
The concerns I have vary, but are difficult to narrow because of this lack of community consultation. In general most of my concerns revolve around infrastructure and environmental impact.

- Infrastructure Changes. With the addition of 350 homes and approximately 2.5 people per household this would increase the population significantly without providing sufficient facility upgrades. Doctors, Schools, Local Business, Police, Local Council Services. All would be overwhelmed by a 30%+ increase in population.

- Increased traffic. One road in and one road out. The towns capacity is already maximised over tourist seasons, increasing travel time by as much as 50% on a day to day basis during these months and adding such a significant amount of people without any change to the roads would mean an eternal gridlock.

- Dramatic community change. This proposal is a huge shift in tone for the community. What was once a quiet, sleepy bush/coastal village will be irreversibly shifted to booming small town, with no regard for future shifts. The feel in the long term generational existing community and those that moved here was to escape the hustle and bustle of city/large township, and this proposal could potentially drive existing residents out. It's unethical to force this change on a community of people for the sake of profit, without clear, transparent and proper consultation of the community.

- Environmental impact. I don't even know where to begin. There's so much change here that would damage the local environment to the point of no return. The removal of such a large swathe of bushland would force out native animals and flora, have a significant impact on water quality, and a myriad of other issues. Too many to mention. The wildlife has already been impacted so significantly in the last 12-18 months with the bushfires, to undergo this development could be devastating to the reproduction process.

In my opinion all of this is just a push for a trust to make a buck, without any regard for the existing community.

My submission begins with the question why do we all have to do fresh submissions. Many people in this area believe they have already submitted and due to age and inability to understand, think they did not have to do fresh submissions of support. Added to this is a major influence from opponents of the development which on the surface appears to demonstrate the people here do not support it. In short, a lot of rhetoric has occurred and some vitriol. My opinion based on facts as far as I can gather, shows those who support the development actually do live here in either Culburra Beach or Orient Point. In the social media there appears to be influences coming from those that do not live here. I declare that I am a resident of Culburra Beach with my address being 15B Orient Point Road and have made no contributions to any political party.
My submission to the 2018 plora of activity (I submitted in my Sole Trader name LCR Services) was to question all the so-called potential things that could happen as the objections back then centred around potential this and potential that. These objections have all been mitigated against with this latest concept plan. I therefore fully support the current plan for the development being approved for several reasons. These are;
• In terms of economics, as I am involved with the local business community it has been brought to my attention that in the immediate past 6 months, a particular business spent just over $100,000 in wages into the local community. By adding more properties being available then this could increase by some 40 to 50% once all properties in the new development have been built and occupied. Perhaps more.
• The management of storm water is vastly improved over the past design. Even though 75% of existing oyster farming lease license areas are not occupied there was general concern in the community that water run off would affect the Farming of such. This clearly cannot occur with this latest plan. In fact, the “Integrated Water Cycle Management System is well done. It uses the NORDE system resulting in a neutral or beneficial effect and has no water draining into downstream water bodies.
• Rainwater tanks on every lot.
• Solar panels on every lot. This is great for property dwellers whether they be owners or renters as there will be energy savings achieved from day one of occupancy.
• Higher-than-normal "energy efficiency" targets (7-star NatHERS rating) are set for the houses to be built. This can only be good for the occupiers
• The volume of direct offsets required under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act to compensate for the WCBD have been well exceeded. This is of great comfort and should seriously be taken as a positive support for the development approval.
• Looking at the history of planning and support for this development gives a good degree of confidence it is the right and acceptable type of development for the area. The following refers;
o The site has been zoned for residential development since the early 1990s;
o It is part of Council's Growth Management Strategy (GMS);
o The GMS is supported by the NSW Government's lllawarra Shoalhaven Regional Plan 2036;
o The development has been fully endorsed by Shoalhaven City Council;
• Greater opportunities will occur as the development is built providing the ability for existing residents to downsize onto smaller parcels and yet stay within a good range to the central facilities for the township.
• Improved entry to Culburra Beach is brought about by the development which provides opportunities for a new "gateway" into Culburra Beach with the introduction of roundabouts on Culburra Rd.
• The development integrates well with the existing township.

Please refer to the attachments.

I do not support the development for the following reasons:

1. The community do not want it. There are some parties who will gain from the proposal who do want this (real estate agents etc), but as a whole the Culburra community do not want this.
2. There is already plenty of cleared land around Nowra for development. Given the devastation of our forests only a year ago, why clear new land when this already cleared land exists. Further, why risk damaging a government recognised vulnerable wetland? A known fish nursery? And an aquaculture industry?
3. It is such a significant development compared to the size of the existing town. This has not been considered. While there are plenty of documents and troves of information in the submission, it is clear that the development if allowed to proceed will change the character of the town. This is something that the local residents will have to deal with.
5. The submission has also not considered what the development will look like from an aesthetics perspective. Clearly the high-density nature of the proposal is not in keeping with the look and feel of the town today.
6. It is unclear if Culburra is a strategic growth centre for the State Government. Surely a site closer to Nowra would be more suitable for large-scale development and more in keeping with the State Government's plans
7. The economic of the submission must be openly debated and tested.
8. This development will not solve Culburra’s retail vacancy issues, and in fact will likely make them worse, with a risk of increasing competition, that will make it harder for businesses to survive. It will also not result in an improved retail precinct.
9. This development feels like the large landowner will just keep trying until the locals run out of resources.
10. We are not learning from over-development in other towns and cities. Is this really what we want to do in our Shoalhaven beach towns?

I object to the project. Please see the submission attached.

I have lived in Culburra Beach for nearly 10 years, this region my entire life. I have travelled all over Australia, on the lookout for somewhere to settle permanently. Have not found anywhere comparable to Culburra Beach.

The beauty of Culburra Beach is the natural environment, we love having big trees, wide streets and big house blocks. This is old-fashion living out here! As we live 20mins from Nowra, the average household would have two cars at least. Due to the proximity to water activities, most households own boats. This development proposal is just another eyesore like Shell Cove and Twin Waters - tiny house blocks, massive houses, resident cars parked on skinny streets not wide enough for two cars to pass. We do not need more empty shops out here, we have trouble with the number we have now staying open. We have a lovely little school, 160 enrolments. Perfect size for kids, they know all the kids by first name.

This proposal needs more Culburra Beach community consultation.

As a Shoalhaven ratepayer, and Culburra resident, I object to this project on the following grounds:

• Clearing of over 47 ha of Currambene Lowland Coastal Forest - a habitat corridor which extends west to the Shoalhaven escarpment and north to the Crookhaven River Wetlands. This would cause loss of habitat including for threatened bird species such as the Powerful Owl and Glossy Black Cockatoo as well as for other native fauna and flora species.
• It is likely also to degrade mangroves in the Coastal Wetlands along the Crookhaven River, causing water quality issues for the oyster and fishing industries.
• It would also cause indirect impacts on the Culburra Beach environment including Lake Wollumboola’s internationally significant birdlife.
• Degradation of Aboriginal middens which are recognised as Regionally Significant Aboriginal cultural heritage.
• Culburra already has significant vacant retail in an area that badly needs an upgrade. Adding more residents won't improve this because of the proposed increase in retail. That will actually make the situation worse for the existing shopping strip.
• It is concerning that intensive development is proposed in unburned coastal forest, when so much of the South Coast forests were destroyed in the 2019-2020 fires. Such intact remnant forest must be protected as refuge habitat for species displaced by the fires.
• As Culburra is a one way in, one way out, community this will just exacerbate the situation should there be another natural disaster locally.

Thank you for the opportunity to make my objection official.