The Regenerators have written to the Federal Defence Housing Authority to oppose the proposed housing development on the Lawson Grasslands. They wrote:
I am writing in response to your invitation to comment on the proposed Lawson Grasslands development. I don’t believe that this development should proceed and there are many reasons for this.
Areas of land managed by Australia’s armed services are often special places where there has been very little impact due to security needs restricting public access. The Lawson Grasslands is one such place where the environmental values have been maintained and there is an important ecosystem that should continue to be protected.
Like Red Hill Nature Reserve, the Lawson Grasslands are home to critically endangered Box-Gum Woodlands. In addition, the Natural Temperate Grasslands at Lawson are also critically endangered. Both of these ecosystems used to be widespread and it sad that they are only found in small patches but we need to protect the remaining examples.
The proposed development would destroy large areas of these ecosystems.
Lawson Grasslands has many nationally significant and declining species including, the critically endangered Golden Sun Moth, the endangered Grassland Earless Dragon, and the vulnerable Striped Legless Lizard. The site also provides habitat for locally significant and rare species including the Perunga Grasshopper, and Keys Matchstick Grasshopper. By destroying their habitats the development will also be destroying these species.
This proposed development is in direct contradiction with the Development Control Plan (DCP 12/09) that has previously been determined for the site. Under DCP12/09 Lawson Grasslands has been identified primarily for conservation. In order for DHAs development to proceed, this DCP will have to be altered to allow for development to encroach on areas with high conservation value.
It seems that DHA needs an additional 150 dwellings for Australian defence force personnel. To achieve this, it may be possible for DHA to provide these dwellings at Lawson without harming the critically endangered natural environment but I was shocked and disheartened to learn that part of the proposal is to build 266 additional houses to sell in the Canberra housing market. DHA is exploiting Canberra’s natural resources to pay for free housing for the Department of Defence, who refuse to provide funding.
The proposed development sacrifices buffer zones across the majority of the development to squeeze in more houses and make a larger profit. Only 25% of the development can support the required 30m buffer zone. So, in addition to destroying critically endangered ecological communities, and vulnerable species, the development will degrade the remaining areas of ecological significance.
Ross Kingsland
President
Red Hill Regenerators ParkCare Group.