Opponents of the North Lismore Plateau development are mystified as to why police are refusing to comment on an investigation into two bodies discovered in an area proposed for development.
Detectives visited the burial site on October 18 and in an email to stakeholders the head of the investigation said further details would be provided as ‘they come to hand’.
But two weeks on, no further details have been provided despite the fact a development application to build houses in the area is due to go before the Joint Regional Planning Panel early next year.
The state government last year approved the rezoning of the North Lismore Plateau, paving the way for a residential development catering to more than 3600 people.
It was the second time a rezoning of the 255 hectares of land has been approved, with the first approval thrown out by the NSW Land and Environment Court following a challenge by Bundjalung man Michael Ryan.
Since then, Mr Ryan has attempted to gain information from police about the burial site but so far nothing has been forthcoming. He was not invited to the site inspection two weeks ago despite being the chairman of the Bundjalung Elders Council, and a fierce opponent of the development.
The police investigation was sparked by a report that suggested the two buried bodies located in part of the proposed development site belonged to early settlers of the area.
The report by Georadar Pty Ltd for the Everick Heritage Consultants , who are acting for the developers, presented the results of a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey performed on 18 January 2017 at the Winten Property Group Site on the North Lismore Plateau.
The report concluded: ‘From an examination of the GPR data, it is our interpretation that this grave-like feature near the ridge line on the Winten Property Group site on the North Lismore Plateau represents the probable burial of two persons. They appear to be the graves of early settlers inferred to be from the 1850 – 1890 period,’ the report states.
‘The interpreted burial on the north western side of the inferred grave appears to be an adult of full stature, and the adjacent burial appears to be more diminutive and possible represents a female, or a large (teenage) child.’
The report also states that ‘The inferred burial appears to have been made directly into the soil, and not in a coffin.’
Echonetdaily yesterday spoke with the detective in charge of the investigation but he refused to provide any further information about the ‘investigation’.
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