This Wednesday: stand with us at Kurmond
On Wednesday 9 September, a Land and Environment Court commissioner will visit the site of the proposed development to hear the case for and against DA0060/26. It is called a conciliation conference, and it is the most important day this campaign has had. The best thing you can do is simply be there.
- When: Wednesday 9 September 2026. The conference starts at 9.30am. Please arrive by 9.15am so we are gathered before it begins.
- Where: Meet outside 285a Yeomans Road, North Richmond. Open in Google Maps.
- Parking: Please do not stop or park on Bells Line of Road. It is an 80 km/h road with nowhere safe to pull over. Park in Yeomans Road and walk to the meeting point.
- Bring: Family, friends and neighbours. Signs will be made and waiting for you. You do not need to bring anything.
The more people who come, the better. The commissioner will see who has turned out. A large, calm crowd says more clearly than anything we could write how deeply this community cares, so please bring the people around you.
Please respect the process. Members of the public will not be able to speak on the day. Representatives of the Alliance will present the community's case on road safety, the proximity to Colo High School, the character of the region and the environment. We ask everyone who attends to be respectful of the commissioner, the proceedings and everyone present, including those on the other side of the application. There is no need to chant, interrupt or confront anyone. Being present is enough.
For last-minute changes on the day, join the WhatsApp group.
Who we are
The Smart Growth Alliance is a volunteer community group. We live among the valley views of Bells Line of Road, the open paddocks and bushland where the urban sprawl gives way to countryside, and alongside a unique local koala population found nowhere else. We think that's worth looking after.
We are not against development. We are for smart growth: development in the right places, at the right scale, with the infrastructure to support it, so our villages thrive and our rural landscape and wildlife corridors stay intact for the next generation.
Our first campaign: stop the proposed McDonald's and KFC at Kurmond
The Smart Growth Alliance opposes Development Application DA0060/26, two drive-through fast food outlets and a childcare centre proposed for Bells Line of Road, Kurmond. We believe it is the wrong development in the wrong place: unsafe on a high-speed rural road, close to a school of about 1,000 students, and out of keeping with the rural character of our region.
How you can help
Add your voice
Join our supporter list. Numbers matter. They show council and decision-makers how deeply the community cares.
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Planner, engineer, lawyer, writer, photographer, organiser? Our community is full of talent. We'd love your help.
Get involved →The country we're looking after
The escarpment and the valleys below it, the farmland on the valley floor, the wattle and grass trees along the ridges.
