Tag Archives
Libs split over preserving Sydney’s heritage
By ALEC SMART A split has appeared in the Australian Liberal Party over preservation of Sydney’s heritage, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s NSW Government favouring commercialisation over the Federal Government’s plans for conservation. NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes rejected the outcome of an independent inquiry into maintaining and caretaking historically and culturally important sites in Sydney […]
Risky high-rise faces fast-track approval
By WENDY BACON St Peters’ residents fear that the NSW Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes, is fast-tracking a development proposal that is based on outdated and misleading information about contamination, aircraft noise, pollution and traffic risks. The development, known as Precinct 75, is currently a ‘creative hub’ of 70 small businesses housed in old industrial […]
NSW Covid-19 lockdown might end June 30
By JAMES HARRISON NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller announced on Tuesday 2 April that the state’s tough coronavirus laws will probably end in 90 days, with no current plan to extend them. The announcement came alongside NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian praising the people of NSW for helping flatten the COVID-19 curve and reducing the rate […]
Can local character be saved?
Opinion by MERRILL WITT Earlier this year two strange bedfellows, Tony Recsei of Save our Suburbs and Chris Johnson, the former CEO of the developer lobby group Urban Taskforce, joined together to co-write an op-ed in the Sydney Morning Herald that was critical of the NSW Government’s push for more medium-density housing in Sydney’s suburbs. […]
Arrest us
By WENDY BACON This week I joined more than sixty other women on #ArrestUs in support of a bill to decriminalise abortion in NSW. All of the signatories have had one or more abortions in NSW. This statement is part of a much broader campaign led by a Pro-Choice coalition of sixty organisations including Family […]
Star falls in Pyrmont
By VANESSA LIM The NSW Department of Planning has advised the Independent Planning Commission to reject the Ritz Carlton development proposal as it was inconsistent with the character of Pyrmont. Lord Mayor Clover Moore of the City of Sydney explained that Pyrmont was now one of Sydney’s most liveable suburbs. “This proposal has threatened Pyrmont’s […]
WestCONnex dodges air quality conditions
By WENDY BACON The M4 East Tunnel has been allowed to open last week, although several important conditions imposed by NSW Planning have not been fulfilled. The failure to meet these conditions exposes Inner West residents to potential health risks. After a number of concerns about gas leaks and other safety concerns slowed progress, the […]
Steps to a greener Sydney
By ALLISON HORE In the last week of June, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced a $340 million dollar “Open Spaces and Greener Sydney” package, outlining her commitment to increasing Sydney’s tree canopy and creating more quality green spaces in residential areas. “Planting trees and creating new parks is just as important as building new roads, […]
Taken for a ride
By JOAN HENSON Redfern, in Sydney’s inner-south, is a cycling hub and home to Sydney’s sixth busiest station. The cycling infrastructure from Redfern’s George Street connects Green Square with the city centre, and NSW state government policy is to include cycling paths in new developments. Urban Growth’s 2016 Central to Eveleigh Development Strategy is an […]
Big Sydney comes at a cost to environment
By Merrill Witt Last week, in a presentation to the Property Council, the newly appointed Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes, gave a surprisingly candid assessment of the NSW planning system. He said that "the culture of development that has grown up in this city has pitted in many ways supposedly avaricious developers against supposedly blinkered […]
