Hello,
I want to submit my objection towards the planned Abalone Farm at 180 Clarke Street Pindimar, NSW 2324.
We live on a busy Street in a suburb of Newcastle. Getting away from it and going to our little camping block just off Cambage St is something my brother and I always look forward to.
We love Pindimar because we can actually be kids, getting out and riding our bikes, swimming, fishing, going for bushwalks and along the shores of the bay , we feel safe.
I feel our safety as kids will be at risk by the extra traffic the Abalone Farm will bring into the village, and the risk of getting sick by who knows what will be coming out of the pipes and into the water from the farm. Mum and Dad have read to us parts of the plans of the farm and I don't like it all.
At Pindimar there are so many things we can do that we can't do at home, like riding our bikes on the little streets as there is very little traffic. I feel my life will be put in danger sharing Cambage & Clarke Street with big trucks all the time while riding my bike or walking to the shores to go fishing.
I like fishing up and down the bay area of South Pindimar too, it's really hard to catch a legal sized fish now and I'm worried that pollution from the pipes will make the fishing harder.
I would like to object to the farm, it will ruin Pindimar, thank you.

Hello,
I want to submit my objection towards the planned Abalone Farm at 180 Clarke Street Pindimar, NSW 2324.
Pindimar is a quiet village resting on the shores of the popular waterways of Port Stephens.
Its idyllic location is very unique to coastal NSW as its a well hidden secret from greedy developers, well it has been up until now by the looks of it.
The very thought of someone wanting to destroy vegetation both on land and in the water, and jeopardise the pristine beautiful water that all sorts of marine life flourish makes me ill.
I have read the proposal and what the developers want to do, and to be honest I cannot understand why someone would want to risk our way of life and the ecology of the marine life. I'm only 14, but I know it's wrong to allow this farm to go ahead.
We have a holiday camping block in Pindimar of which all our family use and love, the clean water, the fishing, the fun. It's such a nice spot that MUST be protected from the greedy money hungry developers who don't even live in the area.
Please don't allow this to go ahead, ever.

To whom it may concern

I am writing to express my concern and objection towards the proposed abalone land factory farm at Port Stephens.

My concern mainly is with the 1000 kg of nitrogen and other waster which is proposed to be pumped into the water of port stephens each year should this project go ahead. The waste will be pumped inside the port 9 km from the open ocean. This would cause unimaginable damage to the underwater environments! This include the potential risk of mollusc disease such as Ganglioneuritic and Perkinsus which destroys wild abalone and marine life.

Other abalone farms are in coastal areas not in estuaries and is just not acceptable in such a fragile world already damaged tremendously by human acts. Please DO NOT accept this proposal, but consider the care and wellbeing of this blue water paradise. There will be no visitors to a dead polluted area, which means loss of jobs, property value.. well the list continuus!

Thank you for doing the right thing

Yours sincerely

Heidi

Cambage Street is a small community-oriented street, constantly used by children riding bikes, families walking dogs etc. This plan will absolutely destroy the quiet community, if the site is accessed via Cambage. The farm should connect to the main road into Pindimar and it could easily do so. Using Cambage will expose the families, and their children, to dangers of heavy traffic. And I'm sure the farm will create environmental issues too, as waste water gets pumped into the water, fouling the beach for the people who holiday there (like us) and the people who live there.

As someone who regularly holidays in Pindimar, I wish to strongly object to this proposal on the following basis:

* I understand that the farm is to be accessed via Cambage Street (both construction traffic during development and then farm employees when up and running). I am genuinely concerned for the safety of my two young children who enjoy riding their bikes up and down Cambage Street and playing in the unfenced front yard of our holiday home. There are no footpaths on the road and the road verges can be affected by flooding. Hence the road is the only place to walk, ride bikes and push prams.

* We continue to return to this beautiful, untouched part of the world for family holidays specifically for the quiet, unhurried and safe environment it offers our young family. The large volume of 24/7 traffic which will accompany the development in question poses a safety risk to our young children and will be detrimental to the relaxed atmosphere and friendly, cohesive community which exists along Cambage Street - something quite unique these days.

* In addition, there are obvious environmental concerns. My understanding is that the waste water from the farm will be pumped straight out into the beach. This will both pollute the water and has the potential to harm local fauna and flora as well.

Please do not allow this development to proceed. The safety risks, environmental concerns and potential for adverse impact on the local community are significant.

