Save Ralphs Bay Inc maintained a presence outside the gates of the Lauderdale Football Club from Thursday to Saturday last week, while the Walker Corporation’s Public Information Display was on show in the footy clubroom.

“It was very encouraging for Save Ralphs Bay”, said Secretary, Noela Foxcroft. “Many, many visitors to the Walker display came to visit us after seeing what was on show, and I can tell you, they were not impressed”.

“Save Ralphs Bay Inc provided a comments book where members of the public could express their feelings and responses. This is just a small selection:

‘All gloss with no facts or substance’

‘ It is totally disgusting’

‘Disgraceful - it belongs to our people not for big business to profit from’

‘No - Please – never’

‘Wrong development in the wrong place’

‘Stop this development’

‘This is a ridiculous proposal - the weather conditions alone make this site totally unsuitable’.”

SRB Acting Chair, Berry Dunston, said, “We fully understand that the stringent RPDC guidelines require Walker Corporation to report on its community consultation and the Public Information Display is part of that process.”

“After viewing the Display and talking with Walker representatives, members of the public raised with SRB some specific concerns, including that Walker apparently only plans to make the islands 2.5m high and that it has no intention to construct all the houses and sell ‘house and land packages’ but will sell many of the blocks as ‘land only’, leaving individuals to design and build their own houses.”

SRB Submissions Coordinator, Jane MacDonald, said, “You would have to question the sanity of a proposal to make a housing subdivision in the sea at a time of global warming and sea level rise. In order to construct this development, the Walker Corporation plans to obliterate the sandflats of the Ralphs Bay Conservation Area, which provide essential feeding habitat for resident and migratory shorebirds. The migratory shorebirds are already on their way home to spend summer in Ralphs Bay, and we intend to make sure their feeding habitat is never bulldozed by the Walker Corporation or anyone else.”

In response to the Walker Corporation’s claims that its initial core samples showed negligible heavy metal levels, Ms. MacDonald said, “We won’t be getting into a discussion on the basis of general statements from Walker, with no figures published. All this will come out in detail in the Integrated Impact Statement, if Walker chooses to push ahead with its proposal.

“What we can say is that the Water Quality Improvement Plan for Derwent heavy metals and the State of the Derwent reports make it very clear that the problem of heavy metal pollution in the Derwent estuary is extremely serious and should not be trivialized.

“The levels of heavy metals in Ralphs Bay shellfish and flathead are very concerning, and it is important that there is no increase in bioavailable heavy metals entering marine food chains.

“Monitored Natural Recovery is the Derwent Estuary Program’s preferred management option, and this means, ‘Do not disturb the sediments of the Derwent and Ralphs Bay.’”

Media contact: Jane MacDonald – 0406 993 425