By Councillor Ellsmore
It is resolved that:
(A) Council note:
(i) the City of Sydney contains significant areas of public land, which have been subject to redevelopment or privatisation by the former NSW Government;
(ii) state planning controls more than 296 hectares of land in the City of Sydney - over 10 per cent of the Local Government Area;
(iii) the isolation of these areas and sites from the City’s planning framework results in disconnected planning processes and outcomes for the City’s residents, workers and visitors;
(iv) for many of these projects, the NSW Government relied on the planning pathway called ‘State Significant Development’ (SSD), which allowed developments to be fast-tracked and bypass local council’s decision making. Many SSD projects have been imposed on local communities despite strong community opposition;
(v) under the former NSW Government, public land was transferred to government entities without the approval of the NSW Parliament including to the Transport Asset Holding Entity (TAHE) and the Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC);
(vi) TAHE controls billions of dollars worth of the state’s rail assets. It was set up in 2014 as a corporation and acts as the developer-arm of Transport for NSW which further erodes transparency around the use of public funds;
(vii) many inner city public land sites have been privatised in part or full, such as Barangaroo, or are proposed for redevelopment and privatisation including but not limited to TAHE sites of North Eveleigh (Paint Shop sub-precinct and Clothing Store sub-precinct) and Central Station, and Blackwattle Bay;
(viii) the previous NSW Government also encouraged unsolicited proposals to government by private entities to purchase and develop public land sites;
(ix) several projects that are in the privatisation pipeline have approaching deadlines where contracts may be signed, and others the status of which is still unknown;
(x) the City reviews and makes comprehensive submissions including recommendations to improve State Rezoning Proposals and State Significant Development Applications in the City of Sydney;
(xi) during the 2023 NSW election campaign, NSW Labor committed to review all major projects on public land;
(xii) NSW Labor also committed to abolish the Transport Asset Holding Entity (TAHE) and to merge the Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) the Aboriginal Housing Office and the Department of Communities and Justice Housing into one entity called Homes NSW;
(xiii) the Council and the Lord Mayor have long advocated to NSW Governments for the return of state-controlled areas to the City’s planning framework;
(xiv) in February 2023, Council endorsed a Lord Mayoral Minute on priorities for the next NSW Government including that planning powers are returned to the City;
(xv) in March 2023, the Lord Mayor wrote to Chris Minns, the then Opposition Leader and now NSW Premier to commit to working with the City on these priorities; and
(B) Council commit the City of Sydney to work collaboratively with the NSW Labor Government to urgently review all State Significant Development (SSD) Applications and ensure that any proposals adequately reflect community needs; and
(C) the Lord Mayor be requested to again write to the incoming NSW Premier Chris Minns, and the incoming Minister for Planning to:
(i) provide copies of the City’s submissions for all State Significant Development (SSD) projects currently under assessment by the Department of Planning and Environment that are on public land;
(ii) offering support to the NSW Government’s review of those projects, including but not limited to Blackwattle Bay, Central Station and North Eveleigh sites; and
(iii) reiterate the City’s position that planning controls over major projects should be returned to local councils, and the State Significant Development (SSD) planning pathway be abolished.
Note – at the meeting of Council, the content
of the original Notice of Motion was varied by Councillor Ellsmore.
Subsequently it was –
Moved by Councillor Ellsmore, seconded by
Councillor Chan –
It is resolved that:
(A) Council note:
(i)
the
City of Sydney contains significant areas of public land, which have been
subject to redevelopment or privatisation by the former NSW Government;
(ii)
state planning
controls more than 296 hectares of land in the City of Sydney - over 10 per
cent of the Local Government Area;
(iii)
the
isolation of these areas and sites from the City’s planning framework results
in disconnected planning processes and outcomes for the City’s residents,
workers and visitors;
(iv)
for
many of these projects, the NSW Government relied on the planning pathway
called ‘State Significant Development’ (SSD), which allowed developments to be
fast-tracked and bypass local council’s decision making. Many SSD projects have
been imposed on local communities despite strong community opposition;
(v)
under
the former NSW Government, public land was transferred to government entities
without the approval of the NSW Parliament including to the Transport Asset Holding
Entity (TAHE) and the Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC);
(vi)
TAHE
controls billions of dollars worth of the state’s rail assets. It was set up in
2014 as a corporation and acts as the developer-arm of Transport for NSW which
further erodes transparency around the use of public funds;
(vii)
many
inner city public land sites have been privatised in part or full, such as
Barangaroo, or are proposed for redevelopment and privatisation including but
not limited to TAHE sites of North Eveleigh (Paint Shop sub-precinct and
Clothing Store sub-precinct) and Central Station, and Blackwattle Bay;
(viii)
the
previous NSW Government also encouraged unsolicited proposals to government by
private entities to purchase and develop public land sites;
(ix)
several
projects that are in the privatisation pipeline have approaching deadlines
where contracts may be signed, and others the status of which is still unknown;
(x)
the
City reviews and makes comprehensive submissions including recommendations to
improve State Rezoning Proposals and State Significant Development Applications
in the City of Sydney;
(xi)
during
the 2023 NSW election campaign, NSW Labor committed to review all major
projects on public land;
(xii)
NSW
Labor also committed to abolish the Transport Asset Holding Entity (TAHE) and
to merge the Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) the Aboriginal Housing Office
and the Department of Communities and Justice Housing into one entity called
Homes NSW;
(xiii)
the
Council and the Lord Mayor have long advocated to NSW Governments for the
return of state-controlled areas to the City’s planning framework;
(xiv)
in
2019, Council endorsed a Lord Mayoral Minute calling for an end to State
Significant Precincts, State Significant Developments and confidential
unsolicited proposals that seek planning outcomes;
(xv)
in February
2023, Council endorsed a Lord Mayoral Minute on priorities for the next NSW
Government including that planning powers are returned to the City; and
(xvi)
in
March 2023, the Lord Mayor wrote to Chris Minns, the then Opposition Leader and
now NSW Premier to commit to working with the City on these priorities; and
(B)
the
Lord Mayor be requested to write to the incoming NSW Premier Chris Minns, and
the incoming Minister for Planning to:
(i)
provide
copies of all the City’s submissions for State Significant Development (SSD)
and State Rezoning projects currently under assessment by the Department of
Planning and Environment that are on public land;
(ii)
offering
support to the NSW Government’s review of those projects, which should
prioritise community needs, including but not limited to Blackwattle Bay,
Central Station and North Eveleigh sites; and
(iii)
reiterate
the City’s position that planning controls over major projects should be
returned to the City, and the State Significant Development (SSD) planning
pathway be abolished.
The motion
was carried on the following show of hands –
Ayes (9) The
Chair (the Lord Mayor), Councillors Chan, Davis, Ellsmore, Gannon, Kok, Scott,
Scully and Weldon
Noes (1)
Councillor Jarrett.
Motion
carried.
X086659