A council in Perth’s south-eastern suburbs has shut down conservationists trying to protect the biodiverse wetlands. The City of Gosnells plans to industrialise over 250 hectares of land in Kenwick and go against advice provided by the state’s Environmental Regulator. Locals have tried to protect the wetlands for years and says this latest setback has only fuelled their fire.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Angry and disappointed, the Save the Greater Brixton Wetlands group losing their grip on
00:08their fight after a meeting with the City of Gosnell's Mayor turned sour.
00:13We went into the meeting today offering a different vision from what the Council had
00:19put forward.
00:20I took it that the Mayor was not facing up to the responsibilities that the City of Gosnell's
00:25has and that they're trying to greenwash this issue.
00:30The group wants to stop the Council's current plans to industrialise more than 250 hectares
00:36of land in Kenwick to expand buildings into the area.
00:40The rezoning is part of a larger industrial precinct under construction, but it goes against
00:45EPA advice due to concerns around the Reserve's complex hydrology.
00:50The City of Gosnell's told the ABC in a statement it's aware of the importance of protecting
00:55the wetlands, but that the area had been rezoned by the State Government for local use.
01:01It said the EPA report overlooks existing degradation of land surrounding the wetlands
01:07and that 95% of areas for this development holds little to no environmental value.
01:13But that's something the group, including several scientists, disagree with.
01:17Experts say this reserve, along with areas nearby, makes up about 1% of Greater Perth
01:23but is home to about half of the city's biodiversity.
01:26The whole of the southwest is a biodiversity hotspot, but this over here is the jewel in
01:31the ground of that biodiversity hotspot, so it must be looked after.
01:36The group says a proposal to build a regional park in the area instead is a better alternative.
01:43This issue has not stopped with this meeting.
01:47We will continue to go back to council meetings and ask questions.
01:51We will go to ministers and ask them to intervene.
01:54A fight far from over.