FOKE Talk Time for World Heritage Ku-ring-gai Chase NP! - Friends of Ku-ring ...
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DECEMBER 2018
FOKE Talk
Time for World Heritage Ku-ring-gai Chase NP!
In October 2018 Friends of Ku-ring-gai
Environment (FOKE) resolved to com-
mence a campaign to call for the World
Heritage listing of Ku-ring-gai Chase
National Park (KCNP).
A committee has commenced to investi-
gate the UNESCO listing process, re-
search and prepare the necessary docu-
mentation to meet the selection criteria.
This committee aims to encourage par-
ticipation from all relevant community
and environmental groups.
To be included on the World Heritage
List, sites must be of outstanding univer-
sal value and meet at least one out of ten
selection criteria. FOKE believes KCNP
can meet a number of the key UNESCO
selection criteria for listing.
UNESCO selection criteria FOKE’s view
(iii) To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to KCNP has exceptional Indigenous history, and is home to
a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or around 1,500 pieces of Aboriginal rock art. It has the largest
which has disappeared. concentration of Indigenous sites in Australia.
(v) To be an outstanding example of a traditional human KCNP is an outstanding example of a traditional human set-
settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of tlement. Historical Indigenous sites include burial sites, caves
a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the en- or shelters, marriage areas, men’s areas, women’s areas, birth-
vironment especially when it has become vulnerable un- ing areas, midden sites, stone arrangement and tool sites.
der the impact of irreversible change.
(vii) To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas KCNP has superb natural beauty, from the bush through to
of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. the waterways. Fortunately preserved until the 1950/60s.
(x) To contain the most important and significant natural KCNP contains significant natural habitat for in-situ conser-
habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, vation of biological diversity. It has similarities to the Great-
including those containing threatened species of out- er Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Importantly, it is
standing universal value from the point of view of science home to a number of very rare, or threatened, plants and ani-
or conservation. mals.
(iv) to be directly or tangibly associated with events or KCNP is part of the history of the global national park move-
living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic ment. It is the second oldest National Park in Australia, ga-
and literary works of outstanding universal significance. zetted in 1894. It also was one of the first national parks that
(Preferably used with other criteria) celebrated the intrinsic value of nature for itself.
Our first stage will be to establish the viability of listing by investigating the detail required to support each criterion.
We have established a Facebook page as a means to create a venue for discussion and recommendations as we progress
through this process. We look forward to your comments and suggestions. Facebook.com/kuringgaiworldheritage
Page 2
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Our very best wishes
Dear Members, to you and
In closing another year and our final
newsletter for 2018 I would like to
your family
thank our loyal members for your
feedback, support and encourage-
for a
ment throughout the year.
Merry Christmas
This month I was appointed to the
Greater Sydney Commission Citi- itage conservation areas which have
been highly politicised in the press,
And a
zen’s Panel, which includes two
compulsory weekend workshop ses- the outrageous proposals for the
Lindfield Hub and the Greater Sydney
Happy New Year!
sions at the Novotel Parramatta. The
workshops are primarily to listen to Commission housing targets for the
citizens discussions and opinions on next five years.
the directions for measuring perfor- The topics discussed with Jonathan
mance of the Greater Sydney Region included latest approval and dwelling
Plan and the context for developing figures from the Department of Plan-
an indicators based framework for ning, the lack of any need to rezone
Greater Sydney. Workshop out- for more high density in Ku-ring-gai
comes will be put up on the Greater due to the remaining yield in the local FRIENDS OF
Sydney Commission website. centres yet to be taken up, the Great- KU-RING-GAI
Our great concern is that Sydney is er Sydney Commission proposed ENVIRONMENT INC.
being overpopulated along with in- dwelling targets for Ku-ring-gai over Established 1994
adequate provision of services and the next five years, and the excessive
heights and overdevelopment being PO Box 403
infrastructure with minimal discus- Killara NSW 2071
sion by the State Government of suggested for the Lindfield Hub. The
decentralisation. meeting with Clr Ngai focussed on the Tel: 9416-9007
Lindfield Hub proposal and the new Web: www.foke.org.au
Over the month I also attended a Ku dwelling figures for Ku-ring-gai. Email: info@foke.org.au
-ring-gai Council workshop for devel-
If the proposed heights for the Lind- To ensure you are on our mailing
oping Recreation in Natural Are-
field Hub increase from the agreed 7 list please write to us at the email
as. Council is currently developing a
storeys to the proposed 10 or 14 sto- address above.
