Members of NSW Parliament’s Portfolio Committee No. 7, who are undertaking a parliamentary inquiry into the planning system and the impacts of climate change on the environment and communities, saw and heard about issues concerning proposed and approved developments sites in the Lower Clarence first-hand when they visited Yamba and Maclean last Friday.

The committee members invited Yamba CAN Inc Committee members and Valley Watch Inc members to travel on the bus with Portfolio Committee members to four sites on the Yamba floodplain.

Yamba CAN Inc also invited Dr Greg Clancy, in his capacity as an ecologist, to join the visits on May 31.

In a mini bus, four members of the seven person committee, Chair Sue Higginson Greens MLC, Anthony D’Adam Labor MLC, Jacqui Munro Liberal MLC, and Peter Primrose Labor MLC, were joined by Yamba CAN Inc Chair, Col Shephard, and Secretary, Lynne Cairns, and Valley Watch members, Helen Tyas Tunggal and Rob Mylchreest, when they visited the sites Parkside in Park Avenue, and Golding Street near Grevillea Waters, the various approved and proposed developments down the whole length of Carrs Drive to Oyster Channel, and then Palm Lakes Resort in Orion Drive.

During the walk to view Parkside and the bus ride to sites, committee members were provided with a wealth of information and local knowledge about each development over the years, particularly about the February/March 2022 flood events.

Each Committee member was provided a forty-page folder of comprehensive facts and concerns, detailed plans, maps and photos about each site visited.

They also were given a USB stick with Powerpoint presentations about Parkside, the history of West Yamba, the recent Current Affair footage, a video of the stormwater flowing from West Yamba developments inundating residents’ homes and roads on the Yamba floodplain causing severe damage, a recent video with a song written and played by a local musician, and a copy of about 30 newspaper articles.

When the bus entered Carrs Drive it was greeted by more than 40 people on both sides of the road waving “Stop the Fill” and other protest signs.

Locals there told the CV Independent that council staff had patched potholes along Carrs Drive on Thursday, just 24 hours before the committee was due to visit.

Yamba CAN Inc and Valley Watch Inc members said the message was delivered loud and clear to Committee No. 7 members that development on the Yamba floodplain is devastating residents and the environment and has to stop.

Of paramount importance and stressed to the Committee was the concern of safe evacuation of residents, particularly in a medical emergency.

NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully has been making comments about not continuing to build on high-risk flood plains and scaling back developments on dangerous floodplain areas where there would be a “risk to life” in the case of mass evacuation.

Yamba CAN and Valley Watch members and locals say this should happen sooner than later.

“Yamba CAN would like to thank all those people who came to Carrs Drive in support, holding up signs and banners,” Yamba CAN Inc Chair, Col Shephard said.

“It is greatly appreciated.”

Yamba CAN Inc has sent a letter to Ms Higginson thanking the Committee for travelling to visit Yamba and for providing the opportunity to convey information and concerns.

The letter also enquired whether there can be as an emergency measure, a precautionary hold, such as a moratorium, requested to the Planning Minister, Mr Paul Scully, to stop any further approvals for development on the Yamba floodplain.

When they left Yamba, the committee visited the site of the proposed River Glen development at Maclean where they listened to the concerns of locals.

To get a good perspective of the area, the committee also visited the Maclean lookout, where they could look across the Lower Clarence floodplain.  

This article appeared in the  Clarence Valley Independent, 5 June 2024.