Judge says to act on defamation allegations, The Industrtial Commission of NSW. August 17, 2010
THE Industrial Commission of NSW has recommended that Wagga Wagga Council take legal action for defamation over criticisms of its senior planners.
The deputy president of the commission, Justice John Grayson, said the council should seek legal advice as to whether the developer Peter Hurst and the Wagga Wagga Daily Advertiser had defamed a council employee. Continue reading
Guidelines could kill off coastal building, Kelsey Munro and Matthew Moore. August 20, 2010.
THOUSANDS of NSW coastal development sites may never be built on under new government guidelines directing councils to limit construction on beachfront and lakeside land under threat from rising sea levels.
The NSW Coastal Planning Guidelines, released today, encourage councils to reject development and rezoning applications on land deemed at risk. Continue reading
From ghetto to grove, a housing success story, Louise Hall. April 29, 2010.
THE Gordon Estate in Dubbo had long been a ghetto of welfare dependency, hopelessness and crime when it gained national notoriety with an alcohol-fuelled riot on New Year’s Day 2006.
That night, scenes of up to 100 Aborigines attacking two detectives, setting fire to a police car and destroying houses forced the NSW government to initiate one of the most ambitious social policy changes in years. Continue reading
Population growing at twice global average, Jacob Saulwick. March 26, 2010.
AUSTRALIA’S population is growing at twice the rate of the rest of the world, after crashing through 22 million late last year.
A demographic report shows the population grew at 2.1 per cent in the year to the end of September, outstripping the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. The world population grew 1.1 per cent in the same period. Continue reading
Stimulus building chief in bid to take over NSW planning, Matthew Moore. April 19, 2010.
THE man in charge of spending $7 billion of federal stimulus funds says the program has been so successful his office should take over most of the state’s major planning decisions.
The infrastructure co-ordinator-general and chairman of the NSW National Building and Jobs Plan Taskforce, Bob Leece, says he will lodge a submission to a planning inquiry set up by the Premier, Kristina Keneally, last month arguing his office is well placed to handle big decisions because it is ”not political”. Continue reading
The incredible colossal homes: bigger than ever, Peter Martin Economics Correspondent. April 1, 2010.
NEW houses in NSW are an extraordinary 100 square metres bigger than they were a quarter of a century ago, according to the Bureau of Statistics.
In 1984 the average new NSW house was about 159 square metres, giving each of the people in it about 60 square metres of personal space.
Since then near-continuous growth has lifted the average new size to 269.5 metres, an Australian record giving each of the occupants an average of about 100 square metres each. Continue reading
Gone to pot: councils on brink of slashing services, Debra Jopson Regional Affairs. April 5, 2010.
Local government is suffering its worst financial crisis, with one in four NSW councils on the brink of being unable to pay for services they have an obligation to provide.
The president of the Shires Association, Bruce Miller, said the state government had forced councils to pay for essential services such as health, dental, childcare, waste recycling and policing, while severely restricting their income through rate-pegging. Continue reading
Population debate we have to have, SMH. March 29, 2010.
How big is too big? The former premier Bob Carr says Australia’s population should be capped at 28 million. A federal Labor backbencher, Kelvin Thomson, says 26 million. The Stable Population Party of Australia says 23 million. The Greens want an inquiry to settle the matter. The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, says there is no ideal number, just what Treasury projects will happen: 35 million by 2050. ”That’s what’s happening,” is Rudd’s relaxed reply. Continue reading
Practicing cautionary placemaking, urbanism and the Venetian Ghetto, Chuck. March 14 2010.
Australian urban designer Ruth Durack suggested earlier in the decade (with a passing reference to the Venetian Ghetto) that the urban village is dictated by a rigid form and function which clashes with fundamental principles of sustainablity. She argued for a more free-form of planning which recognizes multiple, interactive systems which cannot be dictated by static physical models, premised on the “cultures” of green (e.g., agri-, perma- and aqua-). Continue reading
Beachfront landowners win sandbag decision, Mathew Moore Urban Affairs Editor. February 3, 2010.
