Police withdraw Leichhardt LAC

Leichhardt Council is delighted NSW Police have withdrawn their development application for a Local Area Command in Leichhardt. The Council had rejected the proposal twice the Joint Regional Planning Panel’s (JRPP) had resolved to approve the LAC if the police amended the DA’s parking and heritage.
Mayor of Leichhardt Council and JRPP member Rochelle Porteous said:
“I voted against this application at every stage, and am very happy to see it withdrawn,” she said. “While Council continues to support a police presence in Leichhardt, this DA was an over intensification of the site.”
“The applicant failed to properly consider the risk and amenity impacts for local residents, students at the nearby school, and families using Pioneer Park,” she said.
Independent Councillor John Stamolis said a withdrawal is the logical result.
“This was always the wrong location . . . I don’t know why it wasn’t rejected earlier.”
“We ended up wasting a lot of time in Council. It probably should have been refused at the JRPP hearing in June.”
The Council criticised the Panel for granting a month’s extension given there were 241 objections over issues of parking and heritage.
“This was Council’s oldest outstanding DA – it has been going on for way to long and other applicants have not been given such leeway to amend their application,” said Cr Porteous.
“JRPPs were introduced to streamline the determination process by this DA clearly demonstrates that they are a deeply flawed model which locks the community out of the consultation process.”
Greens MP Jamie Parker is campaigning to save the Glebe police station after the withdrawal of what he called the ‘super police station’ DA.
“This is a positive step forward. This development would have meant the sale of Glebe police station. We now have the opportunity to save Glebe police station and improve important police services for our community,” he said.
“We need to retain police services in our community and improve their resources rather than centralising services into poorly planned super stations which have significant negative impacts. Teena Clerke, member of Leichhardt Community Group, who campaigned against the DA, said there is the opportunity to reinstall local police stations.
“We are also optimistic that the site in Derbyshire Road can be considered for a performing arts facility for Sydney Secondary College Leichhardt Campus, which is more appropriate in light of the population growth in the Inner West,” she said.
Ms Clerke had previously called for NSW Police to reveal the 12-15 other sites identified as alternative locations for the LAC.
Cr Porteous said she is still cautious about what will happen next.
“We have had no indication from them as to what they intend to do next,” she said.