Fight over Taronga zoo eco-hotel proposal

The big issue now dividing Mosman Council is the state government approving Taronga Zoo’s 62-room wildlife retreat in the zoo’s Australian precinct section.

The state government had actually over-ruled the council’s objection.

When the proposal was put up for public consultation last year, the council made no bones about its opposition to the idea.

The council said it would create issues with parking, traffic, tree loss and for that matter, the relevance of the hotel to the zoo’s plans.

Nonetheless, the state government gave the $44.5 million development the green light last week.

Construction work will begin later this year.

All this is part of a $164.5 million capital works program aimed at transforming the zoo for visitors over the next 10 years.

The 62 room eco-hotel will have five accommodation “pods” between two and four storeys high. It will also feature a a new restaurant, function room and outdoor terrace as an extension to the Taronga Centre.

Cr Simon Menzies is furious and says the government has basically sold out public land to make a dollar.

“Taronga has hopelessly compromised its core values in favour of pure greed,” Cr Menzies told the Daily Telegraph.

“It’s a sad day when the caretakers of public land prioritise the tourist dollar over school excursions for Aussie kids.

“Using overdevelopment to scar the classic beauty of Sydney Harbour can never be justified.

“The approval process lacked integrity because the State Government was both the applicant and consent authority.”

But deputy mayor Roy Bendall, who served as Mosman representative on the Taronga board, was full of praise.

“The eco-retreat is a much-needed wildlife immersion experience which will complement the zoo’s existing accommodation offering and enhance the Zoo’s conservation objectives,” Cr Bendall told the Daily Telegraph.

“Mosman Council was never the consent authority for this project and was critical of the size and scale, however, we thank the zoo for the modifications made to accommodate more natural vegetation within the precinct and make the proposal more sympathetic to the environment.”

by Leon Gettler, April 28^th 2017