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OUR natural environment is arguably our city's greatest asset, and I am particularly proud of the strong steps the council has taken to protect biodiversity and maintain precious habitat across Lake Macquarie.
The council approves, on average, more than 2000 development applications each year and our city's population is projected to increase to 240,000 by 2030.
As our city continues to develop, it will become increasingly important to actively manage our natural assets so we can continue to enjoy our beautiful lake, forests and wetlands and all the benefits their heritage and ecosystems provide.
One of the strong steps the council took earlier this year was adopting the Lake Macquarie Tetratheca Juncea - commonly known as black-eyed Susan - Planning and Management Guidelines, making Lake Macquarie one of the only councils in NSW to prepare management guidelines for a listed threatened plant species.
More recently, the council developed draft management guidelines to protect four threatened owls that are quite common in Lake Macquarie, the powerful owl, masked owl, sooty owl and barking owl.
Lake Macquarie is a hotspot for owls and the guidelines will help ensure all residents continue to enjoy these majestic creatures and the benefits they bring to the ecosystem.
Visit lakemac.com.au to read the owl guidelines and provide your feedback by August 24.
I also encourage residents to attend a community drop-in session at Stockland Glendale this Saturday between 9am and noon to find out more about the Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange. It's a chance for you to say hello to the project team and find out the latest information about this significant project.