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While HPG supports upgrading the amenities facilities at Middle Head Oval, it does not support the bulk scale and style of the proposed development. The Proposal will detrimentally impact the integrity of the heritage and environmental values of the only remaining intact heritage military village in Australia. HPG is concerned not only with the Council’s failure to adequately consult the wider community on this Proposal but also with the Council’s lack of transparency. It is estimated that the cost of the development will be in the vicinity of $5m. How will the proposed works be funded? Why has the Council not made this information public to ratepayers and other users of the land as part of the DA process? What are the intended future uses of this public asset, and will those uses give priority or exclusivity to specific and or privately controlled sporting enterprises or interests?
Surely, the community is entitled to know the details of this Proposal. The lack of transparency by Council creates concern in the community that it is not acting in a bona fide manner. The Harbour Trust has advised that they have received 279 submissions in respect of the Proposal and are reviewing the submissions to prepare an Outcomes Report. This Report and submissions will be available to the public in early November, coinciding with the Trust’s determination of the matter. It is disappointing and concerning that the submissions will not be made public until after the determination. HPG has provided expert reports to the Harbour Trust and the Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, stating that the development proposal will have a ‘significant impact’ on the heritage and environmental values of the precinct. Consequently, the experts consider that the development proposal should be referred to Minister Plibersek for determination under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Mosman Council has provided no credible heritage and environmental assessment. The Council considers that the development will not have a ‘significant impact’ and refuses to refer the matter to the Minister. HPG hopes that the Harbour Trust will remedy this situation, determine that the development will have a ‘significant impact’, and refer the matter to the Minister for review and determination.
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