Locals anxious over water supply and sewage
Northern Beaches Council has responded to a letter of concern by a local community group over additional housing in the Mona Vale area.
The Friends of Mona Vale group raised several concerns to Council recently regarding development in the area, including adequate water supply, sewage treatment, and bushfire fighting.
In a letter addressed to Council, the group argues that Council’s Planning Working Group has ignored requirements that require the planning, budgeting, and provision of the necessary water and sewerage prior to any further development.
“Concern is raised that in the master planning for Mona Vale that the Northern Beaches Council is fixated on the Council’s Housing Strategy and is then not including the provision of adequate water supply and sewerage treatment in the planning for additional housing in the Mona Vale area,” the letter states.
The group also claims that as Pittwater is prone to bushfires, “Council needs to obtain from the Water Board a definitive statement as to the availability of water for further development and make that statement available to the public”.
Northern Beaches Council told Peninsula Living that the Mona Vale Place Plan is currently in development and water and sewerage servicing is just one of the many issues to be addressed.
It also states that, as part of the development of the Mona Vale Place Plan, Council will consult with the relevant statutory authorities, including Sydney Water and the Rural Fire Service regarding bushfire management.
“The Mona Vale Place Plan will set a vision for the area and prioritise improvements in and around Mona Vale town centre over the next 10 years,” a spokesperson said.
“We want to reassure the community that we will be consulting with Sydney Water and other relevant statutory authorities in developing the plan.”