THE protest camp set up on Jacks Rd in opposition to AGL’s coal seam gas operations in Gloucester has received approval to operate for another six months.
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Council yesterday (Wednesday) voted to approve an application to extend the camp’s development approval, with all but one of the seven councillors voting in favour of the application.
The camp received development approval for a six-month period last September and opened on October 24.
In January, Groundswell Gloucester applied to extend the operational life of the camp for another six months.
Council received just four submissions in response to Groundswell’s proposal, all opposing the application.
Two objectors said the camp was damaging Gloucester’s ‘brand’, specifically its business and tourism industry.
“The town is only just beginning to recover from the bad press that has been generated from (Groundswell’s) publicity machine … if this damaging group is allowed to have an extended period to spoil the community’s good brand, we may never be able to repair it,” one objector wrote.
Other objectors spoke of children being terrorised on school buses by protesters, loud music being played by occupants at the camp and impacts on the real estate market.
In its recommendation council said “it is considered that overall, the temporary primitive camp ground had little significant impact during its operation from October 24 to mid-December 2014”.
Council has stipulated the land where the camp is situated must be restored to predevelopment condition after a period of 12 months from development approval.
However, under council’s planning legislation Groundswell Gloucester can again apply to extend the operating life of the camp.
