The Weekly Times - TWT - 5th December 2018

ACPARK ON HOLD!
From PAGE 1 Clr Laxale’s sudden
It also brands Meriton’s
opposition, a position
proposal an
he says he came
“overdevelopment”
to after reviewing
mainly on the basis
draft Meriton voluntary
of the 63-storey
planning agree-
height originally pro-
ment (VPA) documents
posed.
and commuposed.
Mr Dominello went
nity feedback, comes
even further with his
despite his active
criticism, this time
role in original negotiations
with Meriton
targeting council
staff and their
in a confidential session.
involvement in VPA
negotiations with
It’s understood Clr
Meriton during confidential
Laxale succeeded in
council ses-
forcing Meriton to
sion, characterising
increase its affordable
them as “secret”
housing com-
midnight meetings
mitment from 5 percent
and suggesting sinis-
to 7 percent
ter undertones.
with a surprise
As one Seven Network
news report
request during the
late-night session.
noted, the process
The Mayor wasted
he criticised was
no time spruiking
introduced by the
some of the estimated
very government he
$35m worth of
represented,
but
In a another letter to
the Premier that has
found its way to the
media and suddenly
become a story, Mrs
Turnbull said the
investigation - which
will make recommendations
next May -
would focus on the
Macquarie Park business
park and its
broader impact on
the community.
“The commission
will work with the
Department of Planning
and Environment
to understand
the work it has been
doing in this area
over the past several
years,” Mrs Turnbull
said.
The amended Meriton
proposal reduces
the tallest structure
on the site from
63-storeys to 42-storeys,
prompted by
Mayor Jerome Laxale’s
decision to call
last night’s extraordinary
meeting to
determine the matter.
Clr Laxale did not
wait until last night’s
meeting to announce
he would still recommend
refusal to the
amended, reducedheight
proposal,
instead informing his
supporters in an
email update:
“Council officers
have just released
their report on the
now amended planning
proposal by
Meriton (60 storeys,
down to 42),” the
Mayor wrote.
“Despite the Council
officer’s recommendation,
I will still
move to recommend
refusal at the Extraordinary
Council meeting
on 4 December
2018.”
Mayor Laxale, who
often defends council’s
staff in the face
of criticism - and
even councillor scrutiny
- now appears to
be at odds with planning
chief, Ms Coad,
over the proposal.
Ms Coad had
emphatically urged
approval of the
amended proposal
she believes
addresses community
concerns raised
during the monthlong
exhibition and
public consultation.
“Council should
support the amendment
to height and
for the plan to proceed
on that basis
and be forwarded to
the Greater Sydney
Commission with the
Voluntary Planning
Agreement also
endorsed by Council,”
she writes in her
report conclusions,
adding the General
Manager should be
delegated responsibility
to to finalise
this.
community benefit
extracted from Meriton
in its VPA with
City of Ryde, notably
arranging media
opportunities to
announce the Meriton-funded
$8m-plus
contribution to Christie
Park upgrades.
But Ms Coad has
left no doubt those
benefits are at risk in
the event council
fails to endorse the
amended proposal.
“Finally I have to
advise that should
City of Ryde Council
fail to make a decision
at this stage the
Minister for Planning
or the Greater Sydney
Commission
under Section 3.32
(2) of the Environmental
Planning and
Assessment Act can
direct the Planning
Secretary to intervene
if the Council
has failed to comply
with its obligations,”
she writes.
“Which will put the
VPA and $35 million
of public benefit at
risk.”
2019 state
election
influence
The seat of Ryde’s
two main contenders
at the 2019 election
- incumbent Liberal
MP, Mr Dominello
and Labor candidate,
Clr Laxale - have
seized on the opportunity
to portray
themselves as the
community’s champion
in the fight
against overdevelopment.
“The scare mongering
actions of the
Mayor and the Local
Member have
opened up a community
concern
about the Meriton
project that is emotional
not rational,
CEO of Urban Taskforce,
Chris Johnson,
told The Weekly
Times.
“Less height will
mean more bulk and
less public open
space at ground level.
The anti-development
rhetoric by the
two competing politicians
can only lead
to a solution that is
worse than the applicants
proposal.”
In earlier comments
made in a recent
opinion piece published
in The Weekly
Times, Mr Johnson
said: “The planning
system is unfortunately
being used as
a mechanism to garner
votes for the
state election in
March 2018.”
He also questioned
the utility of the community
engagement
submissions
received when “there
are not hundreds of
low rise homes
around the site who
may feel threatened”
adding it was more
likely Mr Dominello’s
campaign galvanised
anti-change voters.
“It can only be concerns
about the
March election that
is overriding the logic
of the state government’s
support for
the future of Macquarie
Park,” he
wrote.
“Hopefully the real
decision makers will
not be swayed by
emotion and will
stick to a rational
decision making process.”
With growing community
distaste over
the rate of development
across Greater
Sydney, both Mr
Dominello and Mr
Laxale have followed
what’s become conventional
political
wisdom in avoiding
issues with the
potential to damage
your prospects close
to an election.
Mr Dominello has a
head start in this
department - crediting
himself with the
recently announced
two-year freeze on
new rezoning applications
for residential
housing in Ryde.
It is the only local
government body
that has so far been
extended this relief,
apart from the City of
Canterbury Bankstown
which - along
with Ryde - had the
controversial new
‘Manor House’ provisions
put on hold.
A campaign by Mr
Dominello and Ryde
Liberal councillors
against the 112 Talavera
Road development,
characterises
it negatively, including
claims it was “ill
considered”, not
supported by adequate
infrastructure
and likely to worsen
congestion on roads
in the area.
more importantly,
has become a standard
approach used
across NSW for
council VPA negotiations.
Ms Coad’s report
outlines in detail the
various steps undertaken
in the multistage
process since
Meriton’s proposal
was first lodged in
May 2016, including
the GSC’s stamp of
approval through its
delegate, the NSW
Department of Planning
and Environment.
“Under the Environmental
Planning and
Assessment Act
1979, the Greater
Sydney Commission
is the local planmaking
authority,”
Ms Coad writes.
“However, when the
Planning Legislation
Amendment (Greater
Sydney Commission)
Act 2018 commences
(which is imminent),
the Minister for
Planning will become
the local plan-making
authority.”
TWT readers can
access all the relevant
documents on
City of Ryde’s website
- ryde.nsw.gov.
au
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