The federal Department of the Environment and Energy has determined the proposed Cooks Cove development will require assessment and approval under federal environmental legislation.
The decision on October 25 reversed a previous finding a further assessment was not needed because the department had approved an earlier version of Cooks Cove.
It means the latest proposal, which involves relocating Kogarah Golf Course south and building 5000 apartments on the site it now occupies, will need approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Community group Save Barton Park welcomed the decision as “a significant win for threatened species and a significant win for the community”.
Spokeswoman Greta Werner said the group was intent on “turning this temporary reprieve into a permanent victory for the environment and our community”.
Ms Werner said the decision confirmed the department was aware the proposed development was likely to have a significant impact on the Green and Golden Bell Frog and other listed threatened species and communities.
Ms Wener said, after being made aware of recent sightings of the frog, the group wrote to the federal department requesting a formal reconsideration of its October, 2016, decision the development did not require further assessment.
The previous decision had meant no protections would have been afforded Green and Golden Bell Frogs even though Barton Park supported a population of the endangered species.
‘The department called for further submissions and the public assisted,” she said.
“We are grateful the commonwealth department has assessed the new sightings and will now call for a full assessment of this development..
“We expect a new public exhibition period will be called when the developer supplies the new studies to the department and we will keep the community informed and request that public submissions are made.
'”n the meantime, we will write to Bayside Council requesting they halt any further assessment of the Cooks Cove development until the new studies on threatened species are available.
“At that time, we will request council also re-exhibit the development for public comments with the new information.”
Developer John Boyd said the site had been the subject of extensive environmental studies over more than 10 years of planning.
“Portions of the land are significantly contaminated due to previous use as a landfill, and chemicals have risen to the surface of playing fields and have leached into the Cooks River, impacting the local Landing Lights Wetlands,” Mr Boyd said in a statement.
”A significant part of the southern precinct development involves the remediation of this contaminated land, including the Landing Lights Wetland, as well as reconstructing the Spring Street Wetlands to create new water bodies for migratory birds.”
Mr Boyd said an ecological study by consultant, Cumberland Ecology, noted many types of species, including the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frogs and migratory wading birds, would be better off as a result of the development.
“The current status quo will likely see a continued long-term adverse impact on the Landing Lights Wetland and surrounding habitat, and actually make the area unsuitable for species like the Green and Golden Bell Frogs, ultimately exacerbating their decline,” he said.
“The results of these investigations have been incorporated into the plans for the site, including exhaustive environmental protection, contamination clean up measures, and long term environmental management and maintenance plans for the land.”
Mr Boyd said long-term environmental management measures would be implemented in accordance with a Green and Golden Bell Frog Plan of Management, Wetland Plan of Management, Soil and Water Plan of Management, and an Open Space Plan of Management, in addition to others measures.
“Leachate impacted groundwater will be intercepted and treated on an ongoing basis, to remove contaminants currently entering adjoining water ways, and be utilised as a recycled irrigation source,” he said.
