
Wolli Creek Regional Park is one of St George's most pristine bushland areas - and the Wolli Creek Preservation Society want to keep that way.
Society members will perform street theatre and present a petition with more than 4,000 signatures outside parliament house today to protest the proposed location of a Sydney Water Odour Control Unit (OCU).
Society spokesman Peter Stevens said the goal of the protest was to stop the destruction of a rockface and bushland at the entrance to the regional park to make way for the OCU.
"Water Minister Melinda Pavey has so far apparently had a policy of complete subservience to Sydney Water," Mr Stevens said.
"We are planning to present to her a petition signed by over 4,000 people asking her to overturn Sydney Water's proposal to locate an industrial Odour Control Unit inside the Wolli Creek Regional Park at Wolli Bluff.
"Some street action will accompany the delivery of the petition. Supporters will be performing a placard routine to emphasise the numbers calling for action. It will also point out the amazing carte blanche given to Sydney Water for its developments."
Earlier this year Bayside Council will wrote to Ms Pavey seeking an urgent review of the proposed location of the planned OCU in the Wolli Creek Regional Park.
A Notice of Motion tabled at February's Bayside Council meeting by councillor Andrew Tsouis called for the proposed site to be relocated.
"The Wolli Creek Valley contains some of the most pristine bushland in the southern part of Sydney," Cr Tsounis said.
"Sydney Water is requesting that a water quality monitoring station be part of this location We are requesting that it be moved outside of the footprint of that particular wilderness area and outside of the Wolli Valley park and not impact directly on the natural environment there."
However, a Sydney Water spokesman told the Leader at the time that the proposed OCU was a critical piece of infrastructure to prevent deterioration of the wastewater system, minimise odour and protect public health and the environment.
The spokesman said there were limited options for the new OCU along the wastewater system and Sydney Water carried out a comprehensive evaluation into the viability of alternative locations for the OCU.
"This identified they are not suitable due to access and space constraints, proximity to densely populated locations, and design and operational issues," he said.
Mr Stevens said calls to find a more environmentally sensitive site for the OCU were supported by five local state MPs, three local councils and former Supreme Court judge David Kirby, as well as a range of environment and heritage groups.
"The Wolli Creek Preservation Society has itself written a stream of representations to minister Pavey and several other ministers, and submitted an application for an Interim Heritage Order to stop construction," he said.
"Minister Pavey has been flicking correspondence to Sydney Water to respond to on her behalf or deferring to what they say.
"Ministers Kean, Stokes and Harwin seem to have been deferring to Minister Pavey. So, the Sydney Water tail has effectively been wagging the government dog on this issue.
"There is a suitable government-owned site nearby that Sydney Water has refused to take seriously, but the minister should.