Waterloo Connect – Community Update (newsletter) July 2024
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REDWatch Petition on the Metro Strategy Exhibition June 2013
Please Exhibit Metro Strategy for Sydney under the New Planning System!
Ask the Minister and Department to stop the current Metro Strategy exhibition and to bring it back once the new planning system has been agreed. Further, tell the Minister proper resourcing is needed so that the ground breaking community participation he is promising is actually delivered.
A New Planning System for NSW promises ground breaking community participation in making strategic plans like the Metro Strategy so people do not need to comment 80% of developments. But there has been little community input to the Metro Strategy and the promised “ground breaking arrangements” are nowhere to be seen because the Metro Strategy has been exhibited before the new system is in place.
The Metro Strategy locks in significant changes for the density and character of suburbs across Sydney that local plans have to follow. There will be less opportunity for people to have a say about their suburbs when the new system is in place because key aspects will have already been locked in with little community participation.
The Minister has declined a request to withdraw the exhibition and re-exhibit it once the proposed new planning system has been agreed. Rather, the exhibition period has been extended to the same closing date as the new planning system.
Tell the Minister this is not acceptable!
The Text of the petition is provided below:
The Hon. Brad HAZZARD MP, Minister for Planning and Infrastructure
Sydney Metro Strategy Team, Department of Planning and Infrastructure
Mr Sam Haddad, Director General, Department of Planning and Infrastructure
The White Paper on the New Planning System for NSW promises ground breaking community participation, from “people from all walks of life”. Specifically, a significant and representative proportion of the community is promised participation in developing long term strategic plans for their areas.
However the “Draft Metropolitan Strategy for Sydney to 2031” which will become the Regional Plan in "A New Planning System for NSW" is already on exhibition – well before public feedback to the new planning system can be considered, legislation agreed and new processes implemented.
There has been little community input to the Metro Strategy and the promised “ground breaking arrangements” for “a significant and representative proportion of the community” is nowhere to be seen.
This means that when communities turn up to have their input into their sub-regional and local plans they will find key planning outcomes for their suburbs already locked in with little community participation. This in turn will undermine public confidence in the success of any new system.
In response, I object to the continued exhibition of the Draft Metropolitan Strategy and oppose it being finalised on the basis of the current exhibition.
Instead, I ask that the Minister and the Department cancel the current exhibition and bring the Regional Plan for Sydney back to the community under the finalised provisions of "A New Planning System for NSW"
promised by the White Paper.
I further ask that the Minister ensure proper resourcing so that the ground breaking community participation he is promising is actually delivered under "A New Planning System for NSW".
Sincerely,
[Your name]
You can sign this petition at: Please Exhibit Metro Strategy for Sydney under the New Planning System!
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