No Lewisham Towers

15 Jun 09  by Sam Worrad

The campaign against the 14-storey Lewisham towers development on Old Canterbury Rd continues to gain momentum, though Marrickville Labor claims it is at the centre of a scare campaign.

Labor councillor Mary O’Sullivan said the Greens were “doing their best to portray local and state Labor as beholden to developer donations, but it is not true”.

“We are as critical as anybody of the proposal because it is singularly inappropriate for the area, and where we differ is how the proposal should be assessed,” she said.

Marrickville Labor Mayor Sam Iskandar agreed scare tactics had been used.

“It is wrong to say that there is a monster coming and that it is inevitable,” he said.

“I will say again, we don’t support it and we never supported it.”

At tonight’s Marrickville Council meeting, the Greens will move two motions – one calling for the council to commission a master plan for the precinct between Old Canterbury Rd and the goods railway line in Lewisham and a second motion calling for the development to be assessed by the council and not the Planning Minister.

The second motion was voted down by a combination of Labor and independent councillors in March.

“If the councillors are listening to the community and know the depth of feeling about this issue, I would hope the motions can get through,” Greens councillor Max Phillips said.

There has been more than 650 hits on the http://www.nolewishamtowers.org website, where Marrickville’s Greens and Independent councillors Dimitrios Thanos and Morris Hanna have registered their opposition to the towers.

Read this story on the Inner West Courier’s website.

29 May 2009

Marrickville Council concerned on proposed Lewisham development

Marrickville Council has expressed great concerns over the proposed McGill Street precinct development in Lewisham and has called on the State Government to seriously consider its potential negative impacts on the area.

Council forwarded its concerns to the Department of Planning following the lodgement of a Part 3A  Application for the development, for which Council is not the determining authority.

Mayor of Marrickville Sam Iskandar said the proposal would have massive impacts on traffic, access and public amenity if the area, and the scale and density of the proposal were in stark contrast to the result expected from a properly considered plan for the area.

“We recognise there is a need for change in the Lewisham area, but analysis by Council officers indicates that any future development should be masterplanned and have a neighbourhood focus with residential, some supporting retail and employment uses, rather than creating a new town centre,” Clr Iskandar said.

“The height, density and scale of the proposal are totally inappropriate for this site and with no public open space proposed for the development, there would be increased demand on existing over-utilised open space.

“Plans to increase commuter parking around Lewisham Station and increased traffic flow generated by the development would also significantly impact on resident access and parking,” Clr Iskandar said.

“There are also significant concerns about this proposal from neighbouring Councils and communities. The area needs to be properly masterplanned rather than dominated by a single development that is too big.”

Councillor Iskandar pointed out that the Department of Planning has acknowledged in correspondence with the applicant that the excessive height and scale of the development was of concern.

“It is clear that there are significant issues with the plan and these must be addressed,” Clr Iskandar said.

ENDS

Media contact: Sam Bartlett, Communication Co-ordinator

The following motion was passed unanimously by Leichhardt Council on 26 May 2009.

Notice of Motion

Moved: Cr Porteous. Seconded Cr Cinis

Part 3A application for 14 story residential towers and supermarket complex at Longport Street and Old Canterbury Road Lewisham.

Background:

The developer Demian Constructions has submitted an application to the Department of Planning for the proposed development at Longport Street and Old Canterbury Road Lewisham to be assessed under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. The Director-General has now accepted this application under Part 3A.
This means that the development will bypass the local council assessment and will limit community input and the transparency of the decision making process.

The development plans are for multiple residential towers up to 14 stories high and for around 12,000 square metres of retail space, including a 4,000 square metre supermarket. The $150 million development also includes 500 apartments and 16 townhouses.

This development will have a major impact on the residents in particularly in West Leichhardt due to the significant increases in traffic generation and flows around the site.

Fourteen storey high buildings will far exceed any existing building in the Marrickville LGA and has the potential to set a new precedent in building heights not just for Marrickville LGA but for Ashfield and Leichhardt LGAs. .

The retail space proposed in this development will have major effects on local shopping strips within the Marrickville LGA, particularly Petersham, Dulwich Hill and Marrickville, and will also have a significant impact on Leichhardt and Ashfield shopping strips.

Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 strips the power of local councils to be the consent authority for very large or important developments.  The stated intention is for it to be used only for developments of ‘state significance’.

The Greens do not believe a few residential buildings and a supermarket mall in Lewisham meet the threshold of being of ‘state significance’.

