In Grafton’s Northmeadows near Corcoran Park, there’s quite a bit of undeveloped land. Despite its declining population Grafton is still growing physically, with smaller households and bigger houses. So there’s been a bit of subdivision action down there. The council has just approved a 38 lot subdivision. It’s handy to the water and sewerage systems, close to the river and not too far from the CBD. What else? Just a few minor problems.

It’s too close to the North Grafton Sewage Treatment Works. There’s a standard that houses shouldn’t be built within 400 metres of a sewage treatment works. As well as creating bad smells, sewage plants are the source of airborne pathogens which can affect nearby residents’ health. Five of the lots are within 400 metres. NSW Health objected to the DA. Public Works also objected. The council’s town planner recommended that the council not allow those lots as they would be unsuitable for human habitation. The developer argued for the lots to be allowed on the basis that there were already houses nearby which were within 400 metres of the plant.

It’s next door to an orchard where fruit trees are sprayed. It’s likely the spraying will continue after the new houses are built and people are living in them. Council’s town planner recommended that the developer do a land use conflict risk assessment to find out it the existing practices would be a problem for residents. The developer didn’t want to.

There’s no stormwater system in the area. The council intends to do a development control plan for Northmeadows which will create an integrated stormwater system for all the new development. Because he wanted to get his blocks onto the market first, the developer wanted to be excluded from the plan and run the stormwater to a neighbouring property. He refused to provide further design information to the council.