Beachfront landowners fighting to protect NSW properties threatened by coastal erosion have won another victory with the Land and Environment Court ordering Byron Bay Council to restore a sandbag wall to keep out the sea. Continue reading
Building approvals most difficult to attain in NSW, Brian Robins. January 21, 2010.
NSW is the worst-ranked state in Australia for handling development applications, yet it is building only half the number of homes needed to handle the expanding population.
The Property Council of Australia and the Residential Development Council gave NSW 5.2 out of 10 for its handling of applications, ranking it behind Queensland (5.8) and Victoria (6.8). The Northern Territory received the top ranking of 7.3. Continue reading
Strata hold-outs forced to sell under new plan, Paul Bibby Urban Affairs. January 16, 2010.
Individual apartment owners could be forced to sell their units to a developer if three-quarters of the other owners in their building want to do so, under a proposal from the Australian Property Council.
The council, which represents developers and large property owners, says strata title laws give too much power to individual owners, who can block the redevelopment even if every other title holder in the building wants to bring in the bulldozers. Continue reading
By George, this blight has to stop, for Sydney’s sake. January 14, 2010
One thing on which Sydneysiders can agree is that the increasingly squalid bits of our city are signs of urban blight that is spreading before our eyes.
Some blame Lord Mayor Clover Moore who has presided over much deterioration in her six years in office, and a dysfunctional State Government that has bled developers dry while putting up the ”closed for business” sign to hobble economic growth. Continue reading
Beachfront owners left high and dry by planning changes, Paul Bibby Urban Affairs. January 4, 2010
Holiday home owners across NSW will find themselves forbidden from making improvements as simple as building a new backyard toilet under planning rules introduced because of rising sea levels.
Coastal councils are rewriting their planning rules in response to new State Government policies discouraging the intensification of development in coastal areas. Continue reading
Ghetto coming to a suburb near you, Angela Kamper State Political Reporter. January 1, 2010.
Suburbs across NSW are in danger of becoming “mini ghettos” as the State Government pushes on with an unpopular $2.9 billion plan to integrate public housing.
An investigation by The Daily Telegraph has found residents are protesting against at least 48 projects stretching from Lake Macquarie in the north, through Sydney and down to Ulladulla on the Far South Coast.
Among the objections are what residents claim are an overload of units stacked on single blocks, not enough parking and significant overshadowing from two and three-storey apartment blocks on what have traditionally been streets of single-storey family homes. Continue reading
Capital City Strategic Planning Systems, Capitol Stategic planning sytems Brisbane. December 7, 2009
State and Territories will have capital city strategic plans by 2012 that meet national criteria for transport, housing, urban development and sustainability.
The national criteria will deliver better integrated and longer term - 30 year - infrastructure and land use plans. From 1 January 2012, the Commonwealth will link future infrastructure funding to States and Territories meeting these criteria. Continue reading
Burger off: no big Mac for Haberfield, Paul Bibby.December 10, 2009
Residents in the heart of Sydney’s Italian quarter have had a rare victory against McDonald’s, defeating the fast food chain’s plans for a franchise in their suburb.
For six months Haberfield residents flooded Ashfield Council with nearly 1000 letters and a 7000-signature petition, saying the proposed restaurant and drive-through was an inappropriate development that would clash with the region’s fine-food culture.
And the bombardment paid off on Tuesday night when the council voted unanimously to reject the proposal, citing noise and traffic issues. Contine reading
Ultimo site gets ultimate architect - Frank Gehry, Heath Gilmore.December 11, 2009
The acclaimed architect Frank Gehry, who creates buildings that ”look like a party of drunken robots got together to celebrate”, is about to unleash his vision for Sydney.
The University of Technology, Sydney yesterday announced that Mr Gehry, who designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, will create a concept design to transform a former industrial site at Ultimo into a building of international repute.
The new Faculty of Business building will be the 80-year-old architect’s first in Australia, pending the university’s council approval of his finished concept design next year. The building, on the former Dairy Farmers site wedged between the ABC Ultimo Centre and the Powerhouse Museum, will house an estimated 2000 students and more than 400 academics. Continue reading
Federal moves to guide growth of big cities, Phillip Coorey Chief Political Correspondent. October 28, 2009
Future federal funding for capital works will be contingent on the states agreeing to a set of conditions that will enable major cities to cope with Australia’s forecast population explosion and make them better places to live.
