TWO weeks ago the people of Camberwell village lost a bit more ground, literally, when state bureaucrats announced the management of the 90-hectare community common was passed to the adjacent Ashton Coal.
The order from the Land and Property Management Authority that the licence for access to the common was rescinded was another blow to Camberwell residents who are not giving up without a fight.
The issue is now in the hands of the Environmental Defender’s Office, a government body that specialises in public interest environmental law, with the legal team busy compiling the information to assess if there is a case to take the matter further.
The Camberwell Common Trust began negotiations with the EDO late last year following concerns that the adjacent mining was damaging the common, but following the announcement on April 15 that the common licence was rescinded the issue has moved up to another level.
Environmental Defender’s Office spokesperson said they were busy collecting information but they had not made a decision at this point if they would be proceeding further.
The EDO must establish if the issue has significance beyond the financial interests of a particular individual or group and that it will either pose a real threat to the environment or raise concerns over the manner in which the environment is regulated, now and into the future.
The 90-hectare Camberwell common is in two sections located on both sides of the New England Highway and it has been a grazing and recreation area managed by a community trust since 1880. |
