Plans for new commercial sports facilities should consider the environment from the start, says Front Harsien ODZ.
Front Harsien ODZ added, "while as a Front we will not enter the merits or otherwise of the commercialisation of sports facilities, we are stunned at the complete lack of reference to environmental impact in the Ministry's recent White Paper."
The Front maintained that any proposal to further lease and develop public lands should consider the environmental implications from the outset. For this reason, the Front has suggested that a further section be added to the paper, underneath "Benefits of Commercialisation," entitled "Costs to the Environment," in which provisions are made to limit the impact of these.
"Such provisions would include the clear condition that these new commercial sport facilities are not to be considered as being of 'national importance' and should therefore be subject to all national and local planning and development legislation. In particular, this section should reiterate SPED and specify that applications will only be accepted for projects within the development zone."
"Further provisions would specify that such applications are subject to the usual impact assessments, water management laws, and so forth," the Front said.
Front Harsien ODZ insisted that the environment is given "some serious thought, before the development of more public land in the name of "sports" is considered any further."