Lake Macquarie Greens candidate, Suzanne Pritchard has been supporting the Toronto Brighton-Excelsior Action group to oppose a 56 unit development spanning the Toronto ridgeline that is setting a frightening precedent for the local community.
“This development is laying the foundations for the future of this community and it’s a future that is not wanted,” Suzanne said.
The Greens believe that the urban and regional built environments will continue to be degraded unless there is a complete overhaul of the current laws, codes and practices. This will not be possible until there is a complete ban on developer donations to political parties. The public interest must become the dominant consideration in all planning and development decisions.
“The Lower Hunter Regional Strategy which will be guiding development in our region for the foreseeable future is a flawed document with a flawed process. It overrides the Local Environment Planning and it gives the Planning Minister Frank Sartor indisputable control over all development. He can rezone and approve development with a sweep of his pen and in the blink of an eye,” Suzanne said.
The Greens are working towards restricting the Planning Minister’s ability to ‘call in’ and approve developments.
“The situation at Toronto is set to be replayed constantly throughout the city unless planning laws are changed. It’s an enormous ask to expect the local community to have to keep fighting the same battles over and over again,” Suzanne said.
The Greens are working for placing the onus of proof on the developer, to establish that the development does not damage local amenity, heritage, environment, transport and infrastructure facilities.
“The final version of the Lower Hunter Regional Strategy bore little resemblance to that which was put out for community consultation. The development lobby had access to comment and Frank Sartor long after the community were shut out of further input. The original intent of the document as a planning instrument became nothing more than a land use plan. The Greens are calling for a re-exhibition to allow genuine comment on the proposed document.
Showing posts with label Over development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Over development. Show all posts
Wednesday, 21 February 2007
Friday, 16 February 2007
56 units…Get used to it!
Members of a residents group opposing a 56 unit development straddling Brighton Avenue to Excelsior Parade were told they “better get use to it (medium density zoning)” in a recent meeting they had with the developers and real estate agents.
The Toronto Brighton-Excelsior Action Group has reformed and are opposing a six and four storey high density application on the grounds that it is not in keeping with the existing character of the area, goes against the intent of LMCC’s Lifestyle 2020 and sets a disastrous precedent for future development.
“The developers told us that they were within the Council’s development guidelines but we have identified numerous breaches of the development Control Plans and associated guidelines,” Greg Tate residents’ spokesperson said.
“The medium density zoning is aimed at encouraging people to walk to town and yet there is nowhere to walk safely, the footpaths are unformed, the road is so narrow that if there are parked cars the traffic is forced over the centre lines, and if you’ve got a pram or ride a bike it’s a major risk going over the hills.”
“ This development is in an area which Council has classified as a Scenic Management zone where buildings should not extend above the physical ridge line and are limited to three storeys. This application would be highly visible from across the Lake and as far away as Warners Bay and once and for all break the ridgeline corridor,” Greg said.
“The developers told us that this is the first of this ‘new’ style of development allowed under the LEP and they couldn’t see why we were upset. The ridge from Toronto to Carey Bay has now become a developer’s goldmine and if this application is approved it will be the start of high density, high rise buildings stretching from Toronto to Carey Bay.”
“This is not why we have chosen to live in this area. Over 60 people attended our community meeting and over a hundred objections have been lodged at Council, which is not bad considering we only found out about the application the week after Christmas and had three weeks to comment. It wasn’t a very good way to start the year.”
“The State Government’s Lower Hunter Regional Strategy is planning for 117,000 new dwellings in the region in the next 25 years, a lot of them in Lake Macquarie yet the infrastructure isn’t here or even in the plan. This is well and truly putting the cart before the horse”
“We’re not opposed to development, but we are against inappropriate development and we’re fighting for everyone in the area to keep the values and character of the area intact.”
“It looks like we are going to have to fight the same battle over and over again unless LMCC can make it clear that developers must respect the rules and guidelines which were formulated in consultation with the community,” Greg said.
The Toronto Brighton-Excelsior Action Group has reformed and are opposing a six and four storey high density application on the grounds that it is not in keeping with the existing character of the area, goes against the intent of LMCC’s Lifestyle 2020 and sets a disastrous precedent for future development.
“The developers told us that they were within the Council’s development guidelines but we have identified numerous breaches of the development Control Plans and associated guidelines,” Greg Tate residents’ spokesperson said.
“The medium density zoning is aimed at encouraging people to walk to town and yet there is nowhere to walk safely, the footpaths are unformed, the road is so narrow that if there are parked cars the traffic is forced over the centre lines, and if you’ve got a pram or ride a bike it’s a major risk going over the hills.”
“ This development is in an area which Council has classified as a Scenic Management zone where buildings should not extend above the physical ridge line and are limited to three storeys. This application would be highly visible from across the Lake and as far away as Warners Bay and once and for all break the ridgeline corridor,” Greg said.
“The developers told us that this is the first of this ‘new’ style of development allowed under the LEP and they couldn’t see why we were upset. The ridge from Toronto to Carey Bay has now become a developer’s goldmine and if this application is approved it will be the start of high density, high rise buildings stretching from Toronto to Carey Bay.”
“This is not why we have chosen to live in this area. Over 60 people attended our community meeting and over a hundred objections have been lodged at Council, which is not bad considering we only found out about the application the week after Christmas and had three weeks to comment. It wasn’t a very good way to start the year.”
“The State Government’s Lower Hunter Regional Strategy is planning for 117,000 new dwellings in the region in the next 25 years, a lot of them in Lake Macquarie yet the infrastructure isn’t here or even in the plan. This is well and truly putting the cart before the horse”
“We’re not opposed to development, but we are against inappropriate development and we’re fighting for everyone in the area to keep the values and character of the area intact.”
“It looks like we are going to have to fight the same battle over and over again unless LMCC can make it clear that developers must respect the rules and guidelines which were formulated in consultation with the community,” Greg said.
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