AIRPORT VERSUS NATURE: HELP US PROTECT PORTERS CREEK WETLAND

Central Coast Council says it is going to put in place a Biodiversity Stewardship Agreement for Porters Creek Wetland which is great – but not until after its airport masterplan is adopted.

Why can’t protection of the wetland come first?

The 15 elected councillors have received two briefings on the airport masterplan in preparation for a report to be presented at the February council meeting at 6:30pm on Tuesday, 25 February.

It is likely that the councillors will be asked resolve to adopt the airport masterplan with no further community consultation.

Friends of Porters Creek Wetland is worried the councillors don’t have enough information to make an informed decision and that is why we need your help.

We would be thankful if you could:

1. Read the latest information about the protection of Porters Creek Wetland and the airport masterplan.
2. Email or telephone the councillors in your ward and ask them the 10 questions listed on the above web page.
3. If they cannot answer all 10 questions in full and in depth, ask them to vote to DEFER the airport masterplan until they CAN answer all 10 questions.
4. Then ask them to put their own motion to the next available Central Coast Council meeting to begin the process of reclassifying the whole of Porters Creek Wetland from OPERATIONAL (which it is at present and means it can be sold without community consultation) to COMMUNITY land (which cannot be sold without reclassification back to operational land)

Visit our web page if you require more information or would like to join Friends of Porters Creek Wetland.

Remember this is the council that sold Spring Creek Wetland for less than its market value or biodiversity value. It was then unlawfully cleared.

Remember this is the council that could have signed a Conservation Agreement with the Biodiversity Conservation Trust in 2020 to permanently protect Porters Creek Wetland and didn’t even bother to tell the BCT it wasn’t going ahead.

Can our elected councillors trust the Central Coast Council bureaucracy to give them all the facts?