Flora & Fauna Survey & Ecological Assessment (pdf. 5MB)

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Flora & Fauna Survey & Ecological Assessments – 35 Water Street Wahroonga 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Information UBM Ecological Consultants (‘UBM’) has been retained by the Proponent Mr Peter Borbilas of Bellevue Projects Pty Ltd undertake ecological investigations in support of a Planning Proposal application to Ku-ringgai Council to rezone the Subject Property Lot 1 in DP 375262 at 35 Water Street Wahroonga from 5(a) Special Uses (Hospital) to E4 Environmental Living Zone. Ku-ring-gai Council is in the process of preparing a new Principal Local Environmental Plan (‘LEP’) to replace the Ku-ring-gai Planning Scheme Ordinance (‘KPSO’). The draft LEP has not yet been exhibited, however it is understood that it is proposed to rezone the Subject Property part R2 Low Density Residential and part E4 Environmental Living. When the draft LEP is finalised and gazetted, the proposed E4 Environmental Living Zone for the Subject Property would be subsumed into the new LEP. The existing zoning of the land allows for ‘hospitals’ but does not allow for residential subdivision. The E4 Environmental Living Zoning would permit limited residential development, subject to a minimum Lot size of 2,000 m 2 , the conservation of the ecological heritage values of the site and retention of neighbourhood character and amenity (Ingham Planning 2013). Two thirds of the Subject Property Lot 1 has been identified by Ku-ring-gai Council (Draft LEP 218) as part of a larger area considered to have ‘biodiversity significance’. This assessment is based on the presence of the ‘critically endangered’ Blue Gum High Forest (‘BGHF’) on the Subject Property: this community represented predominantly by stands of remnant Sydney Blue Gum (E. saligna) canopy trees. However, there is sufficient land on the Subject Property outside the primary ecological conservation areas and the primary heritage curtilage of Rippon Grange to enable creation of a small number of residential lots. The presence of remnant BGHF within the Subject Property established by previous workers is confirmed. The extent of this ecological community on the Property has been determined by the NSW Land & Environment Court (Proceedings 11193 of 2006) to be 6,350 sq metres (0.635 ha), and this area has been adopted in this Report (see Figure 1.2). Given the considerable number of flora and fauna surveys undertaken for the whole of the 2.1318 hectares of the Subject Property since 2005, it was not considered necessary to replicate these earlier studies, especially for those areas mapped as Core BGHF. This Report therefore focuses on the conservation significance of those parts of the Subject Property which may be the subject of a future development application – i.e. areas outside the mapped Core BGHF, as determined by the Land and Environment Court (2006). The current Report- Flora and Fauna Survey and Ecological Assessments for Blue Gum High Forest at 35 Water Street Wahroonga – will, where applicable, update and expand the findings of a number of earlier surveys and reports prepared for the Subject Property; these earlier reports having been undertaken on behalf of former Department of Commerce and latterly, the former owners Waterbrook Pty Ltd (see Section 3.1.1 and Section 6 References) for a list of previous reports). UBM Ecological Consultants Pty Ltd Page 1
Flora & Fauna Survey & Ecological Assessments – 35 Water Street Wahroonga Ecological investigations and Assessments will be undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and Commonwealth Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The potential impacts of the current rezoning application and of any future limited development of the Subject Property will also be considered. The regional positioning of the Subject Property is shown on Figure 1.1. Figure 1.1: Regional Positioning of the Subject Property Rippon Grange UBM Ecological Consultants Pty Ltd Page 2
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Flora & Fauna Survey & Ecological Assessment (pdf. 5MB)

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