Ku-ring-gai Town Centres Plan “another shamefully undemocratic planning decision” by Labor

“The NSW Labor Government has added another chapter to the shameful story of undemocratic planning decisions in Ku-ring-gai with the approval by Planning Minister Tony Kelly of the Ku-ring-gai Town Centres Plan,” Paul Fletcher, Federal Member for Bradfield said today.

The plan will permit developments of up to six stories in the town centres of Roseville, Lindfield, Pymble, Gordon and Turramurra.

“This is a gross violation of the principle that local planning decisions should be in the hands of people who live locally, who are accountable locally and who are concerned about the local impact of those decisions.

“Instead, this plan has been approved by a Labor Minister in Macquarie Street with little knowledge of, and even less sympathy for, the unique heritage and character of the Ku-ring-gai area.

“There is a large element of political ‘pay back’ in what State Labor is doing to the upper north shore – because they perceive it as an area which traditionally votes Liberal.

“Under Labor’s ‘Metropolitan Strategy’, the target for new homes in Ku-ring-gai is 10,000.

“Minister Kelly’s press release today refers to last year’s ‘independent review’ (the Treadstone Review) into dwelling yields in Ku-ring-gai.

“This showed that since 2004 approval for 5,022 dwellings had already been granted.  If this has occurred in five years, what comfort is there that the limit of 10,000 will not be reached and exceeded well before 2031 (the stated end date under the Metropolitan strategy)?

“In view of the acute community concern about this issue, I have written to Minister Kelly calling for much greater transparency in the information which is provided about approvals.

“He should provide a quarterly update, on his Department’s website, of all dwellings approved in the previous quarter for each of the Ku-ring-gai and Hornsby local government areas, and the cumulative total approved since the Metropolitan Strategy took effect,” Mr Fletcher said.

Media contact: Darren Bark, Paul Fletcher’s Office 02 9465 3950