Rezoning- ‘another word for sell-off’

Numerous public facilities including schools and hospitals in the City of Sydney local government area are being rezoned to allow them to be sold and redeveloped.

Councils throughout NSW are being obligated by the state government to adopt new Local Environmental Plans (LEP) under the terms of a statewide “Standard Instrument”.

Under the changes, some public facilities will be rezoned from ‘special use’ to ‘residential’ and ‘commercial’ zones- allowing them to be used for private development.

Greens MP David Shoebridge has slammed the government’s decision and said the removal of protective zoning will mean public facilities are “easy targets for sale and redevelopment”.

“We must protect key infrastructure in our communities from short term profiteering by property developers and cash-hungry state governments,” he said.

“By forcing Councils to rezone their schools, hospitals and town halls, the state government is handing an incoming Coalition government the capacity for a state-wide sell-off of public land.”

The new LEP laws restrict the use of ‘special use’ zonings by Council– that is, a part of land that may only be used for the use that it is zoned for.

Mr Shoebridge said the roll-out of the new ‘Standard Instrument’ LEP, protective zoning will be “taken away from these facilities”.

But the Department of Planning has defended their decision stating on their website the new zoning approach provides greater flexibility.

“The new zoning approach advocated here provides for greater flexibility and adaptive management of land used for the provision of public or private infrastructure,” it stated.

“It moves away from the zoning infrastructure land as ‘special use’ or ‘special purpose’ zones, which previously limited the ability of infrastructure providers to respond to changing demographic trends”.

Among the list of City of Sydney properties to be rezoned as ‘residential’ includes St Vincent’s hospital, Glebe Library, Bourke Street Public School, and SCEGGS Darlinghurst.

Greens candidate for Sydney, De Brierley Newton, said protective zoning is essential to protect public amenities.

“Zoning is used to protect key public infrastructure and given the history of successive NSW governments such zoning is certainly necessary,” she said.

Mr Shoebridge said by 2012 all local councils would have to adopt the new standard LEP.

“Yes, local councils are doing it but local councils are doing it under the legal direction of the state government,” he said.

“[This is] another example of the state government in the last 15 years bending over backwards for developers.”

Deputy Lord Mayor, Marcelle Hoff, did not comment much on the issue, but said council “had no say” over rezoning decisions.

The City of Sydney’s draft LEP is on exhibition until 4 April.

The website states the LEP has “been prepared to meet new state government guidelines for local planning documents and will simplify planning processes in the City of Sydney.”

The Planning Minister was contacted for comment, but did not reply at the time of publication.

by Sophie Cousins