The Weekly Times - TWT - 9th May, 2018

Wednesday 9 May, 2018 THE WEEKLY TIMES 21
Anthony Roberts to crackdown on
private certifier building approvals
THE State government will introduce major reforms to regulate the power
of private certifiers paid to approve two storey buildings in one storey
bungalow neighbourhoods.
In an exclusive interview
with The Weekly Times,
Deputy Secretary, Policy
and Strategy (NSW Department
of Planning
& Environment) Alison
Frame revealed the reforms
are expected to
come into force by Christmas
and will crack down
on certifiers paid by property
developers to issue
compliance approval for
controversial developments.
The issue is a major concern
in the City of Ryde
where angry ratepayers
recently addressed a
council meeting to blast
private certifiers, known
to be under pressure to
certify development proposals
for the clients who
hire them.
But what goes up might
come down.
“There will now be powers
of the courts to knock
down things that are
found not to be compliant,”
Alison Frame said.
“Planning Minister and
Lane Cove MP Anthony
Roberts is keen to see
reforms and councils will
have the power to stop
work for seven days to
ensure compliance.”
City of Ryde Councillor
Roy Maggio (pictured)
said the local council
does not have enough
staff to supervise private
certifiers “on the job” and
has heard cases where
neighbours have alleged
council staff have virtually
taken the private certifiers
compliance approval on
trust.
Alison Frame takes up
the point.
“What we have found
is that there is a big gap
in the system because
councils weren’t resourced
and so we have
created a new system
where council’s can resource
(employ) a compliance
officer and the
council is going to be resourced
through a levy,”
Ms Frame said.
“The levy will increase
the cost to developers
because private certifiers
will add this cost to
their bills but it will still
be thousands of dollars
cheaper and faster than
trying to get development
approval under the previous
system.”
This is very much in line
with the government’s rationale
of trying to make
the development application
process as cheap
and easy as it is to get a
mechanic to certify a car
as road worthy for registration.
But Councillor Roy
Maggio believes there
are private certifiers only
too willing to cash in on
a cheap and easy procedure.
“They have been cut
loose on Ryde and a lot of
things are being too easily
ticked off as compliant or
swept under the carpet,”
he said.
“I have had 554 complaints
about this in Ryde
alone due to overdevelopment
and because our
council is under staffed
and under resourced to
crack down on it.”
Councillor Maggio made
his comments on Friday
at the home of the Jade
and Todd Percy in Morrison
Road, Gladesville
where a private certifier
signed off on a two storey
neighbouring development
(pictured) that was
deemed to be a compliant
granny flat.
“We moved into our
new home two and a half
years ago because it had
a backyard where our
baby Joe could play and
because it had privacy for
us,” Jade Percy said.
“What has happened to
us is awful, with this massive
granny flat development
next door built right
up to our fence and overshadowing
our backyard.
“All we knew about it
was that it went up in
March and we were given
a letter asking us to respond
within seven days,
if we had any problems !
“And of course there are
problems, not the least of
which has been workers
starting noisy construction
work before 8 am in
the morning, right next to
our bedrooms.”
Alison Frame concedes
that Councillor Maggio
and the Percy family are
far from being lone voices.
“There have been
breaches here and there
and there have been big
breaches.”
“There have been problems
from the beginning
and this is why we are
reforming the compliance
around private certifiers,
there was certainly not
community confidence or
council confidence.”
Alison Frame warns not
to expect change overnight.
“Our big concern, our
big concern, is that we
are not training enough
people as private certifiers
and we are working
with TAFE on this.”
In the City of Ryde where
Mayor Jerome Laxale has
introduced a Save Our
Streets campaign while in
neighbouring Hunters Hill,
Mayor Mark Bennett concedes
there are ratepayers
who do not like the
state government removing
local councillors powers
to determine local development
applications.
“I do think private certifiers
are under pressure
from the people who
employ them, simply because
their business depends
on it,” he said.
