[Greens-Media] Media release: Community shut out of Bays Precinct

[Jamie Parker]

19 November, 2014

COMMUNITY ALREADY SHUT OUT BEFORE BAYS PRECINCT SUMMIT STARTS

Yesterday at opening of the Bays Precinct Summit - where no community members were invited - the NSW Treasurer announced that 16,000 dwellings would be built on the public lands of the Bays Precinct.

This morning, on the first day of the Summit, Greens MP Jamie Parker distributed a letter* to attendees outlining community concerns around the massive sell off of public land including the lack of community consultation, as well as highlighting core public interest principles the projects must adopt.

"The Treasurer has exposed the Government's intention to hoodwink the community with bogus consultation," said Greens MP Jamie Parker whose electorate of Balmain covers almost all 80 hectares of the Bays Precinct.

"These comments confirm what I have been saying since July when UrbanGrowth NSW was announced as the landholder, developer and consent authority.

"Despite the spin and denials, it is clear the Government is determined to ignore the community and the international experts invited to this expensive and exclusive summit and hand over our precious harbour lands to developers.

"UrbanGrowth is will turn the Bays Precinct into a developers' paradise sidelining the community, strategic planning and public interest.

"This announcement was made before the Summit had even begun and before we have heard a word from the international experts about what should take place in the Bays Precinct mega-project.

"We have already seen the public interest trashed in the most recent urban development at Barangaroo and it is clear this Government has not learnt any important lessons from this fiasco.

"Without a transparent, strategic and evidence-based approach the Bays Precinct will fail to deliver world-class urban renewal for Sydney, instead delivering a huge private windfall at the expense of the public," said Mr Parker.

ENDS

For further comment or for a copy of the letter distributed to Summit attendees, contact Lesa de Leau 0413 581 603


Louise Stewart
Media and Communications
Office of Jamie Parker MLA
Member for Balmain
112a Glebe Point Road Glebe 2037
T (02) 9660 7586 W www.jamieparker.org.au<http://www.jamieparker.org.au/>

The office of Jamie Parker MP respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners and
Custodians of the land on which we work - the Gadigal and Wangal People of the Eora Nation.

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