strategy through consultation work-
shops to manage the way people reys, this will set a precedent for high- President: Kathy Cowley
use our natural areas for recreation. er density across Ku-ring-gai. Vice-President: Janine Kitson
The community attendees at our It is pleasing and satisfying for FOKE Treasurer: Kerrie Piper
workshop were primarily concerned to see that State Rail have saved and Minutes Secretary:
with the impacts on the environment replanted some of the old Water- Katrina Pickles
and whether the activities Council is house camelia sasanqua plants Committee:
proposing would be sustainable. which were rescued, removed and Ursula Bonzol
Residents expressed the overriding cared for while the new works on Gor-
requirement that any activities in Carolyn Darby
don Station were being carried out. It Janet Harwood
natural areas must be ecologically is good to think that our FOKE
sustainable to prevent further envi- knowledge and lobbying has saved Denise Hendy
ronmental degradation to Ku-ring- some of these plants from being de- Dinah Warner
gai’s bushland. stroyed. Tanya Wood
Ursula Bonzol and I also attended With my best wishes to you all for a Facebook:
two meetings last month with local very Happy Christmas and a fulfilling Friendsofkuringgai
politicians. Our first meeting was New Year.
with Member for Davidson Jonathan
O’Dea MP and the second with Ro- Kind regards, Join FOKE Now!
seville Ward Councillor Sam
Ngai. Both meetings were to dis- Kathy Cowley Call or email us or join
cuss a range of Ku-ring-gai local online at
planning issues. These included her- PRESIDENT
www.foke.org.au
DECEMBER 2018 Page 3
Check your facts, Mr Daley! Recreation in
The Leader of the Opposition Mi-
chael Daley said on the ABC on
dicted to yield approximately a fur-
ther 4000- 6000 new dwellings in the
Bushland—a
taking up the Leader position that commercial areas in 6 Local Centres
his first edict will be lifting the in Ku-ring-gai. The 6 targeted cen- Trojan Horse?
standards of behaviour. If Mr Da- tres are Roseville, Lindfield, Gordon, Ku-ring-gai Council is currently promot-
ley is to be believed or trusted as a Pymble, St Ives and Turramurra. ing more ‘recreational use’ of our bush-
potential Premier of NSW then he Considerable areas of land in these 6 land reserves. FOKE has real concerns
needs to heed his words and not local centres have already been that these high impact sports will seri-
only lift his game but get his facts zoned and gazetted for higher density ously threaten Ku-ring-gai’s natural en-
right when making public state- commercial/residential development vironment by clearing, fragmenting and
ments which are clearly not true. and not yet taken up. degrading sensitive bushland that will
Having been the Shadow Minister Has Mr Daley not noticed the angry seriously threaten Ku-ring-gai’s birds
for Planning prior to being elected Rallies occurring in Crows Nest and and wildlife whose habitat is being cov-
as Leader of the Opposition, you St Leonards objecting to the 50, 27 eted by recreational users.
would think he would have close and 18 storey apartment blocks pro- Ku-ring-gai Council signalled its support
and reliable access to the housing posed along the Pacific Highway? for high impact sports by first inviting
data which has been requested and North Shore densities under these sports users to workshops promoting
provided to FOKE by the Depart- plans will exceed those of some of these sports followed by invitations to
ment of Planning and the Greater the world’s largest cities. With infra- t hose wit h environmenta l co n-
Sydney Commission! structure lagging behind as usual. cerns. Some of the high impact sports
include trail running, rock climbing,
Mr Daley stated to Wendy Harmer It would appear the Leader for the
abseiling and mountain biking.
on ABC Breakfast in November Oppositions’ statement on ABC ra-
that the North Shore had got off dio recently, was entirely misleading The National Parks Association has
"scott free" in providing new and political, designed to appeal to raised an alarm regarding Orange,
homes, which is patently untrue! his safe Labor constituency and not where the Orange City Council has sup-
the citizens on the North Shore. ported the construction of 60 kilometres
Ku-ring-gai has approved nearly of mountain bike trails in the Mount
12,000 new dwellings since the So the question is, will Mr Daley
Canobolas State Conservation Areas –
Labor Government imposed the become a fairer Labor Premier to all supposedly a protected site. The moun-
10,000 new dwelling target to be NSW citizens if elected, or will it tain bike industry is also pushing for 82
achieved from 2004-2031. Ku-ring- be back to the old, biased days of kilometres of constructed bike tracks in
gai was one of the first council Labor? the Illawarra Escarpment Conservation
areas in Sydney to be targeted with Areas that will clear up to 16 hectares of
a Residential Development Strate- rare and sensitive rainforest.
gy in 2002 by the then Labor Gov-
ernment. Ku-ring-gai Council High impact sports are no more appro-
achieved this 10,000 new dwelling priate in bushland reserves than clear-
target in less than 14 years and ing them for netball courts or new
have now been tasked by the Lib- ovals. Illegal bike tracks do exist in
eral appointed Greater Sydney bushland reserves and there are concerns
Commission to provide a further that some of these tracks may be used as
4000 new dwellings in the next five an excuse for bike track industries to
years! justify further and more intrusive bike
track construction in bushland areas.