There is a strong public perception that ‘Part 3A’ is used as a way for developers to bypass local councils and local communities for fast tracked development approval.

Since Part 3A came into operation 99% of projects accepted for assessment under Part 3A have been approved.

There is a strong public perception that many projects approved under Part 3A have been proposed by companies who have made donations to the NSW Labor Party.  This has undermined the public’s confidence in the integrity of our planning system and led to perceptions of corruption.

According to the financial disclosure records of the Electoral Funding Authority and the Australian Electoral Commission, the entity ‘Demian Developments’ has donated over $20,000 to the NSW Labor Party since 2002.

The director and secretary of ‘Demian Developments’ during the time of these donations is the same director and secretary of ‘Demian Constructions’.  They also share the same addresses.  It is highly likely that the public will perceive a potential conflict of interest if this development is decided under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979

That it is moved that Leichardt Council notes:

1)    that an application has been lodged with and accepted by the Department of Planning for assessment under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 of a proposed development at Longport Street and Old Canterbury Road Lewisham;

2)    the proposed development includes large residential towers and substantial retail space that is likely to have major effects on the local community, traffic generation and flow;

3)    the large amount of retail space in this development has potentially detrimental effects on main street shopping strips within the Leichhardt LGA, particularly Marketplace and Norton St Shopping Precincts.

4)    99% of applications accepted for assessment under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 have been approved.

5)    the company ‘Demian Developments’, which is related to the applicant company ‘Demian Constructions’ through the director and secretary, has donated over $20,000 to the NSW Labor Party since 2002.

That Leichhardt Council therefore:

6)    Rejects the applicant’s claim that the development is of ‘state significance’ and calls on the Minister for Planning, Kristina Kennelly to reject the application under Part 3A, and for any development application be assessed by Marrickville Council;

7)    Write to the member for Marrickville, Carmel Tebbutt, the member for Strathfield, Virginia Judge, the member for Canterbury, Linda Burney and to the member for Balmain, Verity Firth, asking them to oppose the part 3A application and for the application be assessed by Marrickville Council.

8)    That a meeting be urgently convened with Councillors, Mayor and relevant staff from Marrickville, Leichhardt and Ashfield councils to enable the councils to work collaboratively in rejecting the assessment of this development as “State Significant ” under Part 3A.

9)    That following this meeting a report be brought to the June Ordinary meeting and that the report contains a notification that will be approved for distribution to all residents and businesses in the Leichhardt precinct informing them of this proposed development and its likely impacts on Leichhardt and informing them of how they can write to the Planning Minister opposing the assessment of this development under Part 3A.

At 7.40 tonight Ashfield Council unanimously passed the following motion put by Councillors Lofts and Kelso

1. That the Director of Planning and Environment, of Ashfield Council, Mr Phil Sarin be authorised to technically assess the compliance, non-compliance or inadequacy of Development Proposal MP O8_0195 in addressing the Director General of Planning’s Requirements, should this proposal reach the Environmental Assessment Stage.
2. That should independent assessments be required for the impact of
   the traffic or the retail components of the proposal, Mr Sarin report
   to Council regarding the commissioning of such assessments
3. That included in these assessments, the impact on Summer Hill,
   Ashfield and other relevant centres be included.
4. That Council identify the legal status of protection for the endangered bandicoot native to the site.

A second motion was unanimously passed minutes later from Cr Stott:

1. That, on behalf of the residents of this municipality, Ashfield Council reaffirms its opposition to this gross overdevelopment, and communicates this message to the Minister for Planning, The Hon Kristina Keneally, The Hon Carmel Tebbutt, The Hon Lynda Burney, The Hon Virginia Judge and the Hon Anthony Albanese.
2. That Ashfield Council’s Director of Planning and Environment, as soon as possible, prepare a report outlining the broad social, commercial and environmental impacts of this proposal on the communities (both residential and commercial) of Summer Hill and Ashfield, prior to the proposal reaching the Environmental Assessment stage. This report, after adoption by Council, be transmitted to the Minister for Planning, Ms K Keneally and the Director General of the Department of Planning.
3. That a clear outline of the proposal be the subject of the next Mayoral column, with a link to www.nolewishamtowers.org to provide access to updates and register submissions.
4. That details of the Lewisham Towers proposal be the prominent feature of the next Council Newletter.
5. That Ashfield Council provide a link to www.nolewishamtowers.org on the front page of our website.
6. That Ashfield Council allocate $12,000 to fund the assessments.