Labor says it will restore the practice of councillors deciding on development applications (DAs) for projects costing up to $20 million if it wins control of Sutherland Shire Council.
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Higher cost projects would continue to be determined by the Joint Regional Planning Panel, but Labor would be far stronger than the Liberal council in making submissions, Labor B Ward candidate Barry Collier said.
“The present situation where decisions are made by the general manager, an unelected bureaucrat, is undemocratic,” he said.
Mr Collier also said only the “outright defeat” of the Liberals would see the draft development control plan (DCP) overhauled.
DAs have been assessed under the draft DCP since June 23 last year, even though public submissions were still being considered four months later.
Mr Collier said this was “morally wrong”, and contrary to a recommendation of the 2013 independent inquiry into the draft local environmental plan (LEP).
C Ward candidate Peter Scaysbrook said Mayor Carmelo Pesce's statements on DAs were “more smoke and mirrors”.
“The 2013 LEP inquiry was unambiguous in stating mayoral minutes were an inappropriate device to implement planning decisions,” Cr Scaysbrook said.
“Yet, a most fundamental change to the approval process, the right of a councillor to express the concern of residents in open debate, was removed in a mayoral minute on September 28, 2015.
“Cr Pesce’s statement that ward councillors can refer DAs to an independent panel is blatantly incorrect.
“Requests by a councillor to send an application to IHAP (Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel) are subject to a vote and, with an 11-3 Liberal majority, there are no prizes for guessing whose requests make it to the panel.
“Far from taking the politics out of DAs, the process makes political decisions almost inevitable.”
RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations of the 2013 independent inquiry into the draft LEP, headed by Dr John Roseth included:
- Mayoral Minutes are not an appropriate substitute for planning reports. Where a mayor and/or councillors wish to initiate a planning action, they should request a planning report on the issue. They are free not to accept the conclusions or recommendations of the report, but a planning report should be the starting point for planning decisions and reasons should be given for all decisions.
- Councils should not treat a draft LEP as ‘imminent and certain’ until that draft is just about to be made. Where councils treat a draft LEP as imminent and certain before they have considered submissions arising from the draft LEP’s exhibition, the community may think that the council has a closed mind and that it may be of little value making submissions.
- Council will need to develop a new, open and transparent approach if it is to rebuild the public confidence lost by the processes which brought about this review. This can only be achieved over time, and will require commitment to implement a genuine community engagement strategy, a commitment to transparent decision making and a program which ensures that existing residents share tangible benefits from increased development activity.
- The revised Sutherland Development Control Plan should address issues including solar access, overlooking, privacy, setbacks to address bulk and scale of buildings, water sensitive urban design and view sharing and should come into force at the same time as the new LEP, as occurred in Sutherland in 2006.