"The State election gives North Shore voters their best opportunity to register their disgust with the way Labor Planning Minister Frank Sartor has desecrated many of our best suburbs", Liberal Candidate for Davidson, Jonathan O'Dea, said today.
Mr. O’Dea said "Sartor and previous Labor planning ministers had abused their powers to over-rule the elected representatives and impose some truly hideous developments. It appears that the will of the people means nothing to Mr. Sartor".
"If Labor's team in Macquarie Street was a local rather than state government, it would have been dismissed and an administrator appointed" Mr O'Dea said.
"Labor has forced Ku-ring-gai Council to zone for much higher densities in many residential areas and town centres. Despite the Council having adopted these measures under threat of being dismissed, the Labor government continues to punish residents in the state electorates of Davidson and Ku-ring-gai.
This demonstrates an arrogant disregard for local residents and democratic process." Mr O'Dea said.
Mr O'Dea outlined five local planning issues requiring immediate attention, which he would promote as part of a Liberal/Coalition state government:
- Six major sites in the Ku-ring-gai Council area have been taken over by the State Labor government and rezoned for up to seven storeys. Those remaining sites not yet approved for development by the State government should be referred back to locally elected community representatives for approval.
- Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 194 allows inappropriate overdevelopment, with five storey developments in many residential areas directly adjoining existing one storey residences. This approach should be amended to ensure a transition approach is followed.
- State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) 53 relating to dual occupancy still applies to much of the Ku-ring-gai Council area. This is the only place in NSW where SEPP 53 still permits dual occupancy overdevelopment and full exemption is now warranted.
- Ku-ring-gai Council has recommended conservation zones, which await gazettal by the State government. Labor has delayed the process to create any conservation areas, threatening the area's character and heritage value with inappropriate development. A Coalition government should proceed with immediate gazettal.
- With significantly increased development densities planned for the local area over the next 30 years, there is a need for better infrastructure planning and services to secure our water supplies, improve public transport and otherwise support the growing population.
