Building a bike and pedestrian path through the Marshalls Creek Nature Reserve in Ocean Shores would amount to ‘environmental vandalism’, a local community group says.
Byron Shire Council is considering building a path connecting the main residential areas of Ocean Shores to the shopping centre, and on to New Brighton Beach.
This would include a wooden boardwalk cutting through the Marshalls Creek Reserve down to the beach.
But much of the reserve is a designated Habitat Protection Zone, containing several threatened species, including the white-bellied sea eagle, the beach stone curlew, the mangrove honey eater, and the black-headed stork.
CONOS opposed
As such, the move is opposed by a significant number of locals, including the members of the Conservation of North Ocean Shores (CONOS).
CONOS is a local conservation organisation that has been involved in establishing and expanding these reserves for over 30 years.
They have launched an online petition calling on Council to abandon the planned boardwalk.
‘This environmentally-destructive route is totally unnecessary because there are already existing roads providing shorter routes,’ CONOS representative, Richard Whitling said.
‘For example, Rajah Road to the Brunswick Valley Way bridge and on to Brunswick Heads. I believe this is the preferred outcome sought by both the South Golden Beach Community Association and the New Brighton Association.’
These environmentally-protected areas are very sensitive and that’s why they were declared as nature reserves instead of national parks.
‘Despite their size limitations the reserves contain large numbers of threatened flora and fauna species that are just holding on. Further disturbance to the reserves would be environmental vandalism.’
CONOS also argues that the Council process by which a boardwalk through the Marshalls Creek reserve became an option was flawed.
They say that this route emerged as part of the process of developing the shire-wide bike plan and accompanying Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan (PAMP), but that the Council then ignored the extensive public consultation process that had been conducted.
Flawed process claims
‘The routes were put forward by Council staff, a Council committee, and the project consultants, and then presented to councillors for adoption – there are no records of the routes being approved by the communities,’ Mr Whitling said.
Mr Whitling said the route was proposed to follow close behind residential properties in Ocean Shores that border the reserves, and then continue along the edges of Marshalls Creek through the nature reserves to the M1.
He said it can never be monitored for user safety and would likely become an ‘e-bike race track’.
‘This 2km route through the reserves would not have been included in the bike plan if councillors and staff had consulted with the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NP&WS) at the outset. It’s only now that Council sought input from the NP&WS who have stated that the route is incompatible with the nature reserves,’ he said.
To sign the petition, go to www.change.org and search for ‘Hands off our Ocean Shores nature reserves and marine park’.
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