Latest news

Verity Firth the NSW Environment Minister answers questions from the NSW Greens in Parliament

Verity Firth provided a range of answers to the NSW Parliament about the Cranebrook site. The Minister was under oath and has declared that:
 

• DECC has identified the entire Cranebrook site as a Western Sydney Priority Area,
• Former Ministers Debus and Koperberg are on the record as stating protection of the entire site is a priority,
• DECC emphasised the conservation values of the ASA site in response to the draft Penrith LEP and expressed its preference for the whole site to be protected and that
• The Biodiversity Certification Order for the Sydney Growth Centres specifies that at least $530 million is to be used for biodiversity conservation and regional open space purposes. Of this amount, $397.5 million is planned for use outside the Growth Centres for the primary purpose of biodiversity conservation. The first preference for use of this funding is the protection of the Western Sydney priority areas (Cranebrook is one of DECC's Western Sydney Priority sites).

See entire document here

IFC Capital Ltd donation to Labor Party

IFC has made two separate donations to the ALP. They have donated $2500 to ALP Head Office and a further $2000 to Diane Beamer the former Assistant NSW Planning Minister. This was made at a fundraiser for Diane Beamer in late 2006 attended by by Morris Iemma the NSW Premier. This goes beyond just Ms Beamer as her office is staffed by Greg Davies the current Mayor of Penrith and Susan Page a current Penrith Councillor. Diane Beamer was the only candidate at the 2007 NSW election that IFC officially donated any money to.

Penrith Press front page story about donation here
See image of donation here
Diane Beamer donation website here

740 lots now proposed - Townhouses up to 3 storeys

IFC Capital have applied to the NSW Department of Planning (DoP), more specifically an outfit call the CEO's Land Supply Committee, to have the site listed on the Metropolitan Development Program (MDP) so the site can be declared a future urban release area. IFC have lodged a Sustainability Report with DoP supposedly addressing the necessary sustainability criteria of the Metropolitan Development Strategy. Final approval to have the site listed on the MDP rests with a decision by the NSW Cabinet. If the site is listed on the MDP then IFC Capital want the development assessed by Frank Sartor, the NSW Planning Minister, under Part 3A of the Planning Legislation as State Significant Development. If the development is declared a major development under part 3A then the Planning Minister becomes the consent authority and can rezone the site to allow urban development, the Minister does not have to take into consideration the opinion of the public or Penrith Council. This is bad.

Here is a link to maps of the new development proposal and the vegetation types recorded on the site by Western Sydney Botanist, Teresa James. Teresa, in December 2007, authored a report on the conservation significance of the Cranebrook site. The report confirms why the entire site needs to be conserved. Teresa mapped the vegetation on the site earlier in 2007 when she was employed by the NSW Dept of Environment and Climate Change to map the sites vegetation for the Biodiversity Banking trial which IFC Capital participated in but has since walked away from. You will note the extent of endangered vegetation mapped within IFC proposed development areas.

Here is the report by Teresa James Cranebrook report December 2007 - Teresa James.pdf

Penrith Council despite being sympathetic to a smaller rural type development on the site have now opposed IFC's latest plan as it removes Council from the process and makes them powerless. Several Council documents are available to download explaining the issue from Councils perspective:

Penrith Council former ASA land attachment.pdf
Penrith Council memo Air Services site 26 nov 07.pdf

March 2007

Make a comment on the Growth Centres Conservation Plan. The Growth Centres Commission has released a plan that if approved allows the NSW Environment Minister to grant biodiversity certification for the entire Growth Centres. Biodiversity certification of an area switches off the need for any further threatened species assessment at the development application stage. It is not a good outcome for the environment.

There will be huge losses of vegetation as a result of development and the plan mentions a range of mechanisms to attempt to offset these losses. One strategy is a conservation offset program which will use $530 million collected from developer levies to offset losses within and outside of the Growth Centres. 75% of this fund, some $400 million, is to be spent outside the Growth Centres acquiring high conservation value land. This presents an opportunity to use these funds to acquire sites such as the Cranebrook ASA site.

Here is a link to the Growth Centres Conservation Plan.
Here is a submission to the Growth Centres Commission  Cumberland Conservation Corridor submission.pdf 870kb explaining how the $400 million can be spent helping to establish a massive green corridor across western Sydney.

11th December 2006

Another large bushfire occurred at the old Cranebrook Air Services Australia site. Reports say the fire was started by lightning hitting a nearby house causing a fire which spread to the nearby site. A southerly wind change late in the afternoon caused the fire to spread north of the ASA site into bushland and properties. See images of Cranebrook fire here

3rd November 2006

Bob Debus the NSW Environment Minister reply  letter 3 November 2006 - Response from Bob Debus - ASA Cranebrook.pdf 13kb . He was responding to this letter about the NSW Government acquiring the site from IFC Capital Ltd. Letter to Debus - Air Services - 3 September 2006.pdf 9kb.

15 October 2006

Greens get a response from Bob Debus and Frank Sartor to questions asked about ASA Cranebrook  Greens questions and answers - NSW Environment Minister.pdf 8kb
Greens questions and answers - NSW Planning Minister.pdf 4kb

12 October 2006

Freedom of Information documents obtained from Penrith Council in regards to the rezoning application FOI'd Document - Penrith Council ASA Cranebrook rezoning - 12 October 2006.pdf 81kb

3rd October 2006

Correspondence received from Penrith Council responding to concerns about the rezoning of the site. 3rd October 2006 - Penrith Council response Cranebrook rezoning.pdf 8.34kb

29th September 2006

Investigations at Penrith Council reveal that IFC Capital Ltd officially lodged its Rezoning Application on the 15th September 2006. Council has not yet put the Rezoning Application on public exhibition.