Residents on Newcastle's western fringe and councillors have renewed their demand for the state government to rescind approval for the controversial Minmi Estate project.
A town hall meeting to take place on Saturday has attracted a long list of speakers seeking to voice concern about the social and environmental impacts of Winten Property's 858-lot development.
A supporting petition, to be tabled in State Parliament by Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery, is also attracting dozens of signatures daily.
The project's statement of environmental effects notes that there is more than 37,000 cubic metres of contaminated soil on the site, including lead, copper, asbestos and hydrocarbons.
Newcastle Ward 4 councillor Deahnna Richardson, who put a motion relating to Minmi Estate's public and environmental health impacts at this week's council meeting, said she was being inundated with concerns about the movement of large quantities of contaminated material.
"Obviously when you are disturbing that amount of dirt there is particulate matter that disperses into the broader environment and that is a hazard to human health," she said.
"I think the residents have good grounds to make the developer accountable for those concerns."
The Green Corridor Coalition, which is fighting to stop the development of the adjoining parcel of land at 505 Minmi Road, has previously raised concerns about potential mine subsidence in the area.
Cr Richardson told the council meeting that there was limited accurate information about the old workings.
"The accuracy of historic plans of mines dating as far back as 1875 is inaccurate because of the mining practices of the time and the successive subletting of mines to different companies," she said.
"We are now building houses, a lot more than the community anticipated, on an area that has historic undermining.
"I think the developer needs to be aware of that and they need to be responsive to those concerns."
The Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel approved Winten Property Group's residential subdivision at Woodford Street in March. The approval came despite community and City of Newcastle planning staff and councillors raising concerns about the project's social, environmental and infrastructure impacts.
"As a community we are frustrated that the state government planning panel, who most likely have never been to Minmi, can override the wishes of residents and the Newcastle council by deciding it is in the public interest to allow greedy developers to impose massive environmental and vegetation loss over 520 hectares of densely vegetated native bushland and some grassland areas," resident Wendy White said.
"The development will have a significant impact on biodiversity as at least 150 hectares of native vegetation, including core koala habitat, will be lost including the removal of close to two thousand specimens of the critically endangered scrub turpentine tree.
"The rally at Minmi on Saturday will bring greater awareness of the serious impacts for wildlife and residents including road, transport and health issues. We want to also give people hope because the development can be overturned by the relevant state and federal ministers."
Ms White said organisers of Saturday's meeting were calling for:
- More protection for the environment (forest, flora and fauna, especially the endangered)
- A revised transport plan as the present road system will not cope.
- Public health - protection from the various dangerous contaminants that will be dug up and exposed to the air.
- The Planning Minister to call this in and reconsider the outdated plan.
- Winten to come to the table to change their footprint on this land
Winten Property has not indicated if it will send a representative to the meeting.
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has previously said there were no plans to overturn or amend the planning approval.
"The Regional Planning Panel confirmed the application is consistent with the terms of the concept approval and the approved set of Minmi Precinct Design Guidelines," a spokesman said earlier this month.
"The development application was assessed by Newcastle City Council staff and recommended for approval. The developer can now commence subdividing the land, within the conditions of approval."
Saturday's meeting will be held at 3pm at the Minmi Progress Hall in Woodford Street, Minmi.
