Mr Cunningham used public question time at Wednesday’s meeting to challenge Council’s commitment to maintaining green spaces between towns.

“Separation of towns is the single most important issue determining the ambience of Wingecarribee towns, but the shire is required by State Government and the draft LEP to cater for sprawl,” he said.

“Are you aware that when compared to smarter design and some urban consolidation, that urban sprawl imposes hugely disproportionate costs on any council that must provide infrastructure,” he asked.

“...Are you serious about keeping the green in between our towns when, in your own words, on top of funding and maintaining infrastructure to developments, that the losses will be of such magnitude that Wingecarribee risks financial obliteration?

“I call on this council to immediately bin the LEP, exercise civil disobedience and join forces with other shires and disenfranchise the bullying State Government.”

In response to Mr Cunningham’s first question, general manager Mike Hyde said Council was aware of the costs of providing infrastructure across a large shire.

Mr Hyde said that in comparison to an area such as Burwood, in Sydney’s inner west, Wingecarribee bore a disproportionately high costs for roads and infrastructure.

“That’s one of the costs we face in trying to achieve the lifestyle that we want,” he said.

Mayor Duncan Gair said Council had demonstrated its commitment to green spaces by spending $170,000 on a Land and Environment Court case against development at Capernwray.

“Council is extremely aware of the ambience of the shire and of protecting it to the greatest degree we have been able to.”

We Still Care member Mea Thompson also called on Council to put the LEP process on hold in order to consider the “Green Between” concept to stop sprawl and contain infrastructure costs.

Cr Gair said he would not hold up the LEP and would encourage its adoption and gazettal by the NSW State Department.

We Still Care is a think tank comprising former council candidates Mr Cunningham, Mrs Thompson, Geraldine Turner, Theo Onisforou, Ian Scandrett and Peter Smyth.