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LOCAL GOVERNMENT - ON 6th FEBRUARY, 2008 THE CITY OF SWAN COUNCIL APPROVED AN OUTLINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE FOREST ABOVE BELLS RAPIDS. THIS DECISION SHOCKED THE GROUPS THAT HAVE FOUGHT SO HARD ARE AGAINST THIS DEVELOPMENT. DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR RICHARD WARING WHOM IS DESCRIBED BY OTHER PROFESSORS AS "ONE OF THE WORLDS LEADING AUTHORITIES ON FORESTS, AND WHOSE OPINION IS SOUGHT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD ACTUALLY ATTENDED THE COUNCIL MEETING AND PRESENTED COUNCIL WITH A TESTIMONY WARNING OF THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT TO THE SWAN RIVER. HE VISITED THE AREA AND SPENT MANY HOURS WORKING WITH LOCAL COLLEGUES. WE WERE TOTALLY SHOCKED WHEN THE MAYOR ASKED A "CONSULTANT" EMPLOYED BY PEET LTD WHETHER THE PROFESSORS TESTIMONY WAS CORRECT!
COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT - ON 3rd JULY, 2008 THE COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT HAVE RECENTLY DECIDED THAT "THE BELLS RAPIDS DEVELOPMENT IS A CONTROLLED ACTION AND, AS SUCH, REQUIRES ASSESSMENT AND APPROVAL BY THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT BEFORE IT CAN PROCEED". THIS WAS GREAT NEWS FROM THE COMMUNITY FIGHTING AGAINST THIS DEVELOPMENT.
STATE GOVERNMENT - ON 14th JULY, 2008 THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY (EPA) HAVE RECENTLY ADVISED THAT THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT WILL NOT BE ASSESSED AS "THE ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT AS TO WARRANT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT" THE COMMUNITY WERE GIVEN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME TO APPEAL THIS DECISION.
THE DECISION BY THE EPA NOT TO ASSESS THIS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT SHOWS US THAT AT STATE LEVEL, OUR DECISION MAKERS ON THE ENVIRONMENT ARE CLEARLY NOT CAPABLE OF MAKING THESE DECISIONS . THE EPA HAVE IGNORED ONE OF THE WORLDS LEADING FORESTRY PROFESSOR (DIST. PROF. RICHARD WARING) AND ALSO TOTALLY DISREGARDED THE AMOUNT OF THIS FOREST THAT HAS TO CLEARED FOR THE FIRE PLAN, AS THIS AREA IS RATED "EXTREME BUSH FIRE PRONE AREA".