Harold Park: D-Day tomorrow (Monday, 19 July)

The President of the Glebe Society, Dr Lesley Lynch, sent the following email to members on Sunday, 18 July:

Dear Glebe Society members

With apologies for the length- this message provides:

• an update on the HP rezoning process;
• a summary of our current response to the rezoning proposal;
• an outline of what action the Glebe Society will take over the next week; and
• a call to each of you to take some action – (see below for detail)

Update on the Rezoning Process

On Thursday the City of Sydney Council (COS) posted the proposed draft planning controls for Harold Park and updated technical reports on its website (click on this link to read the papers).

The process will now move very fast.

These drafts controls will go to the CoS Planning Committee on Monday and to the Central Sydney Planning Committee (CSPC) on Wednesday and then to full Council on Monday 29 July. If the controls are approved, they go to the Minister for Planning for consideration and, if approved, go on public exhibition. We would then have a further opportunity to comment.

If however, the draft controls are not agreed to by the CSPC or the Minister, responsibility for the rezoning of the site will automatically be referred to the Minister for decision as a Part 3 process.This is an outcome we have been very keen to avoid as it effectively cuts the community out of the process.

We understand the Pacing Club will be strongly opposing the Council proposals.

The Political Context

Next week’s critical consideration of the Harold Park proposals will be conducted in the context of a threatening State Government surprise review of the CSPC. We share the widespread apprehension that this review is intended to further reduce the planning powers of the CoS and further shut out the community. One can  only speculate as to why this review is being rushed through so close to the state election. (See analysis by Elizabeth Farrelly SMH 16/7/2010 ,p13 )

The challenge for us in this threatening context, is to find the best ways of fighting for good planning outcomes in the HP redevelopment while defending what we have left of institutions which allow the community access to the decision making process.

While we do not agree with some very important aspects of the current proposal for HP, we do not see the CoS as the main threat to the community in this process. We will be defending the role of the COS and the CSPC in the planning for our city and arguing they should have a stronger role. We remain opposed to the Part 3 powers which allow the Minister to override community and local government views. We know the Council has invited and considered the views of its community. We have no confidence that this will be the case if the rezoning goes to the Minister.

TGSI Response to the Draft Planning Controls

The community got it largely right and the principles submitted by the Glebe Society provide a fair and reasonable basis for the rezoning of the HP and Tramsheds site.

It is clear that the CoS has considered our public resolution and principles and it has responded positively to many of them. We welcome:

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