Federal environment department reverses decision on Cooks Cove development assessment

Conditions to protect and enhance the wetlands’ Green and Golden Bell Frog colony were imposed in the Department of the Environment and Energy decision.

​The department noted the developer’s Green and Golden Bell Frog Strategy, including habitat construction, “is expected to provide approximately five times the offset required to appropriately compensate for the impact in accordance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act environmental offsets policy”.

Developer John Boyd’s company Cook Cove Inlet still requires development consent for the plans.

A revised development application is due to be submitted by the end of 2018, with the decision to be made by the regional planning panel.

The environmental tick of approval is a setback for opponents of the project, who claimed a “significant win for threatened species and a significant win for the community” when the federal government determined last year a new assessment and approval was needed

A spokesman for the developer welcomed the federal government decision.

“It is another step in the process towards rehabilitating the heavily contaminated land in the south of the precinct to permit the relocation of Kogarah Golf Course as well as facilitate further environmental and public domain improvements in both the south and north precincts, including new sports and recreation facilities,” he said.

“An amended Southern Precinct DA will be submitted in coming months.”

Plans for the southern precinct, which take in Barton Park and the football stadium, include construction of an 18-hole golf course and clubhouse, and remediation works.

The new golfing facilities are proposed to replace the existing Kogarah Golf Club course and clubhouse in the northern precinct.

Under the 2015 master plan, the northern precinct would be developed for 5000 apartments, a boutique football stadium and open space.