Ah January, the season of days at the beach, barbecues, and development applications lodged in the hope that anyone who might object is away on holidays.
At risk this time is a 120 year old Norfolk Island Pine, one of the last of a set of pines planted to mark the entrance to Randwick Racecourse. The Racecourse is the venue for World Youth Day in July 2008 when the Pope and reputedly 300,000 Catholics will descend on Sydney. The Racecourse has decided it needs a new entrance to cope with this onslaught. The race will be on to build it before the Pope arrives. The Minister for Planning has used his powers under Pt 3A of the planning legislation to take the decision out of the hands of the Council. The Racecourse was carved out of land which is now part of historic Centennial Park in the 1830s and 1840s. The current wall which is to be demolished was built around 1911.
It's true that the current entrance to the Racecourse is a disaster, stuck on a busy road with no "presence". But in order to accommodate buses and cars, more than 40 trees, many of them historic, will be lost. They say they will plant replacements, but they will take decades to grow.
Unfortunately it's now split in two by a busy road (see photo). There are many other potential entrances. One further down Alison Road is currently used as a car park and if it was developed, would minimise the loss of trees. But it has been rejected as unsuitable.
Submissions close on 31 January and should be made to Randwick Council
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