[Greens-Media] (Hale MLC) Why strip planning powers from Cessnock Council if the intention is not to do favours for Labor mates?

[Colin Hesse]

Media release

>From Sylvia Hale, Greens MP and spokesperson for Planning

11 May 2010   - For immediate use
            
Why strip planning powers from Cessnock Council if the intention is not
to do favours for Labor mates?
 
Cessnock Greens Councillor James Ryan as accused Planning Minister Tony
Kelly of adopting a ‘double standard’ in threatening to remove
planning powers from Cessnock Council. 

“Minister Tony Kelly has given vague and ill-founded reasons for
threatening to remove Council’s planning powers, “ said Councillor
Ryan.

“He is, however, conveniently ignoring the fact that Cessnock Council
approved the rezoning of 4000 lots at Bellbird North in March 2009 and
900 lots at Kitchener in July 2008. In reality, it is Department and the
Planning Assessment Commission that are delaying those approvals being
put into effect.

“The Minister criticises Cessnock Council for not releasing enough
land to meet the Lower Hunter regional Strategy targets. Again, he seems
to have forgotten that four release areas in Cessnock (including
Huntlee, the largest residential proposal in the State with 7500 lots)
came to grief when the Land & Environment Court found that former
Minister for Planning Sartor’s approval of their release was invalid
because of apprehended bias.

“Minister Kelly is now saying he has received complaints about land
release delays. He must specify exactly who has complained, what they
have complained about, and the evidence he has to suggest that those
complaints are justified.

“The threat to remove Cessnock council’s planning powers appears to
be more related to a campaign to discredit Cessnock Council following
Labor’s loss of control of the Council at the last election. The
former Labor-controlled council had close links to Labor luminaries and
property developers.

“The recommendations of a Department of Local Government 2008
investigation into Cessnock Council did not include removing the
Council’s planning powers. The Department’s twelve-month review of
Cessnock Council has just been completed and has indicated that Council
is moving in the right direction,” said Councillor Ryan.

Sylvia Hale MLC, Greens spokesperson on planning, expressed her concern
at the loss of local control over planning.

“The Government seems to have learned nothing from the Huntlee
debacle,” said Ms Hale.

“This latest move shows just how much influence big landowners and
major donors to the ALP exert over the Government.

“If the Minister really believes the Council is frustrating the land
release process, he should produce the hard evidence and not rely on
anonymous complaints.

“As both Huntlee and Catherine Hill Bay demonstrate, the Government
has been very keen in the past to do sweetheart deals with its developer
and donor mates. Stripping planning powers from Cessnock Council is
simply one more step down this very greasy and unpleasant path.

“Handing the Council’s planning powers to a group of people
appointed by the Minister for Planning does absolutely nothing to allay
suspicions about the Government’s real motives,” said Ms Hale.

 Contact: Colin Hesse for Sylvia Hale on 0401 719 124 or Clr James Ryan
0414 922 591