Open letter to Premier Barry O’Farrell, Planning Minister Brad Hazzard, Heritage Minister Robyn Parker and Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP

We, the undersigned community groups, representing the concerned residents of City of Sydney council area, request the draft new City Plan (Draft Sydney Local Environment Plan 2011 and Draft Sydney Development Control Plan 2010) be put on hold, pending further consultation between the community, Council and the new State Government. We have come to this position because of the following:

The draft provisions do not afford adequate protection of resident amenity or heritage items.

The draft provisions encourage overdevelopment of and inappropriate uses in residential and public recreation zones.

The state directives under which the new City Plan was formulated are in conflict with the new state administration’s stated aims and objectives.

There has been inadequate consultation with communities.

We understand the new state government was elected with an overwhelmingly large mandate, partially on the platform of less intense development in inner and older suburbs and returning development issues to the local councils. The draft City Plan is the creation of the previous State Government, through directives to Council, on the numbers of dwellings to be imposed and the deletion of planning rules that recognise regional differences.

Signed by:

Ben Aveling, Co-convenor, Alexandria Residents Action Group

Peter Tzannes, Co-Chairman, Centennial Park Residents Association

Jo Holder, Co-Convenor, Darlinghurst Residents Action Group

Rosemary Potts, Co-Convenor, Friends of Bourke Street

Brett Mason, President, Friends of Erskineville

Liz Simpson, Booker, President, The Glebe Society Inc.

Brian Noad, Nichols Street Community Group

Andrew Woodhouse, President, Potts Point and Kings Cross Heritage Conservation Society Inc.

Elizabeth Elenius, Convenor, Pyrmont Action Inc.

Jean Stuart, President, Pyrmont Community Group

Geoffrey Turnbull, Spokesperson, REDWatch

Graeme Grace, Spokesman, Rosebery Residents Action Group