The developer plans to place 43 homes with 100-150 people, sheds, garages, upwards of 100 cars and, say, 200 car movements a day, dogs and cats within 75 hectares. Stormwater will carry with it surface grime, suburban street rubbish, residues of garden chemicals, exotic plant seeds and weeds.

The development sits on the slopes of a hill. All the stormwater run-off from its south-facing catchment will pass through Bloomfield over prime agricultural land - into platypus and trout dams, stock water dams and then into Duckmaloi River. Bloomfield has an 800-metre boundary to the development.

You would therefore have thought that some attention would have been paid to the points I raised in 2015 about the negative impact the development would have on us.

But council accepted a late agenda item decision paper to the February 2016 council meeting with the result that the people who had objected were unaware and thus unable to attend and speak against the proposal.

Council unanimously approved one-hectare minimum lots, despite the hydrological study not being completed as council was unable to organise it and that no proper environmental impact study was to hand - so much for pursuing a higher order on capable land.

Council’s decision appears based on a woefully inadequate environmental impact assessment submitted by the developer. It is my view the groundwork had not been done properly.

Neighbours and I met with council for a site visit in late May where it was confirmed that the proposal at that date is materially the same as it was at the time of the February 2016 decision. 

It is incomprehensible that council is seriously considering this small-lot subdivision and its detrimental impacts on neighbours. And that is even before considering the high probability of surface and ground water contamination from the 43 esoteric and hard-to-maintain septic systems.