My family owns a house on Cambage Street which we use often for weekend breaks. There are many small children who use this street, including my young niece and nephew and we see it as a quiet street in which they can ride their bikes and walk in relative safety from heavy traffic and high volume roads. Many members of the street utilise the street in the same way and have chosen this particular location to live and holiday for this reason. There are no footpaths for the children to use or walk family pets and it is a no-through road. To increase traffic , including heaver vehicles, to allow access to the Abalone Farm would increase the danger to the road users including children and animals. I understand access can be provided from the main road and this appears to be a more appropriate avenue.

This proposed development places at extreme risk the pristine waters of Port Stephens for an industry employing few and benefiting few.
It is opposed by Great Lakes & Port Stephens Council.
It is on SEPP14 coastal wetlands where the seagrasses support juvenile marine life including turtles, seahorses, molluscs and fish species. The construction of the pipeline to the farm will potentially release acid sulphate soil and have serious consequences for this marine life.
The mudflats of Pindimar do not flush well and therefore the waste water will also have negative effects.
All other abalone farms are in coastal positions, this one is 9km up an estuary.
It is very likely that diseases affecting abalone farms in Victoria and Tasmania will be spread to Port Stephens.
An up to date, detailed and independent EIS must be carried out before the development is even considered.

I am lodging my objection to the proposed Pindimar Abalone Farm (Application MP 10_0006) on the following grounds -
* The location is too far upstream (9kms) from the Heads of Port Stephens where tidal flushing is not daily as claimed. There has been a build up of sandbanks within the Port over the last couple of decades causing more eddying of waters and slowing of tidal flush as cited in a survey by Manly Hydraulics in 1999. Tidal flushing takes one to two weeks
* This is the only industry within Port Stephens that will have permission to discharge water (50 megalitres daily) from a concentrated feedlot into the Port through two outlet pipes (each 30cm in diameter).Why degrade our waterway by pumping a tonne of nitrogen waste annually directly into the Port. No one else is permitted to pollute like this.
* The eco tourism (dolphin/whale/turtle sightings, diving, fishing, sailing, etc) depends on the pristine nature of the Port being maintained. This development threatens our beautiful waterway.
*Two Intake pipes (each 30cm in diameter) will suck in & destroy juvenile marine life
*There is a likely threat of mollusc diseases being introduced into the Port. Abalone farms in Tasmania have caused the near catastrophic destruction of wild abalone stocks due to the spread from these farms of the disease ganglioneuritis even when these farms were located on the coast and not within enclosed waters.
* 180 Clarke St entrance leads into a narrow country road. The safety of local commuters and tourists is also jeopardised by the trucks that will be required to transport the produced abalone onto this road.
As operators of tourist cabins in the area I am concerned by the increase of truck movements and subsequent noise. We offer our guests a tranquil environment to relax & get away from the city noise. The attraction for our guests is the natural surroundings and being able to enjoy the local waterways by beach walking and swimming. I believe that the development of an abalone farming factory will only serve to distract visitors and reduce tourism to this area.

I totally support the application for the following reasons:
* the environmental statements strongly suggest the operation will be environmentally acceptable
* Australian wild stocks of abalone are going to be given protection from over-harvesting and black market poaching due to a regular supply of farmed product being offered to the Australian market
* much needed job creation will be available to local residence
* a potential within the project to become a tourist attraction would go on to provide a much needed economic benefit to the local commercial communities of Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest
* the development falls within the LEP zoning guidelines
* Port Stephens has been identified many times as an ideal venue for aquaculture and this project (being land-based) overcomes many previous objections to proposed 'water based' projects which contained cages and buoyed growing ropes etc.
* to have private enterprise champion and develop a commercial land-based aquaculture project at nil cost to a Government is a most cost effective way of providing a proving-ground for what may well become a substantial primary industry Australia wide

I am a regular visitor to South Pindimar where I indulge in my hobbies of Fishing, Kayaking and swimming. I go there because of the pristine waters in the bay and the solitude that this little seaside village provides.
I am concerned that this will be adversely affected by the introduction of what looks like a substantial industrial development in such close proximity to residents living there.
I am particularly concerned about chemically treated waste water being pumped back into what is now a pristine waterway supporting a complex natural environment including fish, birds and land mammals. I am also concerned of the effect that the noise of the pumping facilities and the increase in traffic will have on the life of the residents and their visitors.