Taronga Zoo Reptile and Amphibian Conservation Centre

Support.

See attached letter

Please see the combined TfNSW response letter

Greetings,
Please be advised the collective TfNSW Response (SYD21/00445/02) will be uploaded by Roads and Maritime Services Account in the Portal. Should you require any additional information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you

Please find attached response from EES.

There was little community consultation. Why is this being rushed through?

The Zoo has become very built up and there is too much concrete . It has lost a lot of its natural character

$13 is a very large expenditure during Covid when we should be supporting individuals and business .

When will Taronga Zoo be full??? While this proposal seems justified, the Zoo clearly needs a masterplan which predicts all future developments. And this plan should be subject to rigorous comment and submission by planning authorities and local interests. Disneyfication must be denied. Traffic access to the Zoo MUST be taen into account with each development.

Objection on the basis of failure to engage community groups and other stakeholders, and on the need for a visual impact assessment.

Having worked as a volunteer in both the Zoo and the Zoo Library many years back, I do appreciate the conservation and educational work of the zoo. Conservation, education, and research are important in this age of loss of habitat due to human intervention. The Research Centre is excellent .
The zoo’s conservation of reptiles and amphibians has been successful. I also appreciate the need to update the Serpentaria and hospital.

Living in the Zoo neighbourhood I have been involved with the Zoo as a very frequent visitor with my children and a volunteer. My main concerns are the apparent increase of hard surface in the Zoo. I appreciate that the Zoo requires funds for the increasing costs but when children’s playgrounds, plazas and hotel accommodation start to replace space for the animals I begin to be concerned. Don’t get me started on the concerts! The noise for the poor animals. The Zoo seems to be in danger of being Disneyfied. One of the biggest draw cards of the Zoo has been its bushland setting with the harbour views. The tree canopy has been decidedly thinned over the years to allow for the increased building.
These two developments appear to require a larger footprint of land and removal of larger tree canopy.

This particular project seems to have had minimal community consultation. Neighbours received a letterbox drop. However due to no local newspaper the usual community notification has not been given. I was involved with the community consultation with the eco - hotel construction. There has been no consultation/notification similar to this.

To who it may concern
I have THREE concerns about the process of this project proposal .
Firstly, I understand the Zoo and Urbis had an initial “scoping meeting” with the Department, and TWO community groups were consulted ie Headland Preservation Group and Mosman Parks and Bushland Association. Only ONE meeting was held. However when Urbis started to work on an EIS for the centre, HPG and MPBA were dropped off - their names don’t appear in the final Consultation Report list at all (over 30 groups or individuals do). Why did you not contact HPG and MPBA? This is very serious because the SEARS says you must consult with those named in any meeting with the Department as “relevant community groups”. Further, Urbis has omitted 2 NSW authorities from the “must” consult list, against a direct requirement of the SEARS. How come these groups were dropped? This is very alarming and against due process in the SEARS in the SSDs. No community group will be safe.
Secondly, is the Zoo’s architect making a large camouflage screen in front of the proposed centre building to hide it from Harbour views. I understand Urbis have said in its EIS it is unnecessary to do a Visual Impact Assessment. Really? The centre is HUGE and please note it is just at the top of a do not build area.
Thirdly, Urbis says it contacted Zoo members, guests and visitors, but people I know who are members have NOT received any notification/s. Thousands of members would be on this list. It is difficult to fathom that Urbis was not called or emailed by anyone in regard to the proposal?
The Tarango Zoo is a special place and an icon of Sydney - it is essential that transparent processes are followed and not glossed over.
Our children and grandchildren deserve MUCH better from their public institutions.

Please see attached.

No comment response attached

There's a high level of complacency when it comes to the Zoo’s consultative process with the community. More and more buildings have been developed on the Taronga Zoo site. Whilst the Zoo claims to be working with structures that are 'below the tree line' it does not mean that these buildings have no visual effect. The Zoo's headland has filled up with many large buildings all visible from many angles, glass and bricks where there were once trees in their place. From my home I look out directly to the Zoo, that view has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. I would like the Zoo to reduce the size and volume of its built infrastructure and create a more parklike environment.

