Council welcomes the withdrawal of the Patyegarang planning proposal at Morgan Road, Belrose, also known as Lizard Rock.

The proposal sought to rezone bushfire-prone land for up to 450 homes and a cultural centre. For years, our community raised serious concerns about bushfire risk, environmental impacts and the loss of precious bushland.

We opposed the proposal because the planning, environmental and hazard risks were too significant.

This is a good outcome for the community and the local environment. We support the intent of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act and the right of Aboriginal people to achieve economic self-determination. However, we also had a responsibility to speak up about the serious risks linked to this proposal.

Those risks included the proposed removal of around 45 football fields of bushland and hundreds of homes in a high bushfire risk area.

We repeatedly raised concerns that the proposal did not align with key local and regional planning strategies, Council’s Conservation Zones Review or the environmental values of the site. We were also concerned it did not adequately address bushfire evacuation and access.

We pushed for a better way forward. That included writing to federal and state MPs and relevant ministers to seek an alternative solution and financial model, so the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council can benefit from its land while protecting the bushland in perpetuity.

We will keep working constructively with all levels of government and the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council to find a better outcome for the land, the community and future generations.