[Greens-Media] Bush fire dangers ignored for proposed aged care facility

[David Shoebridge]

A planned aged care facility at Sydney's Middle Head, surrounded
by National Park, represents a serious bush fire risk to any future
residents, and would almost certainly be rejected if NSW bush fire
safety requirements were applied.  However the real dangers of bush
fire risk are not being properly considered on the site because it
is on Commonwealth land and tough state bush fire standards are not
being followed.

See Sun Herald reporting here:
<http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/bushfireprone-land-unsafe-for-agedcare-facility-greens-20140301-33ssx.html>

Greens MP and Planning Spokesperson David Shoebridge said:

"The whole of this proposed aged care development is on land
identified by the local council as bush fire prone and it is simply
unacceptable that lesser bush fire safety standards are being applied.

"Every part of this development is planned to be within 100 meters
of, beautiful, but also well-wooded and fire prone National Park.

"Research by the NSW Rural Fire Service has shown that 85% of houses
are lost in the first 100 meters from bushland and that ember attack
is a significant form of attack on properties.

"The threat from a bush fire is even greater for an aged care
facility where residents are more vulnerable to the effects of smoke
inhalation and fire, difficult to evacuate and less able to defend
their own properties.

"If this development was on almost any other parcel of land in NSW
then it could not be approved unless the RFS gave a special clearance
certificate after closely reviewing the plans and fire safety
proposals.  But because it is on Commonwealth owned land the RFS
is being completely sidelined.

"We have seen too often of late how ill-thought out development on
bush fire prone land around Sydney places people, property and
firefighters in serious danger and it is time we learned these
lessons.

"Every aspect of this development presents bush fire safety concerns,
from the narrow access roads through National Park, to the placement
of the aged care facilities near to a recognised bush fire safety
hazard and the absence of scrutiny by the RFS.

"The Sydney Harbour Trust that is assessing this development is
clearly keen to access the money this developer is promising for
the rights to build a private facility on public land, but safety
should not be for sale," Mr Shoebridge said.

See the Greens' submission to the Trust with mapping and further
detail attached.

Media Contact: 0408 113 952

-- 
David Shoebridge