Hands off our planning powers, say councillors

By Austin G Mackell

Sydney City councillors are concerned a recently announced review of the Central Sydney Planning Committee will lead to the State Government taking planning powers from local councils.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the review, to be chaired by former Director-General of the Department of Planning Gabrielle Kibble, will not be “genuine” and the real aim is the “the abolition of the CSPC, the transfer of development [approval power for properties] above $100 million to the Minister” and the “imposition of a Joint Regional Planning Panel … for development[s] between $10 [million] and $100 million”.

She said the review was unnecessary and seemed rushed, with only a month allowed for public submissions and a report due by early August.

The CSPC, a joint state and local government body with deciding power over development approvals of over $50 million dollars in the Sydney LGA, was formed in 1988 under the City of Sydney Act.

In the last financial year, the CSPC considered more than a quarter of the State’s development applications for projects bigger than $50 million.

Minister for Planning Tony Kelly announced the review, citing “great changes to the planning system … including the introduction of Regional Panels” and the desire to speed up the DA process.

“In light of these changes now is an appropriate time to review the role of the CSPC,” he said.

Cr John McInerney, a Sydney City Council representative to the CSPC, says the move is “suspicious” and “driven by individuals who’ve been making noises about councils not giving them what they want.”

He pointed to Harry “High-rise” Triguboff of Meriton Apartments who he said had met with the minister about the issue, and other developers who contribute to the party.

The CSPC has the Lord Mayor as Chairperson, two councillors as members as well as four members appointed by the State Government; two State Government employees and two independent experts.

For the City to win a vote it needs at least one state appointee on side.

The six Joint Regional Planning Panels introduced in other local government areas since mid last year consisted of three appointees from the Planning Ministry and two councillors, again giving the state a default majority.

Cr McInerney says the professionalism of the City’s two state appointees prevents the State Government from finding other appointees obedient to the state’s pro-developer agenda.

He fears this independence is something the Ministry Of Planning will try to undermine.

He said JRPPs have been “condemned” by the state’s Local Government and Shires Association as a blatant power grab.

President of the Local Government Association Cr Genia McCaffery has criticised the panels over their lack of accountability to local communities and the fact that state appointees do not have to declare their pecuniary interests up front.

She denied State Government claims that delays in council approvals had made the new panels necessary.

“The majority of hold-ups in council determinations were caused either by delays in State agencies, or incomplete or inadequate information supplied by the applicants.”

Councils affected by JRPPs have expressed dismay at the stripping of their powers and Blacktown Council has refused to send any councillors to participate.

Seven-time Blacktown Mayor Cr Leo Kelly said he wouldn’t participate in “tokenism”.

“They can go and get stuffed – we’re not going to participate in them at all,” he said.

He called on the State Labor Party, of which he is a member, to “disband them and return the issues to the local people and the people who are elected to represent them.”