26 March, 2014
Undue influence of developers on proposed planning system must be exposed
Nature Conservation Council of NSW has welcomed a resolution adopted by the NSW Upper House today calling for documents relating to the review of the state’s planning laws.
“We hope the papers this resolution unearths will shine a light on the undue influence the developer and mining lobbies have had on the drafting of the Planning Bill,” said NCC Chief Executive Officer Pepe Clarke.
“The conservation movement is deeply opposed to the O’Farrell government’s proposed planning system because it so clearly favours the interests of developers and the mining industry at the expense of local communities and the environment.
“The Planning Bill is unfair and unbalanced, and falls well short of what the people of NSW deserve and have been demanding.”
Mr Clarke said the government’s decision to abandon the recommendations of the Independent Review of the NSW planning system led by the Tim Moore and the Ron Dyer had been surprising.
“Hopefully the documents that will become public as a result of today’s resolution will reveal why the government rejected the independent reviews findings and took such a pro-developer position,” Mr Clarke said.
“If the government fulfils it agenda, it would give developers more rights than other citizens. The community continues to vigorously oppose the Planning Bill and wants to know how it came to tilted so far in the favour of developers and the mining industry.”
The government has stated it will not accept the amendment made to the Planning Bill 2013 in the Upper House late last year, and that it intends to implement the changes by other means.
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Planning and Development
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