On January 5 I emailed MidCoast Council town planner, Petula Bowden as well as Matt Kean, Minister for Energy and Environment - with no reply.

This is an open letter to Ms Bowden and Mr Kean:

There is a significant koala population on the Mid North Coast of NSW in an area encompassing Black Head Road, Hallidays Point and Tallwoods Village, which has recently been hit hard by bushfires.

Even though this specific area is devoid of public transport and has limited or no medical and dental facilities or other essential infrastructure, a number of development applications have been submitted to MidCoast Council for approval of inappropriate development such as manufactured housing estates.

Even though the NSW Government has recently decided to greatly increase the number of trees it protects for the preservation of koala habitats, there is currently a pending DA for Black Head Road which would see the destruction of in excess of 1228 native trees essential to the preservation of the current koala population.

If the figures are correct, then bushfires have already decimated the koala population and I am writing to request that the State government consider allocating funding to purchase this land with a view to creating a koala reserve, similar to that existing in Port Macquarie.

Surely our native fauna have suffered enough.

"The development application referred to is a modification of a seniors living development approved in October 2004. The modification proposes the approved dwellings be installed as manufactured homes as opposed to 'permanent' dwellings constructed on site. The manufactured homes will be identical to the dwellings approved. The only difference is the method of construction. Environmental issues are considered as part of the assessment of the application."