Residents are asking for one more chance to comment on the draft Mortdale Master Plan as the June deadline looms for its approval.
The initial version of the draft plan called the upzoning of the Mortdale town centre and an additional 969 dwellings bringing the total new dwellings number of 2,227 to meet housing targets.
Bonus development incentives including greater height and density are proposed to support land consolidation and the delivery of affordable housing within the B2 Local Centre zone.
The council had a statutory obligation under the Deed of Agreement for the Accelerated Local Environmental Plan Funding Program to complete the master plan before 30 October, 2021.
Previoulsy, various Sydney councils received $2.5 million in funding for accelerated reviews of their LEPs to meet NSW Government's housing targets.
Planning Minister Rob Stokes agreed to extent the completion date for the Mortdale Master Plan until June 30 this year due to the level of public interest in the plan and the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on Georges River.
The draft master plan is due to go to a councilllor briefing in May but residents are concerned that they won't have a chance to comment on the latest version.
They are requesting that residents be given the opportunity to review, comment and discuss Council's amended draft master plan before Councillors consider the latest version.
"The community were given very little time to comment on the draft master plan and due to COVID restrictions no opportunity to meet, either together, or with Council in person, or to view a model of the proposed redevelopment," Mortdale resident Catherine Ford said.
"The proposed master plan in its present form is a complete rebuild of our suburb that will change it forever. We don't want to be another Hurstville.
"The community should be given the opportunity to review the council's amended draft master plan before Councillors are requested to vote on this. We don't know what it contains."
Mortdale resident Bruce Bennett said that re-exhibiting the amended Mortdale Master Plan was essential to rebuild public support for the councli by showing that all the concerns residents had with the initial Masterplan have been addressed.
"Residents living in Mortdale are concerned that the Mortdale Master Plan will be presented to Council without first there being in-person consultation with the public," he said.
"On the basis of feedback already provided, there is an expectation of drastic changes to the initial draft and the local community is anxiously waiting to see if these have been addressed in the amended Mortdale Master Plan."
Georges River Council is not currently conducting in-person community meetingsdue to the COVID-19 pandemic, a council spokesperson said.
"Council's duty of care under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW), the NSW Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 and the risk assessment for employees requires all community consultation/engagement events to be conducted online until further notice to mitigate the high risk of transmission of COVID-19 within the LGA," the spokesperson said.
"Community consultation on the Mortdale Master Plan has been extensive and commenced in August 2018. Prior to the Public Health Orders for the COVID-19 pandemic there were a number of face to face consultations and community sessions for the Master Plan. Council is continuing to accept submissions on the draft Master Plan.
"Council will continue to follow its usual process of confidential Councillor briefings on the community consultation findings, including resident feedback, before the matter goes to a Council meeting," the spokespeson said.
"A condition of funding for the Mortdale Master Plan is that the Plan is lodged with the Department of Planning before 30 June 2022."
