Yeomans Property Threat from Development - Part 1

One of P.A. Yeoman's original properties in North Richmond on the NW outskirts of Sydney, where in the 1940's and 50's he developed the 'Keyline System', is under threat from developers wanting to fill in the dams and over time place 2000 medium density homes on the property. They have put in a DA for a retirement village of 300 houses for a start and it had almost been passed by Richmond Council when the locals began to understand the significance of the site, question the DA and take some action.

A public meeting was organised on the 27th February 2009 in North Richmond and this video has come from that meeting and preliminary meeting with Ken Yeomans (younger son of P.A.) Prof. Stuart Hill, and Dr. Les Spencer. The video focuses on the Keyline System, however Part 2 (coming soon) will look at the remaining inadequacies of the DA, such as traffic congestion, emergency response, access issues, etc, and which doesn't even address the environmental factors such as flooding and fires when the dams are taken away (which the Keyline System addresses in a whole system approach).

For more info: http://www.cnet.ngo.net.au/content/view/40718/454/

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Yeomans keyline system
• keyline
• north richmond
• permaculture
• sustainable agriculture
• Yeobarnie Nth Richmond
• yeobarnie
• yobarnie
• climate change
• fires
• floods
• organic food
• DA
• development application

[theroilsoil]

Houses, houses, houses . . . . ha, ha, ha, . . . LOOK where all this housing porn has gotten us. Greedy, self-absorbed, money grubbing developers and house debters.

Yeomans - if he were alive - would be rolling in his grave if he knew what these money whores were up to.

Leave it to idiots to turn a self-fertilizing landscape into a dead zone of ugly non-sustainable housing tracks, filled with appropriately lifeless people.

[lysisfilms]

@theroilsoil you said it man!

[shadowwalker7777]

I agree, this land is far too important to the history of sustainability to be turned into another subdivision.

In January of 2008, I took a PDC from Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton in Melbourne, Vic. One of the most important ideas presented was Keyline Systems.

Yobarnie is a living example of caring for the earth that would better serve humanity intact, as a place to visit and learn from, than to be destroyed and lost forever.

[volvocarbiscuit]

inspiring that someone can make such a difference, depressing that someone else can destroy things so quickly

[smokingbandaid]

lol we need more houses there is a major shortage and hello think of the extra money it will bring to the community. the only problem is the bridge and traffic if that gets fixed i dont care if it goes up or not. He brought it he should be able to do whatever he wants with his land

[milkwooders]

This land is much too important to be turned into yet another un-needed suburb.

Why not take the opportunity to create a truly sustainable community on the land. A development that pays homage to Yeoman's work.

[4fordave]

Reading Yeoman's books changed the way I looked at the countryside. As much as we need houses to live in, we need even more to keep examples of how to take GOOD care of land so that we can feed ourselves and others, collect rainwater in the world's driest continent, increase air moisture to avoid becoming a desert, add beauty and restfulness in our world.

[mungofitz]

Another bureaucratic disaster being planned; or is it greed and incompetence yet again?

[ozneilau]

It would be a tragedy for this historic property to be carved up. I wonder if the National Trust or some other body could find the money to pay out these developers? If that's not an option, what are the chances of the local authority blocking unsuitable development?