Photo from left, Kate Warner, Lead Councillor Candidate for Lake Mac Independents (a registered political party), Anthony Swinsburg, true Independent Councillor candidate for West Ward, myself, Rosmairi Dawson, true Independent Mayoral and Councillor candidate for West Ward and Susan Cooper, 2nd on the group for My Local Community, (a registered political party). Joined later in the session by Greens Party candidate, Kim Grierson.

Thank you Zsofia Kennedy, Treasurer of the Mandalong Community Association for the invitation to speak today at the Forum along with other candidates and council representatives. It was a great meeting chaired by MCA president Marton Marosszeky and so lovely to see so many familiar Mandalong faces.

The MCA are very concerned about the Council and State Government proposal to rezone land to the west of Mandalong Road and the M1 Freeway. The proposal is for industrial uses like warehousing and logistics/transport terminal.

The proposed rezoned area covers an important flood plane where our major waterways, Stockton and Moran Creek, drain from the Watagans towards Lake Macquarie.

To basically concrete in a flood plain is asking for really major flood issues when the inevitable happens of a major rain event into the future. What is yet to be understood is the true impact of development from a completed flood study which is currently being produced by Council.

I personally wrote and submitted a fully outlined position to the Morisset Place Strategy during the consultation period last year which can be found on my website.

Candidates were asked to elaborate on what their position would be if elected. I had already made a decision on my position when writing that submission last year and that was to oppose the rezoning to industrial in any form. An extensive major hard stand of concrete on a flood plain would give the water no where to go but out on to private properties, and possibly into the mining cavities which are extensively located under the Mandalong Valley. That could lead to the possible disaster of increasing subsidence on private property as well as the major loss of habitat for our local fauna. I feel that it would be unconscionable to approve the rezoning and I will put that to Council if elected.

Thank you also to James Ryan who presented to the meeting on the details of how to rally against the proposal from his extensively experienced point of view.

In comments Area Map for Flood Study and extract from Morisset Place Study of West Morisset “priorities”.

All links and my submission to the Morisset Place Strategy document can be found in the post on the Morisset Place Strategy submission on this page.