Showground group calls for Castle Hill state Liberal MP Ray Williams to be sacked

SHOWGROUND residents have called for Premier Gladys Berejiklian to sack Castle Hill state Liberal MP Ray Williams over the stalling of the Showground precinct plans.

Fed up residents. Ron Buxton, Paul Cook, Kim McArtney and Andrea Cook are angry about the progress of the Castle Hill Showground precinct development. Picture: Angelo Velardo

SHOWGROUND residents have called for Premier Gladys Berejiklian to sack Castle Hill state Liberal MP Ray Williams over the stalling of the Showground precinct plans.

Residents Matter Action Group spokesman Paul Cook fired shots at Mr Williams and The Hills Shire Council.

Castle Hill state Liberal MP Ray Williams has refuted claims he was delaying the release of Showground precinct plans. Picture: Keri Megelus

Mr Cook said Mr Williams was holding back the release of details.

“The Showground precinct has overwhelming support from the residents and greater community and has been in limbo for over two years because of the political interference,” he said.

“Mr Williams needs to support the government’s initiative and allow the Department of Planning’s exhibited draft proposal to be finalised and gazetted without further delay.”

The war of words continues following the release of the Bella Vista and Kellyville precinct plans by the NSW Planning last month.

But Mr Williams refuted the claims, revealing that he was fighting against a department proposal to see lower densities on privately owned land and increased densities on government-owned sites.

The Showground precinct boarded by red. Mr Williams said he was defending residents from an unfair deal.

“The gazettal is the responsibility of the Department of Planning, no one else,” he said.

“Eighteen months ago the council and myself, with the consensus of the Planning Department, agreed to an accepted increase in density for this area above the 5000 dwellings originally advertised, together with supported infrastructure such as open space and schools.”

Mr Williams said a request for masterplanning was sought.

“Since that time the Department of Planning has continually refused to apply this practical and fair approach to masterplanning,” he said.

John Allen and his neighbours are upset over the State Government's precinct plan for Showground station, which has zoned one side of his street for up to eight-storeys and the other side for three-storey townhouses.

It comes as the action group rallies its support behind the government’s Independent Hearing and Assessment Panels — calling for one to be installed at Hills Shire Council.

“Council has not acted independently in this process and if the planning process is again delayed and changed through council’s latest interference, there is a high probability that the disincentive will cause these pods to fragment,” Mr Cook said.

“The opportunity will be lost for larger master planned built forms and over the longer term, smaller fragmented spot developments will pop up, similar to what has evolved over the years around Chatswood and Lane Cove.

Hills Shire Mayor Michelle Byrne, Castle Hill MP Ray Williams and General Manager of The Hills Shire Council Michael Edgar at Beaumont Hills.

“Residents have been precluded from having a voice in the planning process, yet as residents they are already the ones most impacted in both the short and long term.”

The council’s general manager Michael Edgar said it was working hard to provide solutions to growth and demand in The Hills, while considering the wider community’s concerns for high density development.

“The planning process for the Showground Precinct is a complex one,” he said.

“The State Government is attempting to retro fit high density urban form into an existing low density suburb that has about 500 dwellings.

“The Showground Precinct can’t deal with an increase of around 8000 dwellings and 17,000 new residents without changing the urban footprint to sustain growth.”

Mr Edgar said the outcome of the design would impact current and future residents.

“Rezoning must look at the bigger picture — creating new and wider roads, upgrading intersections, building more parks, sporting fields, community and medical facilities and making sure we have schools within a walkable distance — to sustain a quadruple-sized population increase,” he said.

“I am hopeful that a decision will be made by the Minister soon.”