A housing development in Bega has drawn concerns from residents given its location adjacent to the town's long-standing bat colony.
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Tens of thousands of grey-headed flying foxes roost at the Glebe Lagoon during the summer months every year as they chase flowering gums and other local food sources.
A new housing development, Littlewoods Estate, has launched adjacent to the Glebe Lagoon and parkland, but not everyone is a fan of its location, nor its potential impact on the local environment.
As well as the new homes' closeness to the flying fox colony and potential impacts that may entail, there have also been concerns raised over the removal of "pre-colonial" trees on the site, which are claimed to be used as vital habitat and food sources for the bats and other local native wildlife.
Resident Judy Geary, said the clearing of hollow-bearing trees to create the 25 housing lots "is a dereliction of duty of care to community and country, and a disaster for new residents, the bats and the tree canopy".
She has called on the council to intervene and secure the retention of a number of the large old apple gum trees on site, as well as potentially buying back the land from the developer to expand the Glebe Lagoon park as community space.
Hugh Pitty from the Friends of Glebe Wetlands group - which also hosts regular flying fox counting surveys - said the removal of trees as part of the development was "a serious concern".
"The large sign facing East Street shows the modified lot layout and trees to be planted, but does not show the trees to be removed. These trees are important habitat and should not be removed," Mr Pitty said.
"We implore the council, as the consent authority for the development, to insist that all the commitments made by the developer and agreed measures to limit the detrimental impact on the grey-headed flying foxes and their habitat are specifically included in the conditions of consent for the development."
Concerns were raised by councillors at their most recent meeting as well.
Keith Tull, BVSC acting director of community, environment and planning, said he was aware of the community concerns and that the developer "has been receptive to try to provide the best outcome possible", noting there was already development consent in place.
The council also confirmed the developer had lodged a modification to the development consent "with the aim of achieving a better outcome in relation to long term environmental impacts".
"Impacts on native wildlife habitat were considerations as part of the assessment of the existing consent and continue to be considerations as part of the assessment of the modification application," a council spokesperson said.
"Council staff have been working with both the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment's Biodiversity and Conservation division and the developer to respond to the issues raised by residents in the area. Council is working on options with the developer to communicate the environmental significance of the adjacent Glebe Lagoon to prospective owners."