In a speech last night to the Business Council of Australia, the Prime Minister said the Commonwealth would take the lead role on the future planning of cities and it would use funding as a lever to get its way.
”With Australia facing rapid growth in the decades ahead, the time has now come for the Australian Government to take a much greater national responsibility for improving the long-term planning of our major cities,” Mr Rudd said. Continue reading
Beachfront properties may not get cover, Marian Wilkinson. October 27, 2009
The Insurance Council of Australia says that no area of the country is ”red flagged” to prevent beachfront home owners obtaining insurance but it is already difficult, if not impossible, to insure against coastal erosion or what are called ‘’saltwater risks”.
And if you have insurance, keeping it if you live near the beachfront may become increasingly difficult as climate change puts a growing number of properties under threat from sea level rise and more frequent storm surges.
Members of the federal parliamentary coastal communities committee found insurance policies that contained general exclusions for “saltwater risks”. One policy noted: “We will not pay for damage caused by erosion or subsidence … or as a result of erosion, vibration, subsidence, landslip, landslide, mudslide, collapse, shrinkage or any other earth movement.” Continue reading
Councils ‘damned’ on coastal plans, Matthew Moore Urban Affairs Editor. October 27, 2009
A lack of appropriate laws regulating Australian coastal development in the climate change era has left councils legally exposed whether they approve or reject development applications, according to a landmark report.
The House of Representatives report, Managing Our Coastal Zone in a Changing Climate, has backed a submission from the National Sea Change Taskforce which said coastal councils were ”damned if they do and damned if they do not” approve developments in parts of the coast they believe are vulnerable to future sea level rises.
”If they approve it there could be a liability down the track if it becomes affected and inundated by rising sea levels and the attendant severe weather events,” the taskforce said. Continue reading
High tide for housing, Marian Wilkinson Environment Editor. October 19, 2009
The NSW Premier will give beachfront property owners threatened by coastal erosion and sea level rises more rights to build sea walls and barriers to protect homes, despite fears it will severely damage some of the Australia’s best beaches.
Announcing the new measures today, the Government will name 19 ”hot spot” beaches where owners are under threat from coastal erosion.
They include Sydney’s northern beaches - Collaroy, Narrabeen, Mona Vale and Bilgola - Batemans Bay and Mollymook to the south, and Pearl Beach, MacMasters, Old Bar, Lennox Head and Byron Bay’s Belongil to the north. Continue reading
Byron council to vote on demolishing seafront homes, Brian Robins. September 10, 2009
Byron Shire Council is pushing ahead with plans to demolish a number of seafront houses it says are most affected by coastal erosion.
It will seek approval at a council meeting today. The plan is likely to inflame relations with the State Government, strained since the Government instructed the council not to finalise its local environment plan before the Government’s coastal management plan is completed.
The demolition proposal amounts to the council taking control of the properties without paying compensation. Continue reading
Residents take Catherine Hill Bay fight to minister, Damon Cronshaw. September 9, 2009
Pressure is mounting on Planning Minister Kristina Keneally to overturn a NSW Government rezoning approval for housing at Catherine Hill Bay and Gwandalan.
Ms Keneally said yesterday that she would meet Catherine Hill Bay and Gwandalan residents today, in response to a crucial Land and Environment Court decision last Monday.
Catherine Hill Bay Progress Association president Sue Whyte said: “We want the zoning changed.”
Developer Rose Group said people asking the Government to revoke the zoning should consider the facts. Continue reading
Councils will ‘come around’ to planning panels, ABC News. July 6, 2009
The New South Wales Government says it is confident its regional planning panels will start making development decisions within the next few months, despite some of the north-west region’s councils being reluctant to join the scheme.
Two local government representatives will join three state-appointed members on the panels to assess development applications over $10 million.