Alison Frame said Hunters
Hill has significant
protection.
“You cannot do a complying
development procedure
in a heritage area
and there is not much
complying development
in Hunters Hill because of
that,” she said.
Councillor Maggio will
be watching the reforms.
“What we face here in
the City of Ryde is nothing
less than the death of
the Aussie backyard.”
Help police find Cecilia’s killer
DASHCAM or security
camera footage
from West Ryde
Railway station carpark
could hold the
key the solving the
murder mystery of
a Brazillian woman
from Ryde whose
body was found in the
Lane Cove River near
Wooolwich a week
ago last Sunday.
POLICE ROUNDS
Thirty eight year old Cecilia
Haddad’s distinctive
red Fiat was found at West
Ryde station on the Sunday
afternoon.
Friends became concerned
about her welfare
after she failed to turn up
for events on Saturday after
attending a barbecue
on Friday night and speaking
to friends the following
morning.
It is not known how her
car ended up at a train
station and who may have
been driving it, if not Ms
Haddad.
Strike Force Bronwyn
has been established to
investigate the case and
police divers have been
searching waters under the
Gladesville Bridge for a set
of keys that could be a crucial
piece of evidence, although
it has not been revealed
who owns the keys.
Kayakers discovered her
body in the Lane Cove River
area at around 10.15am
on Sunday and alerted the
authorities.
Since then police have
been trying to piece together
the final 24 hours
as her family in Brazil have
appealed to the public to
come forward with any information
that could find
her killer.
Contact crimestoppers
on 1800 333 000.
Do any readers of The Weekly Times have dashcam
or security video footage that may help police find Cecilia
Haddad’s killer.
Jade Percy of Morrison Road, Gladesville is shocked that a private certifier approved this so
called neighbouring “granny flat” development which she she says has taken away her backyard
privacy. TWT on-the-spot PHOTO.
Elderly woman is
killed in Gladesville
AN 85 year old woman was killed crossing Victoria Road in Gladesville on Thursday.
Police and paramedics responded
to the fatality around
10.30am after the woman attempted
to cross three westbound
lanes from the northern
side of Victoria Road and stood
on the median strip.
Police report she stepped out
in front a vehicle and was hit before
being rushed to Royal North
Shore hospital in a critical condition.
The 72-year-old driver of the
vehicle was taken to Ryde Hospital
for mandatory blood and
urine tests and charges are not
expected to be laid .
****
A SECOND person has been
arrested and charged in relation
to a biting and robbery incident
at Macquarie Park last month.
The 17-year-old was charged
with Aggravated Robbery and
Inflict Actual Bodily Harm.
He was refused bail and is due
to appear in Surry Hills Children’s
Court while a 20-year-old man is
also facing court in relation to the
alleged assault.
Police will allege in court the
13-year-old boy victim was with
a friend at a shopping centre
when the alleged incident occured
around 11.40am on Monday
April 16.
It is alleged he was approached
by two males who threatened
him and tried to steal his shoes
and pushed one of the attackers
before he was assaulted.
Police arrested the teenager at
a medical facility.
****
A DISQUALIFIED DRIVER was
apprehended by police in Denistone
of Friday.
Police allege he was driving
around 8.35pm along Commissioner’s
Road where checks on
his white Holden revealed the
registration had expired.
Further checks found the
36-year-old male driver from
Stanhope Gardens had his licence
suspended due to not
complying with a court order request
to complete a Driver Education
Course.
He was issued with a Court Attendance
Notice for Drive Motor
Vehicle While Licence Suspended
(Second Offence), Use Unregistered
Class A Motor Vehicle
On Road, Use Uninsured Motor
Vehicle, Drive Vehicle On Road or
Road Related Area, Motor Vehicle
Tax Not Paid and Use Class A
Vehicle Number Plate Obscured/
Defaced.
He is due to appear in Burwood
Local Court on June 4.