Labor is calling for a decision on the proposed Heathcote Hall development to be delayed until after the state election.
Opposition spokeswoman on planning Tania Mihailuk said, if the development application was not determined by March 23, she would have the matter reviewed if Labor came to power.
Sydney South Planning Panel deferred a decision in June, 2018, to gather more information, and has not yet set a date for the matter to be reconsidered.
Ms Mihailuk, accompanied by the party’s candidate for Heathcote, Maryanne Stuart, met more than 100 residents at Heathcote East on Wednesday to hear their concerns.
“I have been to hundreds of street meetings and I have have seen only one that was bigger than this,” said Ms Mihailuk, a former mayor, councillor and planning panel member.
“You don’t normally get this many people to a meeting called at short notice on a weekday.”
Ms Mihailuk said Premier Gladys Berejiklian acted just before Christmas to effectively impose a moratorium on controversial planning proposals in the Ryde council area, and should be prepared to do the same in Sutherland Shire.
The Greater Sydney Commission was asked to carry out an Assurance Review of planning in Ryde.
The commission says on its website, “Assurance Reviews are designed to support the effective implementation of strategic plans and optimise outcomes for the community and the environment”.
“They will consider issues such as relevant policies on housing and industrial lands; and the provision of infrastructure, including education, transport, roads and open space.”
Ms Mihailuk said, “Under the Liberal government, heritage has been trashed, and suburban communities have been targeted by rampant overdevelopment”.
“The Premier has instructed her planning minister to pull out all stops to save the hapless [Liberal MP] Victor Dominello in Ryde, but the people of Sutherland Shire are being treated with contempt,” she said.
“If a moratorium on rezonings is good enough for Ryde then it is good enough for Sutherland.
“Precious heritage sites like Heathcote Hall deserve more respect from the government, and so do the people of Heathcote.”
The street meeting was followed by a Labor-organised community forum on “overdevelopment” in Engadine.
Ms Mihailuk spelt out Labor’s previously announced policy that the Greater Sydney Commission would be asked to review housing targets set for councils.
Existing targets were deliberately disadvantaging some parts of Sydney, forcing them to bear the brunt of rampant residential development, she said
“Figures from the commission’s district plans show Hunters Hill is expected to take only 150 new dwellings over five years, while Sutherland Shire’s target of 5200 exceeds this figure 35 times,” she said.
“The trend is apparent across other councils as well, including targets of 300 dwellings for Mosman and Woollahra and 1250 dwellings for the Premier’s own council of Willoughby.
”Labor wants to stop this madness that has descended on Sydney and its long-suffering residents.”
A response has been sought from Planning Minister Anthony Roberts.