Hornsby Shire Council

Attachment to Report No. EN45/09 Page 0

 

 

Minutes of the Bushland Management Advisory Committee

held on Tuesday, 18th August 2009

in Function Room 2

Hornsby Council Chambers at 6pm

 

 

PRESENT:                 Cllr Andrew Martin

                                    Cllr Robert Browne

                                    Cllr Steve Evans

                                    Barry Tomkinson

                                    Mike Barrett

                                    Sheila Woods

                                    Joanne Caldwell

Mick Marr

Diane Campbell, Manager-Bushland & Biodiversity

 

1.         Welcome

 

2.         Apologies

 

            Cllr Wendy McMurdo, Margery Street

 

3.         Pecuniary interests

           

            Nil.

 

4.         Minutes from the previous meeting (19th May 2009)

     

      The Minutes were accepted (moved MB/ seconded AM).

 

5.         Business Arising

 

Review of the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan

 

Indicators and actions discussed. BMAC considered it important that Council focus on top 10 priority actions. BMAC considered the loss of vegetation an important issue in the Shire especially illegal clearing and prosecutions. Discussed how the DECCW Priorities Action Statement (PAS) and the large number of actions to promote the recovery of threatened species would relate to the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy. BMAC identified the need to establish if we are winning or losing with threatened species and considered the possibility of residents contributing wildlife sightings online.

 

Action: BMAC to further consider indicators and actions and provide input to staff.  Council staff to liaise with others developing/ reviewing indicators i.e. Sustainable Action Committee.

 

Action: PAS requirements are addressed as an action in the Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan.

 

 

 

6.         Bush Fire Risk Management Plan update

 

Staff reported that 9 community information barbeques were held across the Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai Local Government Areas to discuss the draft Bush Fire Risk Management Plan with the community, and that a draft would be shortly submitted to Council for exhibition.

 

Action: BMAC members to note the draft Bush Fire Risk Management Plan will be forwarded to Council shortly for exhibition and is available for comment at http://hkbfmc.org.au/.

 

Action: BMAC to ask the Bush Fire Management Committee if large parcels of privately owned bushland are addressed in the draft Bush Fire Risk Management Plan process.

 

7.         Planning update: Housing Strategy

 

A submission (tabled) was made on behalf of BMAC to the Housing Strategy.  Council is now collating the large number of community submissions and considering options to address the need for increased housing in the Shire.  BMAC discussed the need for the Housing Strategy to provide a sustainable vision for the next 25 years and that housing precincts may need to be larger to incorporate good urban design within Masterplans, including water reuse and other sustainability outcomes such as parks and conserving native vegetation.

 

Motion (moved MB/seconded JC): That the submission made to Council on the Housing Strategy on behalf of BMAC is a true representation of the Committee’s views.

 

Action: BMAC members to keep a watching brief on the next stage of the Housing Strategy in context of seeking a 25 year vision for Hornsby Shire.

 

8.         Field inspection: date and location

 

Date of the next field inspection is Thursday 12th November 2009.  Location will be one of the preferred Mountain Bike Track proposal routes – TBA.

 

9.         Correspondence In/Out

 

            Submission by BMAC to the Housing Strategy dated 1 June 2009 as tabled.

 

10.       General Business

 

            Mountain Bike Trails

 

Council adopted an Unstructured Recreation Strategy in December 2008 and received submissions from 150 mountain bike users in the Shire, and thus resolved to investigate the feasibility of constructing mountain bike trails.  Staff indicated that the first draft of a report commissioned by Council had been received from World Trail Australia investigating suitable sites for mountain bikes trails in the Shire.

 

Action: A presentation be made to BMAC at the next meeting on the feasibility investigation of mountain bike trails in the Hornsby Shire by World Trail Australia.

 

           

 

            Roselea Open Day

 

BMAC members were invited to attend the Roselea Bushcare Open Day on 28th August from 11 am to 1 pm to view the work completed by the Bushcare Group through the grant they received and implemented in cooperation with the local Primary School.

 

            Free Guided Bushwalks Program

 

BMAC members were provided a copy of the Free Guided Bushwalks Brochure for July to December 2009.

 

Shooters Party Bill to allow Shooting in National Parks and the Creation of Private Game Reserves

 

BMAC was concerned about the private members bill introduced into State parliament that will allow for 26 species of protected fauna as well as feral animals to be shot in National Parks and will allow for the farming of 28 feral bird species that could easily escape.

 

Motion (moved SE/seconded BT): That BMAC requests Council to write a letter of objection to the Shooters’ Party’s Game and Feral Animal Control Amendment Bill.

 

Berowra Oval Water Reuse Project

 

BMAC is seeking improved liaison between Water Catchments and Bushland Teams as evidenced at Berowra Oval.

 

NSW Weeds Society Seminar 9 September 2009 at the Epping Club

 

Mike Barrett wanted BMAC to note that the upcoming one day Weeds Seminar was being very well supported by Hornsby Council field staff which would improve their learning and development.

 

11.       Close and Next meeting

 

BMAC meets on the 3rd Tuesday every third month

Next meeting date: 17th Nov 2009