Gwandalan State Significant Site Listing - Rio Tinto Coal Australia

THE SUITABILITY OF THE SITE
Sustainability Criteria
Environmental Protection
• Protect and enhance biodiversity, air quality,
heritage and waterway health.
Quality and Equity in Services
• Quality health, education, legal, recreational,
cultural and community development and
other Government services are accessible.
Relevant Outcome for Development
emissions to at least BASIX compliance.
As discussed above it has been concluded that the proposed
rezoning and development for residential purposes should not
significantly impact upon threatened or regional significant
flora and fauna, ecological communities or populations. In
fact, Coal & Allied conservation dedications provide outcomes
that contribute to meeting the environmental protection goals
outlined in the sustainability criteria of the LHRS and LHRCP,
including:
• Maintains/improves areas of regionally significant
biodiversity.
• Maintains environmental areas for air and water quality.
• Protects areas of Aboriginal cultural heritage value and
historical heritage value.
• Proposed transfer of conservation land to public
ownership.
• Conserve in perpetuity key strategic parcels of land that
complete long sought-after regional biodiversity
conservation corridors.
• Provide large intact areas of conserved habitat that will
function as regional biodiversity gene pools.
• Protect an important array of vegetation communities, flora
and fauna species, and natural landscape assets,
including threatened species and Endangered Ecological
Communities.
• The transfer of the Coal & Allied owned land for
conservation will play a significant role in realising the
objectives of the LHRS and the LHRCP, which clearly
identifies these lands as conservation priorities and
acknowledges the contribution the transfers provide to
achieving successful implementation of the two plans.
• Water sensitive urban design features will be incorporated
into the proposed development to ensure that appropriate
hydrological and water cycle management. Stringent
conditions will also form part of all building activity to
protect the waterway from pollution.
• Stormwater and sewer infrastructure will be designed to
capture pollutants from the development and treat them in
accordance with relevant Australian Standards and state
and local government guidelines before discharge to the
receiving environment.
The land at Gwandalan identified under the LHRS for
residential development adjoins the existing township at
Gwandalan. The proposal is considered to be an appropriate
extension of the existing township at Gwandalan and is in
proximity to an existing range of services and facilities within
Gwandalan, including shops, health care, schools, sporting
and recreation facilities, and childcare.
In addition, contributions will be made to improve local and
regional infrastructure.
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Gwandalan SSS Listing_November 2010