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Alternatives to Site 7
Although the Gara Valley Environment Preservation Association does not believe it has the duty or expertise to investigate the potential of other sites for the proposed new dump, we do feel that it is important to make a few observations regarding the suitability of other sites.
- Any waste and rubbish dump should not be located in a catchment area which drains directly into the World Heritage listed Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.
- Any waste and rubbish should be located so that it has minimal sensory impact, preferably none. Certainly it ought not to be located in areas of significant tourism activity. As other Councils have done (eg Port Macquarie), the site chosen should be effectively ‘out of sight and out of mind’.
- The dump site should be chosen with a long-term perspective uppermost in mind. This proposed dump will have a life in excess of 50 years making it essential that the site chosen does not present a problem for future generations to solve. In that sense, the site might not necessarily be the cheapest option in the short-term.
- Given the current political climate within NSW in which local government boundary adjustments are leading to fewer, larger Councils, a trend that the local ‘Strategic Alliance’ recognises, the search for suitable sites should be expanded to incorporate the wider region on New England rather than be restricted to the sites that were identified as being for sale a decade ago.
In the Gara Valley Environment Preservation Association’s view, one or more of the existing dumps within the ‘Strategic Alliance’ area would make a satisfactory temporary solution, while a more thorough and exhaustive search is carried out for a suitable long-term replacement location.
