A MAJOR residential subdivision in Thurgoona has been given the green light by Albury Council despite a move by deputy mayor Amanda Cohn to halt the project
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A total of 109 lots will be created in the latest stages of the Murray Park Estate in Riverboat Drive which is in close proximity to wetlands, Sloane's froglet habitat, native hollow bearing trees and possible Aboriginal objects.
Cr Cohn said developer Mark Tracey's inability to completely satisfy the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) was justification for deferring the development application.
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But OEH has provided to council conditions of consent which would enable the developer to start work.
"The development application was originally submitted to us two years ago and it has been an incredibly long process to get the developer to submit the required information," Cr Cohn said.
"We need more detailed plans about mitigating environmental impacts, sediment and erosion control practices.
"I'm quite concerned we've reached a point where we will approve this development so work can start and wait for things to be addressed through conditions that might be breached."
Cr Cohn claimed council didn't have adequate compliance resources to monitor large subdivisions.
An amendment supported by Cr Murray King deferring the development application was defeated 6-2.
Cr Darren Cameron said roadblocks to growth in Thurgoona were becoming increasing commonplace within council.
He said it would be a "triumph of poor governance" if council decided not to approve developments because it didn't know whether developers would comply with legally-binding conditions imposed on them.
"There is of course a small cadre of people in our community who seem to aspire to have Thurgoona declared some sort of National Park or no-go zone for development," he said.
"The reality is Thurgoona is a very important and indeed vital part of this city's development and it is not on the agenda to hold up development indefinitely over trivialities."
The development has been reduced from 114 residential lots and a large drainage reserve to 109 lots with four smaller basins including one for providing habitat for Sloane's Froglet with a large number of trees.
A new road from Elizabeth Mitchell Drive in the southwest corner of the land will link with the existing internal road network of the estate.
It will be constructed over a watercourse and need the approval of Natural Resources Access Regulator following council consent granted last night.
Cr David Thurley said approval of the development application wasn't the only hurdle for the developer to clear.
"The person might hold a DA and approved consent in his hand, but he can do nothing unless he has a construction certificate," he said.
"He won't get it until these conditions are adhered to."
One submission was received on behalf of the Thurgoona Community Action Group.
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