Presentation: Andrew Bain on Broulee land at Clarke Street

PSR21/049 and PET21/003 – Land at the cnr Broulee Road and Clarke St

Andrew Bain – Broulee Mossy Point Community Association

Dear Mayor and fellow Councillors,

I speak as the acting President of the Broulee Mossy Point Community Association. I will be short and not go back over earlier material I have already presented on this matter or the material attached to the petition which is available to Councillors.

Firstly I would like to congratulate the staff on a very complete job compiling the history that has led us to where we are now.

The only matter that it did not explain is why, having realized that the November 2003 decision was insufficient to reclassify Lot 89 as Community Land, Council staff did not bring back to Council the actions necessary to complete the reclassification. Our legal advice is that Council remains bound by the decision of 2003 and should take steps to give effect to it. This agenda item gives Council the opportunity for reclassification with all the legal requirements met.

The Council document is clear that the preferred community position in 2003 was to reclassify all the land as Community Land. This was despite the local community being offered the proceeds from sale to be spent on infrastructure improvements within Broulee. The results of our petition, supported by meetings in Broulee, suggest that this is still the preferred outcome.

The petition put a simple proposition that the Council meet its 2003 commitment to reclassify Lot 89 as Community Land and to meet its commitment of 29 June that the unformed road will become Community Land. Nearly 500 people signed the petition.

Covid rules forced us to use digital media for some of the petition but we did not go to one of the web sites that seek nationwide or worldwide results. We merely promoted it to members of the Community Association and relied on them to spread the word around Broulee Mossy Point. This shows up in the results where 61 % were from Broulee Mossy Point, only 15% had an address outside Eurobodalla and many of this 15% were regular visitors or had property in Broulee Mossy Point.

There have been questions about what would the land be used for if it is reclassified as Community Land. Three points stand out:

1. As you drive down Broulee Road your eyes first of all notice the barren nature of the new development. All vegetation has been removed including the roadside planting that Council did many years ago. Eyes then focus on the trees at the end of the development which conveys a message that all that is natural is not lost. This will not change much over the next 20 years. The barren development will become new houses and gleaming roofs but there is no space for significant trees. Lot 89 will stand alone.

2. The land would become a visual welcome to the village of Broulee, but it could become more than that. Broulee has an important history being an early port, the first Post Office and I think the first Court House. There are locals who have written books on the history of Broulee Mossy Point and with some attention to the site this could be recognized on welcoming signage. Maybe a map of important visitor points within Broulee Mossy Point and information about fire protection and the location of safe refuges. This should include retaining all the major trees on Lot 89 and some appropriate and fire safe vegetation on the unformed road.

3. The land will of course remain as a store of value for the community. If it is sold the money will end up in general Council revenue where it will reduce the incentive for savings and productivity change. It is unlikely that any new development will be undertaken with the proceeds that matches what has been lost.

Finally, the cost to maintain the land will be minimal. Landcare will maintain its interest. Currently there is some evidence of dumped garden prunings on Lot 89. Broulee Mossy Point Dunecare had planned a weed removal and cleanup some months ago but this has been prevented by Covid rules. This work is now being scheduled for the near future. We would hope that if there are costs in establishing the land as useful community land that this cost will be met by the developer of the adjacent land given the enormous value to the developer of a Council provided fire protection area.

We are sure that if the land becomes Community Land it will enhance Broulee as a village and that it will make a long term contribution to the Shire as a place to live and to visit.

There are of course other reasons to reclassify the land as community land , habitat, mental health and climate change are a few of these but I have focused on the outcome that residents will notice every day and thank Councillors for the wise decision that we are confident they will make today.

Thank you for listening to our appeal the result is in your hands.