Mosman Council Meeting Tuesday March 4 at 7pm – please attend!

Mosman Council Meeting Tuesday March 4 at 7pm – please attend!On Tuesday night, Council will vote on a Motion that the present aged care proposal should be rejected. Although Council is not a consent authority for this proposed development, a successful vote will send an important message to the Harbour Trust and government.Please lobby Councillors prior to the meeting and give them your views.Go to http://www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/council/about/councillors for contact details.If you wish to speak at the Council meeting you must register, see details below.Linda Bergin (campaign), Marta Sengers (trees and bushfire) and Rob Bagnall (legal) will speak briefly on behalf of HPG."If residents wish to address the Council on items, they need to register by either contacting the Team Leader Administration or registering with a Council officer prior to the commencement of the Council meeting."Go to: www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/council/meetings/about for more information, contact details are available here: http://www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/contact/Due the number of people expected to attend, the aged care Motion will likely be first on the agenda. Please try to arrive before 7pm.The motionThat:1. Council recognises the excellent work done to date by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust2. The General Manager and Cr Sherlock prepare a submission to the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust noting Council’s view that the presently proposed aged care facility should be rejected3. While Council recognises that some public consultation has taken place, this is considered insufficient based on the scale and significance of the proposed development4. In Council’s view, the proposal for an aged care facility on Middle Head is, on balance, entirely contrary to the objectives and mandate of the Trust, as defined by:4.1. the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Act 2001 -Objects clause oblige the Trust “to protect, conserve and interpret the environmental and heritage values of Trust land” and “to maximise public access to Trust land”. One function of the Trust is “to promote appreciation of Trust land, in particular its environmental and heritage values”;4.2. the Trust’s Comprehensive Plan for all the sites, which includes a section ‘The Trust’s Approach to Planning’. It states “The Trust, by contrast, is seeking the most appropriate outcome, inspired by the intrinsic values of the lands, one that will be of most benefit to all Australians now and for the future.”4.3. the aims of the Management Plan for Middle Head, which include “Regenerate and expand the bushland so that the sense of a ‘green’ gateway to Sydney Harbour is reinforced”5. Council writes to Mosman’s Federal Member and to the Federal Minister of the Environment to advise them of Council’s position.