hmmmm... just a devils advocate point of view, but isn't creating a walking path/cycleway through the bushland a way for council to be able to use the land for public space while still retaining the important habitat?
I don't know if they plan to bulldoze the lot and turn it into lawn, which would be terrible, but if they're just going to run a paved, lit path through it perhaps its a way for council to justify keeping the bushland. It could also be an opportunity to make the community more aware of the beauty and importance of the habitat. And to that fact in the future when council is considering further development, if it already contains some paid-for infrastructure thats valued by a lot of the community as a pleasant people place will make them think and longer before allocating it to housing development, and you will have plenty more people on your side to fight it should that idea become a real possibility.
Maybe instead of signing protests against it altogether it would be wiser to sign petitions to minimise damage to the habitat and offer to work with the council to help them use the land they have, while boosting community awareness of the habitat and preserving what is there. There are a lot of community awards for these types of projects, and councils love to be seen to be 'green' and getting media attention for the good things they're doing for their consitiuants. Use their motivators to get the best result you can.
I don't know if they plan to bulldoze the lot and turn it into lawn, which would be terrible, but if they're just going to run a paved, lit path through it perhaps its a way for council to justify keeping the bushland. It could also be an opportunity to make the community more aware of the beauty and importance of the habitat. And to that fact in the future when council is considering further development, if it already contains some paid-for infrastructure thats valued by a lot of the community as a pleasant people place will make them think and longer before allocating it to housing development, and you will have plenty more people on your side to fight it should that idea become a real possibility.
Maybe instead of signing protests against it altogether it would be wiser to sign petitions to minimise damage to the habitat and offer to work with the council to help them use the land they have, while boosting community awareness of the habitat and preserving what is there. There are a lot of community awards for these types of projects, and councils love to be seen to be 'green' and getting media attention for the good things they're doing for their consitiuants. Use their motivators to get the best result you can.