The Telegraph reported on April 26 that a parliament on Sydney's north shore claimed that the NSW government had "targeted the council" in its push to promote the development of Sydney's urban areas, and pushed its fight against increasing housing density to the national stage.
Councillors in Ku-ring-gai have stepped up their opposition against the NSW government's plan to rezoning, which would allow for medium-density development, residential complexes and seven-storey buildings on low-density residential streets.
The city's mayor, Sam Ngai, said the reforms could undermine the character of traditional urban areas and encourage developers to go on a "wild" development spree.
NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully said in a recent interview that Western Sydney is shouldering too much of the housing burden, while councils like Ku-ring-gai are lagging behind and need to start "taking responsibility".
Mayor of Ku-ring-gai Wei Siwei (Credit: The Telegraph)
NSW planning reforms target an increase in density around 31 train stations across the state, including four in the Ku-ring-gai council area – Lindfield, Gordon, Roseville and Killara.
The NSW government will undertake planning changes to 16 stations (including all four stations in Ku-ring-gai) by the end of this month, while the remaining 15 stations (in the suburbs of Ashfield, St Marys, Canterbury and Marrickville) have been granted permission to extend construction until June next year.
Ku-ring-gai Mayor Wei Siwei claimed that the start dates were politically driven ahead of the upcoming local government elections in September, with the aim of benefiting the "Labour-led parliament".
Currently, parliamentarians have approved funding and published an open letter in national, metro and local newspapers detailing Parliament's stance against the government's housing agenda.
Martin Smith (Picture: The Telegraph)
Councillor Martin Smith said the NSW government had inappropriately targeted Ku-ring-gai. "We are currently being targeted by the Labour State Government, who have used the means of class struggle in some of their practices. ”
Director of Planning Paul Scully (Image: The Telegraph)
The Planning Office said some councils have been granted extensions to allow more time to develop alternative plans to accommodate housing growth.
The extension is conditional on the provision of more housing than the number outlined by the government's redistricting reform under the alternative scheme established by the Parliament.
Planning Director Paul Scully dismissed the suggestion that the density change was politically driven, saying that the decision to include the Ku-ring-gai station in the April effective date came after the council did not provide any alternative housing schemes.
Scully said he met with Wei Siwei and parliamentary officials on Feb. 29 and that "the timeframe for starting implementation provides flexibility and allows them to plan locally".
"They had the opportunity to offer alternative planning options but did not submit anything to the Planning Office. ”
(Image source: The Telegraph)
It is understood that the councillors also dismissed a report submitted by council staff on potential alternative housing options and voted to "condemn and oppose the irresponsible planning approach taken by the Comins NSW government for the future built and natural environment of Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Central Coast".
Wei Siwei said he had hoped to "discuss the postponement of construction" at a follow-up meeting with the Planning Office on March 8, but said he was "excluded" from the meeting at the last minute.
He said it would take up to 18 months for the council to develop a strategy for alternative planning, but the NSW government's lack of an updated long-term housing target for parliament has severely limited the process.
"It took more than three months for the director to commit to the first meeting, and the second meeting was cancelled. ”
"The information about Ku-ring-gai's reluctance to cooperate doesn't feel real. ”
(Image source: The Telegraph)
The NSW government said it had used a set of evaluation criteria in the development of the housing reform package, some of which were considered "cabinet secret" and could not be released publicly. At the same time, several community groups in Ku-ring-gai continue to oppose housing reform because they are concerned that housing reform will affect transportation, tree loss and housing heritage.
City Councilmember Kim Wheatley said there were reports that developers were pressuring older residents to sell their homes due to projected density changes.