Member for Davidson, Jonathan O'Dea has drawn a line over increasing housing numbers in the Ku-ring-gai Council area, which covers most of his electorate.
Under a revised NSW Metropolitan Strategy, which extends the new dwellings strategy from 2031 to 2036, Ku-ring-gai and Hornsby Councils might be required to accept another 8,000 dwellings, although it is not known how the numbers would be distributed.
"Ku-ring-gai Council has already agreed to accept an additional 10,000 new dwellings by 2031 and I believe this has been exceeded by up to 40% under already gazetted plans," Mr O'Dea said.
"More than half of those 10,000 dwellings have already been approved since 1994.
"I do not support any further rezoning for increased densities in the Ku-ring-gai Council area to 2036, as we have already zoned for our fair share under the LEP plans gazetted under Labor in recent years," Mr O'Dea said.
"There has already been damaging overdevelopment, with the destruction of natural and built heritage in and around our town centres. Worse still, Labor's determination to cram thousands more dwellings into our suburbs has not been accompanied by necessary supportive infrastructure, particularly in an area like St Ives," Mr O'Dea said.
"In government, NSW Liberals & Nationals plan to promote more regional development and release more land for new housing serviced by new heavy rail links to the north-west and south-west. These will be priority public transport infrastructure projects under a new government led by Barry O'Farrell – projects which have been inadequately pursued under 15 years of Labor.
"It is interesting to note that Sydney population projections have only increased since Prime Minister Gillard's announced abandonment of Kevin Rudd's "Big Australia" policy. It prompts the question whether this is yet another example of Premier Keneally and Prime Minister Gillard failing to work together," Mr O'Dea said.
"On 26 March 2011, residents will have the opportunity to replace Labor's tired "more of the same" policy with a fresh, innovative approach by the NSW Liberals & Nationals which includes real proposals for planning reform in NSW," Mr O'Dea concluded.
