Tony Kelly back in court over Barangaroo
Planning Minister Tony Kelly will have to face court again over Barangaroo after Australians for Sustainable Development (AfSD) lodged new papers against the development.
The group is claiming the current plans for the site are so different from the original concept plan, desgined by architect Phillip Thalis, that a new development application should have been submitted.
AfSD’s action comes just after the Land and Environment Court dismissed its case against Mr Kelly which questioned whether remediation processes had been followed properly.
Justice Peter Biscoe ordered Mr Kelly to pay AfSD’s court costs after he exempted Barangaroo from planning laws on contamination just one day before a verdict was expected.
AfSD spokesperson and Deputy Lord Mayor, Marcelle Hoff, said Barangaroo had become the epitome of “poor planning and bad urban design”.
“The original concept plan approval contained conditions that the cruise ships be retained… conditions have been progressively removed while gross floor space of the office towers has almost been doubled,” she said.
“We now have a hotel jutting out into the harbour despite it being prohibited to build in the harbour under the Sydney Region Environmental Plan and the shoreline is a completely different shape to the original plans.”
She said she is grateful that the costs were awarded against Lend Lease and the state government, but said it does not explain why the law was changed.
“The issue is that over the past few weeks, the NSW government has demonstrated complete disregard for the court system,” she said.
AsFD are calling for the next state government to complete a commission of inquiry into Barangaroo.
They are hoping Lend Lease will stall work until an inquiry has been completed.
by Sophie Cousins
