Resident sues Sartor over CUB environmental issues
March 8th, 2007
Major litigation commenced yesterday challenging the Minister for Planning Frank Sartor’s approval of the concept plans for the Carlton United Brewery (CUB) site at Chippendale.
Matthew Drake-Brockman, a city resident, is asking the Land and Environment Court to declare Minister Sartor’s approval invalid because he says the Minister failed to take into account climate change pollution to be caused by the project. Matthew is supported by Greens Deputy Lord Mayor Chris Harris who is the only councillor on the City of Sydney Council who consistently opposed the plans for this site.
Cr. Chris Harris: “This litigation is not about stopping development, it’s about achieving sustainable development at a time when climate change is the biggest threat to our community.
“The case brings to the city the legal arguments raised last year over the Anvil Hill coal mine in the Hunter Valley in which the Court held the Minister was required by NSW planning laws to consider the impact of climate change pollution. What we have with the CUB site is the equivalent of an urban coal mine.
“The claim that is being made is that Minister Sartor’s planning approval of the CUB project should be declared invalid and of no effect,” said Harris.
“The Minister has failed to consider the climate change pollution to be caused by the project. In particular, he failed to consider air pollution caused by dirty coal-fired electricity, the disposal of sewage into the ocean with overflows into Blackwattle Bay, the dirty energy required to pump mains water and the pollution caused by the number of cars allocated to the site.
“What we should have on the CUB is a project that collects and recycles its own water, treats and recycles its own sewage, generates its own energy requirements, has fewer cars and promotes walking, cycling and use of public transport, and grows food on rooftops and in communal gardens. What the minister gave us instead is ‘business as usual’ - uninspiring overdevelopment emitting vast greenhouse gas emissions, in effect an urban coal mine.” Cr. Harris said.
Links:
- a summary of the pollution to be caused by the project being challenged in court and the
lesser pollution which would be caused if a sustainable development was to be agreed to.
- letters that Drake-Brockman and Harris have sent to Premier Iemma and Minister Sartor and each of the directors of the CUB company which has obtained the approval, asking them to negotiate to replace the approval with sustainable developments.
