Unified charge against Planning Bill

Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich has united with the Better Planning Network and the Nature Conservation Council in opposing the NSW Planning Bill 2013.

NSW Planning Minister Brad Hazzard announced changes to the bill in September in response to community outcry.

Mr Greenwich welcomes the changes but believes that the bill is still fundamentally flawed.

The changes to the bill dictate that code assessable developments – those that by-pass proper council assessments – will occur only in nominated growth areas.

“It remains unclear whether this includes infill urban activation developments in the inner city,” said Mr Greenwich. “If so, my constituents will find they can’t comment on major developments in their neighbourhood.

“My biggest concerns are that the bill would remove the fundamental principle of ecological sustainable development.”

The bill will allow the Planning Minister and Director-General, Sam Haddad to retain the discretion to supersede planning instruments to approve non-complying developments.

Corinne Fisher, Convenor of the Better Planning Network said: “As soon as the legislation is put through parliament, developers would be able to bypass local councils and go straight to the Director General asking for rezoning of certain lands.

“The Director General would not have to consult local community on the rezoning or respect local council opinions.”

The ‘ecologically sustainable development’ principle is slated to be removed from the act and replaced with ‘sustainable development’.

Ms Fisher said: “The government wants to remove that principle, which is in our current planning legislation, from the planning system. In doing that it is putting economic growth as the primary driver of all planning decisions.

“The definition of ‘sustainable development’ is completely different, much narrower and weaker in terms of environmental and social protection.”

A spokesperson for the office of Minister Hazzard referred to the speech the Minister gave in Parliament in September announcing the changes and said that they had nothing further to add at this stage.