Update on 24 OCtober council meeting

Update on revised council submission to 24 October 2017 meeting

The council revised submission for the corridor strategy is now live.

Despite an 12 October council resolution asking the staff to look more closely at our submission, and a Save Dully delegation meeting with the mayor and staff during the week, nothing has really changed in the draft submission.

The submission:

Continues to promote rezonings in the block bordered by Consett St, Terrace Rd and Hercules St, along with The Parade, while at the same time recommending individual heritage listings in these block, with a minor change to say “this area needs to be re-evaluated after the recommended comprehensive heritage study is undertaken which should then inform consideration of appropriate land use controls for this area.” This position is a retreat from the Marrickville Council position in 2015 which recommended that this block be retained as a single dwelling area (which is our current position). The draft council position could leave heritage home owners isolated in this block.
A statement in favour of nine-storey development on Hercules St opposite the school - see the privacy and overshadowing impacts of this here.
This is despite the former Administrator refusing to accept this recommendation in July and the former Marrickville Council recommending only five-six storey development on this site in 2015.
Our submission recommends three storeys alongside the school and six storeys alongside New Canterbury Rd at this site.
A recommendation to allow five-storey development in part of the block currently zoned for unit development bounded by Constitution Rd, Denison Rd and New Canterbury, alongside a recommendation to retain single dwelling areas in this block. The report also recommends heritage listing the Uniting Church and art deco apartments at 521 New Canterbury Rd. This area is currently proposing for blanket eight-storey development. Our position is to defer any planning controls in this area for local investigation and protect the Church.
No support for our position on Riverside Crescent or School Parade
No real strong advocacy in favour of areas set aside as single dwelling areas and a failure to address the council resolution on 12 October in regard to protecting Macarthur Parade North.
A failure to address our very real concerns about the inappropriate timing of new development alongside the construction of the Metro line – this concern has only been heightened by the release of the EIS which shows an incredible level of disruption to our suburb while the Metro is built (more detailed email coming shortly).
Continued references to in favour of resuming homes for open space in School Parade but also at the very north of east Hercules St, in direct defiance of the 12 October resolution.

In other words, this draft submission is a significant disappointment and if anything a backward step compared to well-articulated Marrickville Council submission in 2015, which was for clearer about the character and values of our suburb. One possibility is that staff are taking this position to gather developer contributions, including to build the GreenWay.

An updated more detailed analysis map is below.

Separately, Clr Drury is looking at moving a motion calling on the government to hand over strategic planning control in the corridor to the council.

The mayor also told us on Tuesday there had been an idea for the council to offer to the government that the council would accelerate its LEP, if the government handed over control. If this means development at the same time as significant railway construction this would be of concern.

Options available to residents include:

Send emails to the mayor and councillors (Ashfield and Marrickville ward councillors the best targets)
Speak at the council meeting (note it could again be a long night)
Giving feedback on our best position by replying to this email.