Several councils in New England’s north-west have expressed reservations about the proposal, with some still to sign up for the scheme, warning it is undemocratic and weighted in favour of Government appointees. Continue Reading
Byron Bay beachfront goes begging, Brian Robins. June 2, 2009
Severe erosion threatens as many as 16 homes and could force an opening between the sea and the Belongil estuary. This would open the way for catastrophic flooding in Byron Bay town,with damages running to tens of millions of dollars.
A temporary restraining wall was built earlier this decade by Byron Shire. But the Greens-dominated council has brought an injunction against Mr Vaughan to stop him upgrading the wall in front of his house to match the standards of those protecting his neighbours. Continue Reading
‘Naked streets’ proposed for Sydney CBD
Some major thoroughfares in Sydney’s C-B-D may soon be 10 kilometre-an-hour zones without traffic lights.
The proposal for ‘Naked streets’ is based on an idea which began in the Netherlands in the 1980s.
It involves pedestrians, traffic and businesses sharing the space in between buildings.
The proposal is being put forward by the Sydney City Council for some of the city’s major streets including Pitt and Castlereagh Streets.
Councillor John McInerney says a similar scheme is already being implemented with success in Barrack Street. Continue Reading
Rejected pub expansion paves way for test case, Paul Bibby. May 13, 2009
The City of Sydney has refused two applications from one of the biggest pubs in Kings Cross, setting the scene for a test case on councils’ rights to reject development applications from hotels if an area has too many already.
The council has rejected the Empire Hotel’s applications for a rooftop bar and a licensed cafe, which would increase its capacity by about 15 per cent. The motion for refusal said “Darlinghurst Road … has reached a saturation of licensed premises” and “approval of the application would have negative social and environmental impacts”. Continue Reading
High-growth regions seek cap exemptions, Harvey Grennan. April 28, 2009
NEARLY 30 councils have told the Department of Planning they will be unable to provide roads, parks, sporting facilities or libraries if forced to comply with a cap of $20,000 per block on contributions from land developers.
The Local Government and Shires Associations have called on the State Government to give serious consideration to applications from councils to exceed the cap. The applications are due to be decided by the Minister for Planning, Kristina Keneally, this week. Continue reading
ABS data shows record number of first home owners entering market. April 8, 2009
ABS Housing Finance data released today shows the Rudd Government’s Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan is continuing to deliver a much-needed boost to the housing sector with a record number of loans to first home owners in February.
Figures for the month of February show that the number of loans grew by 0.4 per cent compared to January - the fifth consecutive month of growth. Continue reading
3pm deadline for proposals for 3000 new social housing homes. April 9, 2009
The NSW and Federal Governments are reminding builders that they have till 3pm today to submit projects for funding as part of the Federal Government’s Nation Building and Stimulus Plan for social housing.
NSW Housing Minister David Borger the Government was looking to add around 3,000 new homes for social housing by buying private land with the potential for residential development. Continue reading
New laws to protect Aboriginal artefacts, Andrew Clennell State Political Editor. April 16, 2009
THE Government will introduce fines of up to $1.1 million and a “strict liability” offence to prevent developers and others from damaging Aboriginal artefacts and claiming they were unaware they were committing an offence.
The decision, made in cabinet this week, came from proposals by the Environment Minister, Carmel Tebbutt, and after the Herald this month revealed a lack of action under laws which were supposed to protect items and places of Aboriginal heritage. Continue reading
Time frames a ‘distortion’, Harvey Grennan. April 14, 2009
THE Government’s claim that the new housing code will cut development approval times by an average of 110 days is “a gross distortion”, said the Mayor of Hills Shire Council, Larry Bolitho.
Cr Bolitho said the Government’s figures gave an average existing processing time for the state’s 152 councils of 74 days. Part of that 74 days could be discounted because development applications must be exhibited publicly for between 14 and 30 days before they can be assessed. Continue reading
How city living can be affordable, Harvey Grennan. April 14, 2009
DEVELOPERS have come up with a four-point plan for councils to make housing close to the city more affordable.
Responding to a statement by capital city lord mayors, the chief executive of the Urban Taskforce, Aaron Gadiel, said developers had been trying to get more affordable housing close to cities for years. Continue reading
