Autumn Walk 4 May

Starting at the Bunya Pine adjacent to Beecroft Railway Station, the walk will concentrate on seeing the construction work of the ETTT along the path north of Beecroft. Wear sturdy shoes and a hat, and bring water.  All welcome.

AGM New Committee

At the AGM the following were elected to the BCCT committee:
Reelected - Carolyn Watt, David White, Michael Stove, Ross Walker, Colin Johnston, and Peter Hewitt.
New Members - Peter Snelgrove, Kent Ross, Barbara Davis, Julienne Lynch.

Our local MP Greg Smith gave a good speach explaining that now he is no longer Attorney General, and hence bound by Cabinet Solidarity, he will in future be able to press local issues more thoroughly.

DA 545/2013 for The Module goes to JRPP 15 May

This is your very last chance to express your concerns to the HSC councillors and planners.  The next step for those who want to object is to apply to speak at the JRPP.  And above all we want EVERYONE to come to the hearing.

88 Malton Road DA 924/2013

After a very long meeting, Council voted 9 to nil to reject the application.  This letter to the council from one concerned family is worth quoting in full.

Dear Mr Farrington,
We would like to firstly thank you for making the Lahood letter public and therefore open for discussion even though it was not entered into the DA. This at least allowed us to be sure we could refer to it knowing that after we had all spoken, the applicants would certainly be doing so.
Secondly, we would like to thank you and all of those involved in the Report submitted by Council in the Business Papers. We did thank everyone on the night for their diligence with this matter but we would like you to reinforce our thanks and appreciation for a job well done to all involved.
Thank you also to you for your obvious extensive knowledge of the matter on Wednesday night. We were very impressed with the amount of time you must have spent becoming familiar with the Reports and submissions of which we know there were many and they were involved.
We do realise this is probably only the first of many battles for the preservation of the trees and endangered wildlife in this very unique part of Sydney but for now the trees and their furry and feathered inhabitants and visitors can sleep soundly. If ever you wish to come and see what it is we are all fighting so very hard to preserve for ongoing generations, you are most welcome anytime– I will put the kettle on and you can listen to and watch our forests at work.
Thank you very much

The applicant has lodged a Class 1 Appeal in the Land and Environment Court.

NWRL Access Road

Construction of the camp and access road at Cheltenham Oval is now well under way.

 

 

The access road will carry construction traffic from the oval out onto Kirkham Road and from there through Beecroft and beyond.

Downsizing NWRL News Debate

Extracts from an email received by the Trust

Berejiklian & O'Farrells NWRL myth that single deck trains will run faster: Claims are Doutbful - thats a fact check - watch the ABC footage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co0y2hS-nR0

The claim: Barry O'Farrell says single-decker trains can carry more people than double-decker ones because people can move on and off more quickly.
*The verdict: Passengers can move on and off single-decker trains more quickly than double-decker ones, but experts say double-deckers carry so many more passengers that, per hour, they outdo single-deckers.
LINK
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-11/barry-ofarrell-sydney-trains-claim-doubtful/5371446

Public Meeting NWRL Cheltenham Rec Club

There will be a Public Meeting on the North West Rail Link at Cheltenham Rec Club Monday 5 May at 7:00pm for 7:30 start.

We are inviting the media and the following speakers to attend

Hon. Gladys Berejiklian MP, NSW Minister for Transport

2     Hon Greg Smith SC MP Member for Epping, Attorney General & Minister for Justice

3   Hon Penny Sharpe MLC -Shadow Minister for Transport

4    Dr Mehreen Faruqi –MLC - Member of the The Greens

Cheltenham Oval Destruction Update

Earlier this week there was just one line of tape marking the route for the NWRL access road from Kirkham Street to the Cheltenham Oval tennis courts.  Now the second tape has been added so you can see the intended width of the concrete road, and the extent of tree clearance that will be required.
The trust still believes that the NWRL should have been compelled to access straight onto the M2 to avoid what will be a massive fleet of trucks trundling through Beecroft village once digging starts.

According to an article in the NDT this week, Epping State Liberal MP Greg Smith dismissed Saturday's meeting to discuss replanting as a "political rant" rather than a serious attempt to replace trees lost to the ETTT.  As he says, why give the platform to political outsiders, and not invite the local federal MP, Phillip Ruddock, to speak?
Mr Smith sees the highly political Save Beecroft and Cheltenham Alliance as a "self appointed voice of the community".

Cheltenham Oval destruction beginning

We note construction tapes have been run in the bush from Kirkham Road toward the Cheltenham Oval, presumably marking off the intended route for the NWRL access road.
The NWRL recently got a medal for community consultation.  It will be interesting to see if they paid any attention to the objections and recommendations made by BCCT over many meetings and joint site visits.

Swimming Pool Regulations

NSW Office of Local Government have today advised that the need for Swimming Pool Certificates of Conformity has been deferred for twelve months!  Certificates of conformity will now not be needed for sales or rentals until April 2015!