- Unnecessary duplicate light vehicle road: NPWS already has access and use of a well serviced and maintained road on land parcel adjacent to the proposed development, to carry out maintenance on Inner South Head. The local community doesn’t understand the need for a duplicate light vehicle trail and rejects the proposal.
- Privatising public amenities threatens community access and enjoyment: a privatised road could impact the enjoyment and use of the present trail plus attract fees for use, an unnecessary impost on existing community use, further impinging the amenity of the area.
- Wildlife corridor impact: Allowing an existing emergency access/egress trail to become a privatised road will divide a continuous wildlife remnant habitat – endangering its fragility as well as further negatively impacting on local fauna, including a number of threatened species.
- South Head is of significant indigenous and heritage value containing sites which are not properly addressed. The community would welcome the narrative and respectful dialogue to ensure the appropriate consideration and maintenance of cultural sites as well as flora and fauna.
Camp Cove Beach will lose a popular patch of sand under the last remaining overhanging shade tree – to a concrete slab.
One of Sydney’s iconic city beaches with marked heritage significance for First Nations inhabitants – Camp Cove is well-loved by both tourists and locals.
A family friendly area, parents seek shade and play with their kids on the sand in that long northern corner under the spreading tree. An exposed concrete slab that can only attract more heat on a hot day is not an effective way for people to enjoy this popular, small beach.
To add insult to injury, this change was not included in the Draft Master Plan submitted for public exhibition during the time of the Federal election in March 2022. This concrete apron was only revealed in the final South Head Master Plan [page 41] adopted by the NSW Government on 10 February this year, without consultation with the community.
Members of the South Head Whale Trail community group [southheadwhale.org] have brought a petition to the NSW Parliament responding to the Master Plan, in order to protect wildlife and park space. Petitioner and spokesperson for the South Head Whale organisation Vashti Hughes brought forward the petition to prohibit an increase in vehicle use, access and infrastructure.
This Master Plan opens the door for privatisation of public park assets. A key component is a proposed elevated road allowing vehicles to service short stay accommodation. This proposed road and elevated path is unnecessary as it duplicates the existing road – with detrimental impacts on wildlife and visitor enjoyment.
The South Head Masterplan enables the Minister for Planning and Environment to permit new roads and building works within this significant and important Sydney Harbour National Parkland under a bold tourism agenda.
The South Head National Park is habitat to local threatened land and marine species and offers feeding grounds critical to bird and mammal migration on both: it is identified as an environmental protection zone in the former Sydney Harbour Regional Environmental Plan, with land vegetation and seagrass meadows providing habitat.
New construction sites within the National Park would harm native rare plants and animals as well as negatively impact the unique walking trails. An alternative solution – with minimal impact – would involve true adaptive reuse of the buildings within their existi ng built footprints for the benefit of visitors.
To conserve the South Head Cultural Landscape, prevent privatisation and the unnecessary duplicate infrastructure road at South Head, the following are suggested: National Heritage Listing for the South Head Cultural Precinct, supported by Federal Member for Wentworth, Ms Allegra Spender MP; Legislation in the NSW State Parliament for existing trails to be restricted to their current restricted vehicle use: emergency access egress and permissible essential services vehicles only; NPWS to revise the 2012 Plan of Management to focus on day visitation only.
South Head National Park is a national treasure. This iconic Sydney site is already under duress as a result of adjacent defence base development – and the South Head Master Plan allows it to be paved and converted to a tourism precinct.
Previous development proposals of South Head have failed, met by vigilant responses by communities Australia-wide as well as locally, resulting in the successful preservation of this area until now. The protection of this important and significant cultural area is of major concern to people nationally and state-wide as well as to locals.
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