HHT recently met with Anthony Roberts, Minister for Planning and Carolyn McNally, Secretary of NSW Planning and Environment to discuss concerns about unsympathetic development across Sydney, the draft Medium Density Housing Code as well as concerns about Gladesville Shopping Village and Windsor Bridge.  Detailed correspondence has followed that meeting (see below).

We now seek assurance that a declaration of ‘State Significant lnfrastructure’ will not be used to bulldoze inappropriate development through the Hunters Hill Municipality.  ‘Priority Growth Areas’, ‘Priority Precincts’ and ‘Urban Renewal Corridors’ now located all over Sydney are causing significant destruction of heritage, tree cover, amenity and consequent community stress.

We applaud the recently announced ‘Better Placed’ state-wide design policy to ‘ensure the delivery of high quality urban design and better places for people across NSW’ but design guides will not turn the tide of poor design, and development driven by profit that is rampaging across Sydney, unless there is a mandatory compliance requirement to a set of standards with community and civic outcomes at their core.

Image: Advertiser, SA National Trust

Sense of place is being obliterated through lack of protections for character, mature tree coverage and consideration of resources captured in existing buildings.

View the Trust’s powerpoint presentation to the Minister and Secretary in July.  Read the Trust’s follow up letter to Minister Roberts.  Read Ms McNally’s detailed response to HHT.   You can also see the Trust’s most recent letters to Ms McNally and to Minister Roberts.