ICAC called to investigate Rozelle Towers development
A revised developmental proposal for Rozelle Towers has been met with community disdain with Leichhardt Council calling for the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to investigate any corruption in the planning stages of the development.
More than 250 residents attended the November 19 Council public meeting on the redevelopment of the former Balmain Club Leagues site. A motion was voted unanimously by Council requesting the ICAC investigate Eddie Obeid’s involvement in the ongoing saga.
“Premier O’Farrell promised to return planning control to our local community, but in the case of the leagues club site it has been exactly the opposite,” said Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne.
“The only way to restore faith that this process has not been unduly influenced – by Eddie Obeid, Benny Elias or anyone else – is for control of the site to be returned to the local community.”
Councillor Michele McKenzie supported Mr Byrne’s sentiments, arguing Mr Obeid’s involvement did not bode well.
“When Frank Sartor, Minister for Planning at the time gave evidence and said Eddie Obeid had lent on him to call in the development, that’s an interesting thing because you don’t ask someone to call something in,” she said.
“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realise that if the former Minister for Planning says that one of his Labor colleagues has asked him to call in the application that he’s not ostensibly involved with, that is quite a radical step.
“So what have they been doing all along? That’s why it needs to be further investigated.”
Under the current application, the number of levels in the towers have been reduced from between 26 to 32 storeys to a maximum of 24 storeys. Community activists have reacted by arguing the reduction is nowhere near enough.
Spokesperson for Rozelle Residents Action Group (RRAG), Mark Wallis said: “The latest application has completely failed to address the issues raised both by the Department of Planning and by the community in the last round of submissions.
“We still see that there are major problems with the application, and we are hoping that some of the government bodies may see this in terms of traffic and increase the number of buses and [reduce] the height and scale of the development. It [is] completely out of character for the area.
“They are claiming 22 storeys, but that’s 22 storeys on top of a two to three storey podium. If you take it from ground level to the top of the building, it is actually the equivalent to a 29 to 30 storey residential building. It’s 90 metres in height from the lowest point to the highest point.”
Developer Ian Wright said the imminent traffic problems were not the responsibility of developers.
“There are existing issues relating to that traffic in the area that unfortunately is a result of Leichhardt Council’s inaction and inability to deal with the issues,” he said. “Part of our proposal is solving those existing issues.”
The deadline for submissions is December 10.
