“I would prefer living without asbestos removal being
carried out across the road, it has been an absolute nightmare,” said local
resident Nicola Mansfield. ”I have a
17-month-old son and have had to keep all the windows and doors closed for
weeks.
“If I was a Queen’s Council, instead of a stay at home
mother, this development would not be going ahead.”
The Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC) bought the
contaminated land to build the National Indigenous Development Centre – a
national centre for Indigenous youth which will house class rooms,
accommodation and a sporting field.
The ILC maintains it is common to encounter high levels of
asbestos contamination once work begins and relevant safety procedures are
being followed to remove the asbestos. According to the ILC, an environmental
scientist took 80 core samples on the site and discovered a “hotspot”
containing ten cubic metres of asbestos.
But as work progressed larger amounts of the deadly material
were found.
“Until you start stripping back the asphalt you cannot be
sure about the level of contamination,” said ILC’s Eastern Division manager,
Ashley Martens.
“We always knew there was asbestos there. We are ending the
process of removing it now.”
when asked if more asbestos was likely to be uncovered, Mr
Martens replied: “Anything is possible.”
Meanwhile residents find it extraordinary that testing did
not uncover the true extent of the contamination.
“The Department of Planning was told that the level of
contamination would only take two days to remove,” Ms Mansfield said. “I don’t
see how two days can suddenly turn into 30, either they have no idea or
somebody is lying.
“I am also surprised the guidelines regarding a development
are the same no matter the level of asbestos contamination.”
The Planning Department admitted the removal of the asbestos
did not require formal consent. However, they claim they did assess the
asbestos removal plan, put forward by the ILC, as part of the major project
application in October of last year.
According to Nicola Mansfield
she was never informed about the ILC’s development application going on public
display and the asbestos contamination has added insult to injury.
“The consultation process was intrinsically floored,” Ms
Mansfield said. “The Department of Planning are the final consent authority and
they are a law unto themselves – they have not being accountable.
“We have asked for a meeting with the DoP and that has not
being granted. We have put to them a series of questions highlighting our
concerns and they have not responded.”
Both the ILC and the DoP argue they consulted extensively
with the community, including a letter drop and organising meetings with concerned
residents.
“The Indigenous Land Corporation and the Redfern-Waterloo
Authority notified the wider community of the proposal prior to lodgement of
the Major Project and during its assessment,” a spokesperson for the DoP said.
A spokesperson for the NSW Planning Minister said the
minister was unable to comment on the issue due to the recentness of her
appointment to the portfolio.
Source:
www.alternativemediagroup.com/ThreadView.aspx?tid=9889#post_9889