Who is Greater Sydney Commission and what has it got to do with us?

Later this month the GSC will release their district plans. Questions were raised at the last REDWatch meeting about the GSC and its powers we hope to be able to answer some of these questions. We know that the District plan will deal with the Central to Eveleigh corridor and from media reports it will deal with targets for affordable housing – if the media is to believed the targets are between 5-10% which is a vast improvement on what currently exists but which is very low, especially on government land, compared to many overseas cities with affordability problems.

We have invited the GSC, Council and the Better Planning Network to the REDWatch meeting. We are still waiting for the GSC to advise who will be attending. The City will be represented by Andrew Thomas the Executive Manager for Strategic Planning & Urban Design and BPN will be represented by Jeanette Brokman. The idea is to provide a range of perspectives on the GSC.

Our area falls into the Central GSC district and it goes from the Eastern Suburbs to Strathfield (LGAs of Botany Bay, Burwood, Canada Bay, Inner West, Randwick, Strathfield, Sydney (City of), Waverley, & Woollahra). After the plans are released around 21 November the drop in session for our region will be held at Redfern Town Hall on Saturday 26 November 10am – 1pm. Given it is in the neighbourhood we would encourage REDWatch members to put it in their organiser and drop in and have their say.