Mayor Carmelo Pesce says the development of multi-unit housing in Sutherland Shire is starting to slow.
“I am told there are nine sites at Miranda for which DAs (development applications) have been approved that are on the market,” he said.
“I believe the market has slowed down and the cost of building has become more expensive.
“The reason the Sharks development sold out so quickly is because there had been no development in the shire for 15 years.
“But the demand is not there any longer.
“Development stops when demand stops, and that’s starting to happen now.”
Cr Pesce was responding to a new wave of anger over development, this time directed at the draft development control plan (DCP).
Cr Pesce said the new LEP was necessary because of the lack of new housing, and the DCP provided the detailed rules in accordance with that approved plan.
”There is a group that is anti-development, but I get far more positive comments when I walk down the street about how great it is the shire is changing, and it’s about time,” he said.
”Because I am a Liberal, it doesn’t mean I am pro-development.
“I am pro-good development.”
Cr Pesce cited the Sammut development in Gerrale Street Cronulla, with apartments built above cafes, as an example of recent good development.
He said the council had approved DA concessions because of the quality of the development.
”It activated an area which people used to be scared to walk through at night,” he said.
“We still don’t want to see big bulk, but as long as you put thought in and put forward something that fits in with the character of the area, I am fine with it.”
“ARAP (Architectural Review Advisory Panel) acts as a “safety net.”
Cr Pesce said developers did not have to accept a decision by the council to reject or seek amendments to a DA.
“Developers can go to the Land and Environment Court, and the council has to spend ratepayers’ money fighting them,” he said.