Planning Changes will Affect Every NSW Resident Community Forum to Probe Government Plans
Better Planning Network’s Corinne Fisher will be one of the speakers at a forum to be held at Redfern Town Hall tomorrow (Tuesday October 23) at 7.30pm. The forum, organised by a coalition of seven inner city groups, will outline the State Government’s proposed planning changes and highlight what they mean for ordinary citizens.
Geoff Turnbull, REDWatch spokesman, said: “This is a fundamental shift in planning policy away from Ecologically Sustainable Development to property developer driven economic growth with few checks and balances.”
Better Planning Network’s Corinne Fisher agreed, saying that “These proposals are insidious. The Government promised to give planning power back to the people, but our rights have been taken away at the development stage, effectively the only time most people have a genuine understanding of a proposal and its impacts.”
“These planning laws are so skewed towards development that the Green Paper proposes Enterprise Zones where there could be very little if any development controls. These zones could be as big as a whole Local Government Area.” Ms Fisher said. “Even when the Strategic Plans have been made, developers will be able to over-ride them without any community consultation. So much for the statements of Premier O’Farrell and Minister Hazzard that the community will determine the shape of their neighbourhood through the strategic planning stage.”
Geoff added: “The Planning Green paper suggests the old rail yards at North Eveleigh, next to the Darlington Conservation Area, could be a suitable location for an Enterprise Zone with few planning controls. People need to know about these so-called reforms. They need to know that even the
Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in their submission has said that the proposed new laws could breed corruption. As a community we need to be well informed so that we don’t simply accept what the Government spin doctors are putting out.”
Community Forum 7.30pm Tuesday 23rd October