The State Member for Davidson, Jonathan O’Dea, believes it is imperative Planning Minister Frank Sartor’s grab for more land to control must be stopped when Ku-ring-gai Council’s case in the Land and Environment Court resumes this week for a three day hearing.
“I have previously called on the State Government to recognise Ku-ring-gai Council’s improved performance in recent years and the fact that Council has planned for over 10,000 new residential dwellings over the next 25 years under the Metropolitan Strategy,” Mr O’Dea said.
“I have also asked the Government to exempt Ku-ring-gai from the dual occupancy provisions in SEPP 53 and to immediately consider council’s proposed conservation zones for gazettal.
“Under Mayor Nick Ebbeck, Council has essentially met previous requests of the Minister and vastly improved its DA approval performance. Fellow Northern Sydney MP’s Barry O’Farrell, Rob Stokes and Brad Hazzard all spoke in support of my motion in NSW Parliament last month. We all realise the enormous importance local residents place on conservation and the environment.
“As Anne Carroll, President of Friends of Ku-ring-gai Environment (FOKE), said in her 2007 Report, ‘things that should not be destroyed are being destroyed, when a civilised society should preserve what is valuable and worthy of preservation.’
“Sadly, the public are being kicked as a political football by Minister Sartor in a one-sided game he calls progress. I have already predicted that Minister Sartor will again end up with egg on his face and have to revisit the Planning Panel appointment process in Ku-ring-gai, which he has incompetently handled.
“I hope the Court will see the appropriateness of local elected representatives maintaining control, including over the town centre planning process. The Local must stay in Local Government.”
For further information, please call Jonathan O’Dea on 0418 241 500.
