Coalition to save Adelaide Hills face

By Ramona Shee

ADELAIDE -- “The hills face is not protected, but ordinary people think it is”, Ben Carslake, secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) told Green Left Weekly, in relation to the suburban creep which is threatening to ruin the Adelaide Hills face.

A network of 250 community groups, the CFMEU and the Conservation Council of South Australia have recently united over concerns that the Mount Lofty Ranges are being chipped away through subdividing, despite government planning officials claiming to provide protection.

The network opposes the latest action to sell off 3.5 hectares of publicly owned Mt Osmond open space, most of which is protected hills face zone. Margaret Bolster from CCSA says, “Mt Osmond open space belongs to the public of South Australia and should not be disfigured through development”.

The hills provide a green backdrop to the city of Adelaide, which Carslake described as “beyond price”. Additional concerns relate to the erosion, flooding and the fact that this area is situated on a fault line. Bushfire is also a threat in the area, with the added fear that slopes are too steep for fire trucks. Carslake cites the safety of workers and construction crews as one of many concerns.

The new Liberal government claims that it must honour an inherited agreement in principle to sell the publicly owned land. Bolster points out the absurdity that David Wooton, minister for environmental and natural resources, “apparently has no control over this inherently environmental matter”.

Mt Osmond open space, development and other threats to the area will be discussed at a public meeting on March 7, 7 p.m., at Burnside Town Hall.

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