Regional park for Sandon Point rejected Sartor gives green light to

The area earmarked for a $153 million residential and retirement village between Bulli and Thirroul.

THE $153 million Sandon Point housing and aged care development will go ahead despite overwhelming opposition, community pickets and protests.

The State Government approval of the controversial development just prior to Christmas has caused outrage within sections of the community, who have lobbied for over a decade for a regional park for the site.

Under the plan, Stockland Developments and Anglican Retirement Villages will construct a retirement village and residential development on the western portion of Sandon Point.

NSW Planning Minister Frank Sartor said he had approved a scaled-back concept plan for 180 detached residences, a 80 unit apartment building, and 25 town houses, in addition to a four-storey residential aged care facility containing 120 beds, and 250 independent living units in a three-storey apartment building.

The aged care facility will be built on the Cookson Pilbrico Refactory site at Bulli, while each building will be subject to Wollongong City Council development applications.

"The concept plan has been significantly modified to ensure future development on the site is more sympathetic to the local environment," Mr Sartor said.

More than 61 percent of coastal land between Thirroul and Bulli will be reserved for open space and environmental protection, Mr Sartor said.

"This planning blueprint delivers an additional seven hectares of land for environmental protection an increase of 20 percent compared to the current zoning," he said.

"It ensures industrial uses are removed from this beachfront location, while public access to the foreshore will be improved."

A total of 32ha will be permanently preserved for the public and rezoned for environmental protection and open space, according to Mr Sartor.

The site has been the subject of huge community protests. The Minister's decision comes six years after a picket and Aboriginal tent embassy were set up on the site to lobby for a regional park and the protection of sacred Aboriginal burial grounds and sensitive coastal wetlands.

The Greens' Heathcote candidate at the March state election, Jill Merrin said a 2003 Commission of Inquiry found the development was totally inappropriate for the site, but the latest plan is even bigger than the initial plan of 2000.

"Mr Sartor is still making claims about big environmental gains, but what we will get is big environmental losses," Ms Merrin said.

"The Labor government claims they are protecting the coast of NSW, but all we are seeing is massive over-development, continuing loss of biodiversity and Aboriginal heritage, and loss of coastal wetlands," she said.

Ms Merrin said claims of reserving more than 61 percent of the area is identical to claims made in November 2005.

"That land is already public or not zoned for development," she said.

Ms Merrin said additional public space is also about to be rezoned to allow an access road into the development site.

Wollongong City Council plans to rezone part of Thomas Gibson Park from community land to operational land to allow for the road.

"Locals have been campaigning for a state regional park for the area for many years, but the government has resisted the call to buy-back the land.

"The Iemma government is able to find money to buy back land on Sydney's foreshore for its marginal inner-city seats, but it is not able to find money for a regional park in the safe Labor seat of Heathcote."

Mr Sartor said the latest plan strikes the right balance between development and environmental gains and delivers certainty after many years of planning investigations and community debate.

"In addition, natural creek corridors will be established on land which is currently zoned for development, and the Turpentine Forest and natural habitat will be protected," Mr Sartor said.

"The project is expected to generate 120 new long-term jobs and provide a first-class aged care facility for the region's older citizens," he said.

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