Planning Future Housing Responsibly Port Stephens Port Stephens by News Of The Area - Modern Media - July 18, 2022 Future developments should be planned with good access despite flood conditions as increased flood-event frequency will certainly cause more issues in the future. FLOODING has revealed a proposed development in Nelsons Plains would deliver a community that would effectively be cut off by rising floodwaters, say local farmers. The ongoing saga of the proposed development has farmers seeing red while Council is waiting for an all-important odour report. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au The proposed development is very close to chicken farms, which by nature have a potent aroma. They also have heavy vehicles coming and going at all times of the day and night. The development is also in close proximity to cattle yards that are regularly used and will particularly impact a residential development in nearby proximity when calves are weaned. In view of the floods the local farmers want the development reviewed because it would remove the one high area of land where animals can be agisted quickly in fast-evolving flood events. They are also concerned about the fact that all the new residences would be floodbound. Councillor Giacomo Arnott told News Of The Area, “Much of the rural west in Port Stephens has spent days isolated due to floodwaters. “As is being discussed in Sydney’s west and the Northern Rivers, planning controls need to be brought into line with the increased frequency and scale of natural disasters in NSW and Australia. “This is the new normal and it’s important to make sure that we plan our future communities to be as resilient as possible. “The number of flood rescues occurring in Port Stephens is increasing by the day, which demonstrates the concern that Council officers consistently have about rescuers putting themselves at risk to bring people to safety who are stranded or whose lives are in immediate danger in the floodplains of the rural west,” he said. While the SES has been facilitating food deliveries for isolated communities, building additional communities in places that would become a further burden to our SES volunteers seems shortsighted to many. By Marian SAMPSON Cattle need high ground during flood events and there is often not enough warning to move cattle by trucks to agistment, leaving volunteers such as the SES rescuing cattle.
