Member for Davidson, Jonathan O’Dea, last night told parliament he will not support the proposed sale of the WSN Landfill site at Belrose, unless action is taken to address community expectations, including a partial return of the area for public use.
Mr O’Dea’s announcement follows months of persistent engagement with the NSW Government (which owns WSN Environmental Solutions) WSN Chief Executive Officer Ken Kanofski, local residents on the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and Warringah Council representatives.
He told parliament, “WSN has now proposed a new agreement involving a Positive Public Covenant – that it says will provide certainty to the community regarding the Belrose landfill’s closure and the site’s rehabilitation for recreational purposes.”
However, Mr O’Dea said, “While the WSN landfill site is littered with rubbish, the history of the site is littered with broken promises. What WSN needs, is to restore trust and credibility in the local community by backing its promises with concrete action.”
“WSN’s proposed agreement promises the elected Warringah Council’s consent to any changes, a safeguard this community has never had. It also requires closure of the Belrose landfill site by November 2014 at the very latest,” Mr O’Dea said.
“WSN has promised to collaborate with the CAC to return part of the site for recreational use within the next five years, possibly including a mountain bike trail.
“It is commendable that WSN is now demonstrating greater willingness and good faith to resolve the issues, having not adhered to previous agreements,” he said.
President of the Belrose Rural Community Association, Mary Armstrong said, “The community is pleased that WSN has acknowledged its failure to fulfill previous commitments and that its CEO has personally apologised.”
“The community is willing to give WSN a final chance, despite the latest moves possibly being driven by the proposed sale of WSN by the Government – a sale I will oppose unless reasonable community expectations are met,” Mr O’Dea said.
