Save our bush plea to church

MORE than 100 local residents have called on the Catholic Church to save the bush.The Aspinall Action Group rallied on Saturday, protesting against the development of church-owned bush at 134-166 Aspinall Street, Golden Square.Residents labelled the development a money-making scheme and demanded the church make a moral decision to protect the environment. The church lodged an application with the City of Greater Bendigo to create 78 lots on November 3 last year, but the number of lots has since been revised downwards several times. The application also included the right to remove native vegetation.In October, the 14.3 hectares was removed from a list of properties covered by amendment C89 to the city’s planning scheme.The amendment seeks to implement recommendations of a study by placing restrictions on the development of 13 privately owned parcels within the city’s urban growth boundary. The action group is upset the development was removed from C89 and wants an independent environmental study conducted.Aspinall Action Group spokeswoman Helen Horgan said she was concerned that the development by the Catholic Church was purely a money-making exercise.And she said she feared the development could have wider repercussions, allowing for the development of other forest areas in the Bendigo region.“It may well set a precedent in Bendigo’s other growth corridors,” Ms Horgan said.The group believes that the proposed development does not complement the existing landscape and says too much native vegetation will be lost.One resident, who asked not to be identified, said the Catholic Church had a moral and ethical responsibility to protect the environment, saying: “We think the Catholic Church could make a really good effort to save the environment for future generations.”The action group hopes Saturday’s rally will alert residents to the importance of preserving the environment, and ultimately stop the development.