Planning Issues

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Follow planning updates on this issue – here  

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Rhyll Inlet: this wetlands area was saved from development as a marina. PICS worked to defeat the proposal that would have destroyed this world-class habitat for a wide range of birds.

Since the first tree planting at Swan Lake in 1969, PICS has carried out numerous revegetation and weed eradication programs on the Island. These include: Bicentennial plantings at Ventnor, Sunset Strip and Churchill Island; the Fiveways Revegetation project; habitat revegetation at Oswin Roberts Reserve; the Coastcare project at Red Rocks; revegetation at Cape Woolamai and roadside plantings and revegetation.

The formation of this group was a PICS initiative that led to the abandonment of Saltwater Creek marina and housing/commercial development and the creation of a wide public reserve along the creek and rural residential allotments.

PICS members played a leading part in the negotiations for the purchase of the land now known as Conservation Hill, overlooking Rhyll Inlet. Many members gave money to help make the land purchase possible, and donated adjoining land. The purchase of this land led to the development of a picnic and viewing area.

A PICS member instigated the purchase by the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (now Department of Natural Resources and Environment) of the land known as Rowells Swamp.

PICS and other community members successfully defeated a proposal to demolish the existing historic Isle of Wight Hotel and replace it with a multi-storey building. The processes to defend the hotel led PICS into court and highlighted the importance of community and legal support in challenging inappropriate development plans. The proposal was defeated and a human-scale waterfront was preserved.

Since 1968 PICS has fought against numerous proposals for commercial development on the Summerlands Peninsula. It also provided some of the personnel to conduct the penguin and traffic counts which led to the eventual closure of Ventnor Road on the Summerlands Peninsula from dusk to dawn.