In the last 10 years Ku-ring-gai
has experienced a 25% population It is important that this recreational poli-
increase. Over that time Ku-ring- cy is not allowed to appropriate and de-
gai citizens have experienced no stroy Ku-ring-gai’s precious bushland, a
increase in services or new infra- vital habitat for many threatened birds
structure and approximately 20% and wildlife.
loss in train services to the North
Shore line! The Pacific Highway
has become gridlocked and our
Take Action!
schools are overcrowded. Congratulations State Rail for saving Council needs to hear from resi-
The current Ku-ring-gai Local and replanting Professor dents. Please email or call to let
Centres and Principal Local Envi- Waterhouse’s heritage camellia hedge them know your concerns.
ronmental Plans (LEPs) are pre- at Gordon Railway Station.
Page 4
Population Policy Fighting to retain Heritage
or Pre-Election Conservation Areas (HCAs)
Mirage?
The process of putting in place ade- Council initiated two separate
Since our 2017 AGM when Dick Smith
quate HCAs in Ku-ring-gai remains, studies by external heritage plan-
spoke of the need for a Population Poli- unfortunately, a slow one. ners.
cy and limits to what our cities can ab-
sorb each year, the concerns have only In 2002 Council was about to adopt a These identified appropriate HCA
increased and are peaking in the pre- significant number of HCAs (then outcomes in the north areas, and
election promises of both our State and called Urban Conservation Areas) these were placed on public exhi-
Federal leaders. when, in May of that year, the State bition in 2015 and 2017. Notwith-
Labor government suddenly withdrew standing this, Council proceeded,
In October, Premier Berejiklian has its delegation to Council to proceed this year, to adopt only some of
called for a halving of NSW's migrant with any HCAs. This was to allow the exhibited HCA areas.
intake, with the debate on population unrestricted rezoning for increased
residential densities, i.e. the demoli- In part, Council bowed to some
policy now resting on congestion, livea- objectors claiming that HCAs
tion of Ku-ring-gai's traditional homes
bility, housing affordability and infra- for the construction of apartment involve heritage listing, prevent
structure. blocks. alterations or additions, and affect
property values.
Premier Berejiklian has now appointed It was not until 2010, and once rezon-
an expert panel to develop a population ing planning instruments for apart- In fact, HCAs do not involve her-
policy for NSW. “It is becoming increas- ment blocks were in place, that the itage listing, or prevent alterations
ingly clear that the current high rates of State government returned to Council or additions; and published stud-
population growth are putting even its HCA delegation. In 2011 Council ies have shown a positive effect
more pressure on our infrastructure. It is staff decided to "update" its HCA on property values.
now time for us to take stock and get studies.
ahead.” HCAs protect the valued
However, Council staff retained two streetscapes and character which
The Premier renewed her call for net separate HCA consultants – one for attract residents to Ku-ring-gai.
overseas migration levels to return to the South areas, of Roseville to Gor- These are attributes and amenity
more sustainable Howard-era rates don, and a different one for North which can easily disappear, as is
when NSW net overseas migration was areas, of Pymble to Wahroonga. The now so evident - hence the vital
steady at around 45,000 a year, rather northern areas criteria were applied in role of HCAs.
than the current 100,000. such a way as to minimise the extent
of HCAs, and favour potential future Council should continue the ex-
With both Victoria and NSW lobbying amination of potential future
development. The inevitable results
for a review of immigration levels, HCAs and actively promote a
were minimal HCAs in the North.
Premier Morrison is expected to cut the proper community understanding
number of migrants coming to Australia As a result of concerns raised by the of the benefits of a HCA to both
by up to 30,000. National Trust in March 2011 regard- the area and the individual resi-
ing deficiencies in this approach, dents.
However, this debate cannot ignore
more than 1 million temporary working
visas and 350,000 international student
visa holders currently requiring a home
while in Australia. A population policy
without a reduction in the number of
future visa holders will not assist in ad-
dressing the congestion, liveability and
housing needs of residents.
It is time for a constructive debate over
immigration policy in the lead-up to
the State and Federal elections. What is
required is not just promises, but a co-
herent set of proposals and timetable of
how this will occur. Promises, without
concrete plans, will be futile. We have
been there before on this issue. Killara Urban Conservation Area
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