What's New
11 March 2016
The City of Sydney Council exhibited the draft City of Sydney Developer Contributions Plan 2015, which included increasing contributions for certain areas, changing precinct boundaries and make minor changes to definitions. The Urban Taskforce submission raised concerns regarding the contribution requirements for open space, which could not be justified as councils open space plan is not complete or publicly available.
19 February 2016
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal produced a draft report of a review of the reporting and compliance burdens on local government. The Urban Taskforce submission addressed fees, data sharing, e-planning and suggested a one stop shop be adopted to streamline development processes.
04 February 2016
The Sydenham to Bankstown Urban Renewal Corridor Strategy identifies opportunities for additional homes and jobs along the town centres of the Bankstown rail line. The Urban Taskforce submission addresses concerns regarding housing and job targets, potential introduction of value capture, timeframes for delivery and rezoning under-utilised land along the corridor.
19 December 2015
Urban Growth NSW exhibited the Draft Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy outlining the future. transport and land use plans for the Corridor. The Urban Taskforce submission raised concerns regarding infrastructure funding mechanisms, employment and housing targets, performance monitoring, rezoning of land and governance.
18 December 2015
The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development exhibited the Western Sydney Airport Draft Environmental Impact Statement 2015 and Western Sydney Draft Airport Plan for public comment. The Urban Taskforce submission supported the development of the second airport but raised significant concerns regarding proposed noise contours, lack of rail link to the new airport and suggested more flexible employment zones be used to maximise use of this costly piece of infrastructure.
18 November 2015
The Department of Planning & Environment has proposed changes to the Standard Instrument Local Environmental Plan template, which will make ‘hardware and building supplies’ and ‘garden centres’ permissible uses in the Business Park, General Industrial and Light Industrial zones. The Urban Taskforce submissions supports increasing flexibility of retail zoning and notes that there is scope for further changes to the SI LEP template to improve business productivity and efficiency.
18 November 2015
The Department of Planning & Environment publicly exhibited plans for the development of the Greater Macarthur Land Release Investigation Area, which identified Menangle Park, Mount Gilead and Wilton as new growth centres for housing and employment, infrastructure requirements and provided statutory framework for planning. The Urban Taskforce submission addressed infrastructure contributions, housing supply and governance.
23 October 2015
The Hills Shire Council released The Hills Draft Corridor Strategy which outlines land use development over the next 20 years for each of the seven new Sydney Metro Northwest stations within or adjacent to The Hills local government area. The Urban Taskforce submission raises concerns that the development controls are inconsistent with state government plans for these areas, the plans do not consider site amalgamation and create confusion between state and local level planning strategies.
16 October 2015
The Office of Local Government issued a discussion paper looking at a 'Joint Organisation' model for local government reform. The Urban Taskforce submission noted that this approach could be adopted in the Sydney Metropolitan area and presented an opportunity for planning centres of excellence to undertake strategic planning on behalf of councils.
15 October 2015
The Department of Planning & Environment has reviewed the pre-Gateway review process to consider whether the pre-Gateway review is achieving its objectives, the efficiency and effectiveness of the pre-Gateway process and the role and performance of the Department and the Joint Regional Planning Panels. The Urban Taskforce submission raised concerns questioning whether JRPPs are truly independent, the need for strong state level strategic planning, the need for performance indicators and opportunities to amend proposals should be included.
