Flood risk  Building a housing estate partly in a floodplain is very short-sighted. You can't plan and build a housing estate without also providing drainage infrastructure. Building the eastern drainage assets in a flood plain is potentially catastrophic, especially when the Catchment Management Authority (CMA) has not assessed the flood risk to the drainage plans. Why doesn't the Shire insist the stormwater assets be moved to higher ground? 
 

Cost to ratepayers Why should ratepayers have to foot the bill for maintaining, repairing and rebuilding the stormwater & drainage assets that we know are at risk of flooding, toxic soils and erosion? The idea that we have to pay for the ongoing costs involved in trying to hold back rising water levels forever seems very short-sighted and a huge waste of ratepayers money. It's important we get it right now, or we'll all pay for it later; and keep paying for it forever. 

 

Lack of evidence-based, integrated planning The East Gippsland Shire treats Point Fullarton like a typical or common subdivision planning application, where assessing risks and values can be deferred to other authorities via permit conditions. However, the proposed Fullarton subdivision is exposed to significant coastal hazard risks,  with the potential to permanently and irreversibly harm the site's  internationally significant natural values.

Given the significant risks and values of the site, the Shire should insist detailed risk assessments are submitted at the application stage, by demanding that the developer pay the cost of assessing the coastal inundation, erosion and acid soil risks of the development site. Only after these assessments are supplied to the Shire can Councillors make a fully informed, evidence-based decision. Deferring the assessment of Coastal Hazard Risks (sea level rise, erosion, coastal inundation and coastal acid sulfate soils) and the environmental impacts of the proposal to other authorities via permit conditions, is really poor planning and at odds with numerous VCAT rulings.

Councillors should insist that given the risks to life, property and the environment of building drainage assets in a floodplain, a detailed Coastal Hazards (incl. toxic soil) risk assessment of the site needs to happen BEFORE the application is approved. Similarly, approving plans which the Shire knows will severely impact protected migratory species (Latham's Snipe) on the proviso another agency will deal with this via permit conditions; is irresponsible and at odds with integrated, evidence-based planning. It is the Shire's responsibility to get it right at the application stage, not for other authorities once it's approved.
 

Loss of public open space and access to the foreshore  The approved planning application is highly likely to lead to a loss of public open space. and public access to the foreshore in the not-to-distant future.  The council knows that the Point Fullarton reserve is likely to be significantly flooded by the expected  20cm sea level rise as early as 2040. The approved development plans cannot guarantee that the community will still have access to the lake foreshore as sea levels rise, nor makes a meaningful contribution to public open space suitable for passive recreation.  It's now also clear that the proposed drainage / conservation reserve will exclude public access to protect threatened species, like Latham's Snipe, the endangered Swamp Skink and the Pacific Golden Plover.  Despite the loss of public open space and future public access to the foreshore, the Council decided that no additional financial contribution was considered appropriate to compensate the community for the loss of public access and amenity. 
 

Unaffordable housing The luxury waterfront lots with views over Lake King will command top dollar, and are not the type of affordable housing we desperately need. The much larger adjacent parcel of land that the developer also owns, is a far more suitable location for housing. Housing lots there, will be cheaper and at less risk of flooding compared to the foreshore lots at Point Fullarton. 
 

Protect the Gippsland Lakes The Gippsland Lakes are the lifeblood of East Gippsland's tourism industry - a major visitor drawcard and job creator, and very popular boating, fishing and family holiday destination. The Ramsar wetlands like those at Point Fullarton are also of international significance, and help make the Lakes so unique. These vulnerable wetlands will be squeezed in between rising sea levels and the proposed housing estate. DEECCA have now acknowledged that important Latham's Snipe migratory bird habitat, the endangered Swamp Skink and Pacific Golden Plover are all threatened by the housing estate. A nationally significant population of Latham's Snipe in particular, are at great risk of being lost to the development, as has already occurred in a nearby housing development at Toonalook Waters in Paynesville.