or get this?

do we keep this?

The Greater Sydney Commission has released the Revised Draft North District-Plan. It predicts there will be 200,000 more people living in 92,000 more dwellings in the North District by 2036.

It sets out priorities raised by all of us who commented on the 2016 draft, including:

• Protection of neighbourhood character
• Medium density rather than high density housing
• Enhanced walking and cycling connections
• Improved transport and infrastructure to support housing
• Measures to protect biodiversity
• Protection of natural landscape including foreshore and bushland
• Protection of open space, including Green Grid and urban tree canopy
• Protection of metropolitan rural areas, particularly South Dural.

Why is this so very different from the reality of what is happening around us right now?

Comment on this latest draft before December 15th.

Here is the Hunters Hill Trust’s submission to the Greater Sydney Commission (GSC) commenting on the details of the Draft Plan for GSC’s North District.

This is a follow up to the Trust’s initial submission sent in October 2016.

Housing targets:  only 4 years from now

The Greater Sydney Commission’s Plan for the Northern District sets a target of 25,950 additional dwellings by 2021.

This includes 150 in Hunters Hill, 300 in Mosman, 1,250 in Willoughby, 1,900 in Lane Cove, 3,000 in North Sydney, 3,400 in Northern Beaches, 4,000 in Ku-ring-gai, 4,350 in Hornsby and 7,600 in Ryde.  The target for Greater Sydney is 189,100 additional dwellings by 2021.

How do you feel about this?  Are you confident this will give us a ‘more liveable, more sustainable, more productive’ community?  Other important changes are proposed for our area.

Read the full draft Northern District Plan here and Make your own quick submission to the Greater Sydney Commission here, before March 31st

Draft District Plans for Greater Sydney are available for comment.  Hunters Hill is part of the Northern District which also includes Hornsby, Ryde, Lane Cove, Mosman, Willoughby, Ku-ring-gai, North Sydney and Northern Beaches local government areas.  Read the full draft Northern District Plan here.

W h a t  a b o u t   h e r i t a g e  &  c o n s e r v a t i o n ?

The plan sets out priorities and actions related to PRODUCTIVITY, LIVEABILITY and SUSTAINABILITY.  ‘Heritage elements’ are addressed under Liveability:

Action 13:  Conserve and enhance environmental heritage including Aboriginal, European and natural Identification and protection of heritage elements.   Lead agencies for this action are the Office of Environment & Heritage, Dept of Planning & Environment and Aboriginal Affairs in partnership with the Greater Sydney Commission and local  Councils.

Housing targets:  only 5 years from now

The plan sets a target of 25,950 additional dwellings for the Northern District by 2021.  This includes 150 in Hunters Hill, 300 in Mosman, 1,250 in Willoughby, 1,900 in Lane Cove, 3,000 in North Sydney, 3,400 in Northern Beaches, 4,000 in Ku-ring-gai, 4,350 in Hornsby and 7,600 in Ryde.  The target for Greater Sydney is 189,100 additional dwellings by 2021.

The Total Environment Centre is coordinating input to the Greater Sydney Commission from community groups, including Hunters Hill Trust.   6 areas of common interest and major concern about the rampant development in Sydney have been defined:

1. Loss of local character
2. Heritage protection
3. Loss of biodiversity
4. Urban tree cover
5. Waterway health
6. Loss of open space.

Experts, community groups and advocates are spelling out what action is needed now for each of these issues.  Draft strategies to protect heritage include:

• Across Greater Sydney, heritage listed items and Heritage Conservation Areas should be protected from demolition and inappropriate development
• District Plans should actively seek to identify, recognize and protect heritage items and Heritage Conservation Areas from demolition and/or inappropriate development
• Development objectives should strive to protect and enhance the individual heritage values of localities within the overall area
• Development objectives should aim to create and maintain locally distinctive urban characters in new development zones.

The issues and suggested strategies for all 6 concerns are set out in the Summary of the Environment Panel’s Draft Report to GSC.

The Hunters Hill Trust wants the Greater Sydney Commission (GSC) to include heritage and conservation as core values and a central aspect of making great places for people to live. The HHT’s submission to the GSC points to the crisis in heritage and conservation in Sydney.

Hunters Hill is part of the GSC’s Northern District.  The Draft District Plan will be released on November 21st at the same time as the Northern District Planning Panel starts its operations.  This panel has the power to:

• determine regionally significant development applications (generally developments over $20 million)
• consider pre-gateway (rezoning) reviews, allow requests for reviews of council decisions or lack of decisions within 90 days.

Who will get a voice at this table?

The Greater Sydney Commission Act sets out the rules.  Each council nominates their members of the Planning Panel.  At least one of these nominees must be a person who has expertise in at least one area of planning, architecture, heritage, the environment, urban design, land economics, traffic and transport, law, engineering or tourism.  Where a matter is considered, the council nominated representatives for the particular council where that matter is located will sit on the panel.

We need to watch this space, ask questions, make comments, insist on high standards.

Big changes are underway at the Greater Sydney Commission (GSC).  Hunters Hill is part of the GSC’s vast Northern District which also includes Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, Northern Beaches, Mosman, North Sydney, Ryde and Willoughby councils.  There are 6 Districts in Greater Sydney.

The Northern District Planning Panel will start its operations on November 21st, chaired by Dr Deborah Dearing.  This panel has the power to:

• determine regionally significant development applications (generally developments over $20 million)
• consider pre-gateway (rezoning) reviews, allow requests for reviews of council decisions or lack of decisions within 90 days.

The Sydney Planning Panels have to take their District Plan into consideration when reviewing Local Environmental Plans and considering rezoning review requests. The Draft District Plan for the Northern District is currently being prepared and is due for release on November 21.

Submissions from the general community are being collated now.  Send your ideas, priorities and considered advice to  http://www.greater.sydney/Discuss.  

You can check the notes from the recent community meeting with the Northern Division of the Greater Sydney Commission here.  Issues included:

Future of Local Environment Plans

DA assessment processes

Lack of voice for the community

Massive over developments and ‘State significant projects’

Loss of green space.