Randwick Council Suspends Racecourse rezoning after Paul Pearce criticism of process on Streetcorner
Randwick Greens Councillor Murray Matson
The following is from the Randwick Mayor.
“Mayor Seeks Urgent Clarification Meeting With Paul Pearce
Randwick Mayor Murray Matson has suspended Council work on a major rezoning proposal following criticism by Coogee Labor MP Paul Pearce on the Streetcorner web site that the project is “very flawed”.
The Mayor is now seeking an urgent meeting with Pearce because the project was going to provide some of 8,400 new dwellings “demanded” of the Council under the State Labor Government’s Metro Strategy Plan.
Mayor Murray Matson stated today the Council had been looking at putting around 1,500 extra dwellings in the UNSW, Randwick Race Course and Prince of Wales Hospital area. He elaborated,
“Yesterday Coogee Labor MP Paul Pearce used the Streetcorner web site to torpedo the Council’s exhibited discussion paper currently calling it ‘very flawed’. I had no choice but to immediately suspend Council work on it and seek a meeting with Mr Pearce”
Mayor Matson stated that the Pearce’s “unexpected” comments had come out of “left field” because the discussion paper was intended to allow the Council to meet the State Governments 8,400 dwelling target for Randwick.
He said,
“I need to urgently meet with Mr Pearce to clarify what it is that he now wants the Council to do to accommodate the 8,400 extra dwellings that his Government has instructed us to take.”
The Council wanted to put the dwellings where a majority of its’ jobs were in order to reduce trip journeys. Mayor Matson stated,
“Council was proposing to accommodate some of these additional dwellings in the Specialised Centre, which is the racecourse, UNSW and hospital area. This is because this is where 40% of our workforce actually do work and a lot of students study. We were thinking that we could put around 1,500 dwellings in this area.
If we are not allowed to do that then we need Mr Pearce to identify which part of the municipality we are required to put them in. Where are they actually supposed to go? Coogee? Clovelly? Kensington? We need some direction here from the local Labor MP.”
Mayor Matson stated that the meeting with Pearce need to scope out a number of issues so that he could report back to Council what Mr Pearce required of the Council.
He said
“Council had been intending to move ahead with a comprehensive reworking of our Local Environment Plan midway through next year. This is another process required of us by the State Government. We wanted to have some direction from the community consultation on the Specialised Centre exhibition to use for that city wide rezoning process. Pearce has now thrown our time tables out of the window.”
Mayor Matson stated that he intended to discuss with Mr Pearce a number of objectives behind the Specialised Centre study including avoiding the possible future downgrading of UNSW and the Hospital.
The questions the Mayor would like to put to Mr Pearce are:
• Is the Government’s Metro Strategy target of 8,400 new dwellings for Randwick still required of Council; or not
• Is the Comprehensive rezoning LEP required of Council by the Government to accepted as the means to achieve this government required housing increase;
• If the Government’s 8,400 target is still required, does Mr Pearce accept that the Specialised Centre area can be allocated a maximum number of around 1,500 new dwellings based on the following justifications;
? Expected job growth and UNSW student accommodation needs; ? Establishing key stake holder support for a light rail station in High street to service UNSW, the Hospital and the Racecourse; ? Advancing Council’s off road bike plan for Anzac Parade; ? Preserving UNSW and POW from possible downgrading or closure if accommodation and transport needs are not met; ? Achieving of transport, climate change and fuel sustainability goals by reducing trip journeys to the Centre; and ? Broader regional objectives such as the need to reduce urban sprawl in outer suburban areas; and
• If the Specialised Centre proposed is to be scrapped, where does the Council put the dwellings required under the Metro Strategy?
Mayor Matson said,
“I intend to advise fellow Councillors to suspend all work on the discussion paper until it is clear what Mr Pearce is articulating the Government’s position to be.”
Metropolitan Strategy - dwelling target for Randwick City:
8400 dwellings over 25 years (from 2004-2031) to help address Sydney’s expected population growth and changing household sizes.
Figures below show Randwick City Council’s suggested approach to addressing the target is to plan for a dwelling range focused in and around centres and major redevelopment sites:
The figures show a range of dwelling numbers
Future dwelling growth 1,800 to 3,000
Town/commercial centres 2,500 to 3,000
Education/Health Specialised Centre 1,500 to 2,000
Major redevelopment sites 1,000 to 1,500
Other areas – rezoning requests/infill 200 to 300
DWELLING TOTAL 7,000 to 9,800
This is the conclusion of Mayor Matson’s news update.
Related article by Greens Candidate for Coogee Sue Doran
Randwick Council must give residents more time for high rise land grab discussion paper
http://www.streetcorner.com.au/news/show...
Should this rezoning of Randwick Racecourse proceed? Or should this Crown Land remain Open Space?
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Comments
Kensington Lover posts
Murray my view is that UNSW land and the land on the Prince of Wales hospital's current site is ok for apartments but I am strongly opposed to development on the Randwick Racecourse. This should be keep open space. We give this land to the racing industry for horse racing, not for apartment development. That is just outrageous that the racecourse should be rezoned to allow apartments. I am strongly opposed to this and think this should not be on the table. Just because we have to house more people does not allow us to use the only green lungs we have and start building all over them. Once they are gone there will still be population pressure and what then, will be start building on parks? There has to be a smarter solution that this sloppy and ill thought out approach.
Political BS posts
Coogee Labor MP Paul Pearce comments has no substance , political BS . He is worry about upcoming Sate election , trying to make himself look good , but any intelligent person can see that the State Government policy & Councils plan for rezoning makes a lot of good sense , perhaps instead of rezoning Crown land - open space, the council can find private open space to reason , this way Crown land will stay open space , and in the hands of the community . We need extra dwellings!!!
RAM posts
Well it is an interesting article but it missed out on a few points, factual points that is. . I notified the Mayor, the General Manager and the strategic planners about the potential for this rezoning to add between 20,000 to 30,000+ units (all of Randwick only has around 45,000 remember) at a meeting with all Precinct executives on November 3. . I only notified Paul Pearce on November 17. . By my figuring the Mayor had a two week head start AND had the power to question and demand answers to what I raised at the meeting. . Well Murray, can we see what reports you commissioned or emails you sent since November 3 about this. That way the public can see the real efforts you have made on local residents behalf. . By the way, I have not heard anything back from the General Manager nor the Mayor about the questions I raised, numbers I proposed nor other issues raised. . Perhaps looking closer to home would be more productive for Randwick Council.
Paul Pearce MP posts
Dear Political BS, given that the strategy was devised and put out by Randwick Council, the responsibility sits squarely with the Council. I had a very productive meeting with the mayor where the concerns that have been raised with me by a significant number of residents were able to be ventilated. The Randwick General Manager was also present for part of the meeting. You may consider my involvement "political" but I assure you that I would prefer not to become involved in the responsibilities that sit with Local Government. However, I would be doing less than my job if I failed to present concerns raised with me. Also, as the Member for Coogee and with a background in local government and planning law, I had my own concerns at the direction this strategy was heading. Mr Political BS, you may favor highrise development- perhaps you are in real estate development yourself?- I for one do not favour highrise, high density expansion in an area which already has some of the highest residential densities in the Sydney metropolital area. I suggest that you reconsider your views and perhaps get a better "grip" on urban planning.
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