Whilst I do not object to a Reptile Conservation Centre, I do object to the lack of consultation, and the visual impacts this very large building will have on our harbour amenity.
I support a visual impact assessment to ensure that our harbour's visual amenity is not adversely impact by more development.

Blacktown & District Environment Group Inc has been in communication with community members living and having an interest if the harbour foreshores and have our own members who visit and value the natural vista of the Sydney Harbour foreshores.

We are appalled at the lack of transparency and lack of extent occurring with the community consultation process such a matter should include. People and groups who should have been informed of the details of the proposal were just not consulted. This is unacceptable.

Such a development that the proposed "Taronga Reptile and Amphibian Conservation Centre" involves reeks of just another removal of the natural heritage values traversed, hunted, inhabited and enjoyed by Aboriginals and natural heritage values appreciated by Captain Arthur Phillip and First Fleet arrivals as well as those who followed in later years.

Yes, once more, our natural heritage is to fall to the bulldozer blade and chainsaw only to be replaced by bitumen, brick and concrete all in the name of another means to make an extra "buck".

There are plenty of "brown field sites" that could be pursued elsewhere in Greater Sydney for showing our reptiles and Amphibians. Indeed there are. Why another and why under the banner of "Conservation Centre"? This is just another scarring of what is supposed to be a protected harbour, a harbour protected from over-development.

Surely, the ideal "conservation centre" is preservation of the natural environment and habitat that reptiles and amphibians existed within and were sustained within across the the landscape that has become known as the Sydney Region. Why must this "circus mentality" exist in this age of alleged recognition of environmental sensitivity. We really mean "circus mentality" because this alleged "conservation centre" is no different (except for its immobility) to taking a collection of animals and oddities on the road to people (and make a buck from them) who are too lazy or unappreciative to get out into bushland and observe our fauna in their natural element.

This proposal is just another cave-in to the desire to make dollars at expense to our natural heritage and in a location that is supposed to be preserved as the world renowned Sydney Harbour Foreshore.

Blacktown & District Environment Group Inc opposes this development proposal because of its complete lack of environmental sensitivity, a sell-out to circus promotion mentality and the lack of valid community consultation.

There appears to be a requirement in the DA to consult with the Headland Preservation Group (HPG) prior to the DA. We are named in the Scoping Report. However HPG has no record of being contacted by the TCSA's consultant Urbis and have therefore had no opportunity to comment on the new Reptile Centre even though many other organisations did. Therefore, we feel the EIS may not be completely reliable

Please see PDF Objection 26 August 2021

26/8/21 I am a longtime resident, businessperson, and citizen of the NSW State electorate of North Shore and the Federal electorate of North Sydney. I am actively involved in the community on environmental issues, particularly conservation, education and public parkland. I am a long term member of the Headland Preservation Group (HPG) and Mosman Parks & Bushland Inc. I strongly object to the proposed Taronga Reptile and Amphibian Centre a) because the NSW Planning & Environment Department's own requirements for public consultation especially with known and recognised community groups specifically identified to be consulted on such a proposal have NOT been consulted, and b) the proposal represents a further sidelining of Taronga Zoo's purpose as an open space parkland and acceleration of this public space as a tourism cash cow. The so-called fly-in-fly-out 'eco lodge' 4 star hotel being a very recent example of this trajectory. I live across the bay from Taronga Zoo and in recent years seen the devastating environment affects on the Taronga Zoo space itself internally with sales and marketing visitor funnels, and externally with its steady transformation into an overdeveloped tourist venue exploiting Harbour View from there while ignoring how Taronga Zoo itself looks from the outside, especially from Sydney Harbour and other iconic headlands. My photo attached, taken by me today Thursday 26 August 2021 provides compelling visual evidence of this.

See attached.

Please find attached Council's submission