It is unthinkable the government will treat us like this: Mayor Asfour
CANTERBURY Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour is vowing to prevent suburbs from being overrun with 240,000 new residents.
The Express
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CANTERBURY Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour calls it a train wreck of a policy and is vowing to prevent suburbs from being overrun with more than 200,000 new residents.
Cr Asfour did not mince his words at last Tuesday’s council meeting, blasting the State Government’s proposals to rezone R2 (low density residential) areas, saying it will have a “devastating effect on residential areas in the Canterbury Bankstown LGA”.
He said the rezoning will see more than 80,000 new dwellings, unplanned by the council, on top of the 50,000 new dwellings under the South District Plan.
“This could bring 240,000 new residents living in these properties with no new major infrastructure planned or funded to support this growth,” he said.
“These residents will bring additional vehicles on our roads and in our residential neighbourhoods.”
There are 26 suburbs under R2 zoning in Canterbury Bankstown area.
He quoted the Greater Sydney Commissions as saying in its Greater Sydney Region Plan released in March that, “councils are in the best position to investigate and confirm which parts of their local government areas are suited to additional medium density opportunities”. “The government has not even waited for the ink to dry before it has completely disregarded
the Greater Sydney Commission and headed in the complete opposite direction.,” Cr Asfour said.
“We have not been given any opportunity to investigate the impact or confirm the appropriateness of uncontrolled medium density development across the city.
“I welcome any pearls of wisdom from the (federal) Member for Banks (David Coleman) on how this policy will help his community and protect it from inappropriate overdevelopment.”
Banks federal Liberal MP David Coleman, countering the mayor’s statement, said the council’s rezoning plan for Padstow is excessive, saying it will add 11,000 new residents to the area.
“Council’s East Hills plan would allow the population of the entire suburb to increase by more than 100 per cent,” he said.
“And thousands more residents would be added to both Revesby and Panania.
“These plans are excessive, are not required and must not be allowed to proceed.”
Cr Asfour said the council want to meet Planning Minister Anthony Roberts for an exemption from the Codes SEPP (State Environmental Planning Policy) amendments within the R2 zone.
He said the council will work to ban manor houses, terraces/town house/villa development from the R2 low density residential zone and restrict dual occupancy development.
Cr Asfour said that he is not ruling out legal challenges, with the council general manager to “seek legal opinion on other options to address this issue”.
“What we have seen is a slow train wreck of policies and strategies coming out of the government which will destroy local neighbourhoods, local character, in fact all we know and love about our areas,” Cr Asfour said.
“This is not a thought bubble of the government.
“The changes to the state planning policy to enable more density, with no safeguards in place, is already here and coming to a site near you.”
Cr Asfour said under the state government’s plans for low density areas, there will be two storey dual occupancies on 12m wide lots and each dwelling only needs to provide one parking space and 16m2 of private open space.
“This represents one fifth of the current open space requirement under the current planning rules,” Cr Asfour said.
Cr Asfour said it will be nightmare for the city and it is a sneaky way “change how our city will look like”.
“For the best part of two years we listened to the government, then in one fell swoop, they ignore this.
“It hurts me ... it is unthinkable the government will treat us like this.”
Cr Asfour said it is now time they pull the handbrake on this form of development and refocus on successfully managing growth in their centres and corridors that have established services and facilities and transport infrastructure to support them.
“What has been produced by the government will result in a nightmare for our city and
feuds between families and unaccountable developers and certifiers,” he said.
“I will not stand for this and I know this council and its community does not want to see this nightmare turn to reality.”