Pittwater Life February 2023 Issue

Wary Council shuns
Lizard Rock role
News
Northern Beaches Council
will decline the NSW
Government’s offer to be
the Planning Proposal Authority
for the controversial Lizard
Rock housing development site
at Belrose.
It is wary of a ‘guilt by association’
perception that could
be formed within the community,
given its long-standing
and ongoing opposition to the
development plan.
Council staff made the recommendation
to Councillors
at a hastily convened extraordinary
Council meeting on
January 24.
The Lizard Rock housing
plan has been driven by the
Metropolitan Local Aboriginal
Land Council (MLALC) which
wants to develop the land it
owns on the Northern Beaches
for economic self-determination
of Aboriginal people.
The plan, for 450 dwellings,
has been widely slammed,
including opposition from
Council, the State Liberal MPs
in the seats of Pittwater, Wakehurst
and Davidson, as well as
the Greens and local residents
groups.
The Aboriginal Support
Group Manly Warringah Pittwater
(ASG) also opposes the
proposal.
On December 21, the Department
of Planning and Environment
advised Council that the
Sydney North Planning Panel
had recommended the planning
proposal for Morgan Road,
Belrose (Lizard Rock) proceed
to Gateway determination.
It offered Council first option
to become the Planning
Proposal Authority.
However, noting Council’s
opposition to Lizard Rock,
Council staff advised Councillors
that if it were to accept the
role it would be obliged to progress
the planning proposal,
whereupon the community
may perceive that Council supported
the planning proposal –
which was contrary to Council’s
decision of November 2022.
Further, Council remained
concerned by what it perceived
as scant ‘due process’ by the
Panel at its December 21
meeting, where the planning
proposal, Council’s submission
and a briefing report provided
by the Department were considered.
At the meeting the Panel
determined that the planning
proposal should be submitted
to the Department for a
Gateway determination, with
qualifications including that
the number of dwellings was
capped at 450 and that 10 per
cent affordable housing was to
be provided.
But Council staff noted the
briefing report provided only
a “dot-point summary of the
key issues” from the viewpoint
of Council (which opposed
the plan) and the proponent,
without providing any analysis
of the merits of the associated
issues, conclusions or recommendations.
It said the Record of Decision
provided limited reasoning for
a decision of such magnitude
(just five short paragraphs)
and no meaningful analysis
or evaluation of the issues relevant
to the planning proposal
– including lack of infrastructure
and bushfire risk – was
provided in the Decision or the
Department’s briefing report.
8 FEBRUARY 2023
The Local Voice Since 1991