“The environment got its foot in the door first for once,” he said

“The right decision was made and the Environment Minister did his job and did it well.”

Mr Stephenson said he felt for the landowners, but added that they should never have been put in this position with promises of land rezoning that could not be kept.

The future of the land remains the only thing to be sorted out.

Mr Stephenson said the land should be given the Booderee National Park to be managed.

“Realistically the land is has no monetary worth,” he said.

Mr Stephenson now wants the $300,000 Shoalhaven City Council spent on environmental impact study to be recouped.

Professor David Lindenmayer from the Fenner School for Environment and Society based at the Australian National University was always against the rezoning.

“Heritage Estate development proposal is clearly unacceptable given its impacts on the natural environment generally, on biodiversity (including threatened and endangered species) and on the integrity of Booderee National Park,” he wrote in his submission to the Federal Environment Minister.

Loss of habitat was another reason the environmental movement fought against the development.

The eastern bristlebird and other threatened species, including the ground parrot, yellow-bellied glider, glossy black cockatoo and powerful owl were all recorded in Heritage Estate.