A Developing Relationship Between Community And Council

By Sarah Healey on July 4, 2012 in News

While change is as certain as death and taxes, some things should remain the same (or at lease similar), and there has been much heated debate over various development proposals in the Eastern Suburbs recently, particularly between Coogee and La Perouse. Residents have banded together to fight for what they believe is best for their community, and Council have cupped their ears, listening to the concerns of the people.

Following a six-hour council meeting attended by hundreds of zealous locals, Randwick Council adopted a draft Local Environmental Plan that will contain planning controls for Maroubra Beach that will restrict future development to a maximum of 16 metres.

The LEP is Council’s main legal document that controls how land is used, what can be built, where it can be built and what activities can occur on the land.

Randwick Mayor Scott Nash said the decision was a responsible one and showed that Council had listened to the locals.

“This is democracy in action. Council developed a plan in close consultation with the community, residents have voiced their concerns… namely the heights, and we’ve listened and scaled parts back,” he said.

Another development issue on the agenda recently was the potential rezoning of Carr Street in Coogee between Kurrawa Avenue and Beach Street from residential to commercial. This too was quashed, preventing developers from potentially erecting a colossal pub next to Barzura cafe, which would inevitably escalate anti-social behaviour and increase noise pollution in the area.

Instead, Randwick Council has adopted a clause that allows for low-impact retail. According to Council’s communications manager Joshua Hay, “something like a café or a restaurant would be permitted to front Carr Street, but it maintains a residential zone, so it can never be over-developed” meaning ‘Kings Cross by the sea’ will never come to fruition.

Randwick Council also recently voted to rezone the Chinese Market Gardens in La Perouse from residential to primary production, which will see the State Heritage listed site continue its 150-year history of food production.

However, Council noted that the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park has lodged a planning proposal requesting they use 60 per cent of the market gardens site for cemetery use.

In response to this, Mayor Nash emphasised that “any future expansion of the cemetery onto lands currently occupied by the market gardens would be subject to a rigorous assessment… and the owner of the market gardens site (the Department of Lands) agreeing to the rezoning. A Development Application would then be required for any design and development on the site, and the community would be closely involved in the process.”

The ‘development debate’ will always be a hot topic in the Eastern Suburbs, and not everyone will be pleased with the adjudicator’s decision, but seeing positive outcomes as a result of effective communication between Council and the community is surely a step in the right direction.