NORTHERN Beaches Council has expressed grave concerns over the Patyegarang planning proposal at Morgan Road, Belrose, also known as ‘Lizard Rock’.

The Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (MLALC) has submitted the planning proposal, which is currently on public exhibition on the NSW Department of Planning Environment website.

However, the Council has raised issues regarding the environmental impact and bushfire risks associated with the development and plans to submit its concerns to the Department.

The proposal would see the destruction of 45 football fields worth of bushland and the construction of 450 homes in a bushfire-prone area, which could pose a risk to residents.

Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins said the Council was deeply concerned about the environmental impacts and bushfire risks associated with the development and would be making a submission to the Department.

“We wholeheartedly support the intent of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act – after all, this land always was and always will be Aboriginal land – but we simply cannot condone this particular proposal due to the extreme risks and impacts it presents,” Mayor Heins said.

While the Council supports the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, it does not endorse this proposal, given its extreme risks and impacts. The Council has suggested an alternative solution and financial model to the MLALC that would protect the land in perpetuity while still benefitting financially from it.

Significant issues relating to the planning proposal include Bushfire risks associated with evacuation, inconsistency with planning strategies and council conservation zones review.

The final concern was related to the enormous biodiversity habitat loss. With 44.7 Hectares of bushland set to be cleared.

“None of these issues have been addressed in the revised planning proposal,” Mayor Heins said.