Camden Council tonight heads into its last meeting before the move to Oran Park facing wide criticism for plans to rezone a 16 hectare Scenic Hills property for housing.
Council meetings will relocate to Oran Park in August, so tonight’s historic meeting is the last in the Camden town centre.
But for groups like the Scenic Hills Association the move to Oran Park is insignificant compared to this proposed rezoning which will allow 32 new home sites of 4,000 square metres each.
The proposal for the property at 121 Raby Road has also been criticised by neighbouring Campbelltown Council, which argues it will change forever the character of the Scenic Hills in that location.
Jacqui Kirkby, of the Scenic Hills Association, has slammed the proposal, saying it will be a win for developers and consultants of it goes ahead.
“This is just spot rezoning and it’s wrong,’’ Ms Kirkby told the Voice in Macarthur.
“It’s just poor planning.’’
Open letter to council
Ms Kirkby has written to Camden Council to outline the association’s concerns with rezoning this piece of land high on the Scenic Hills.
“I write on behalf of the Scenic Hills Association (SHA),’’ she writes.
“Since Camden Council restricts those who can talk at Council to one person per side (against/for), I will not be speaking tomorrow night for the SHA on the 121 Raby Rd development – giving the opportunity to the Carmelite community whose monasteries are the most affected by Camden’s rampant development of its former scenic protection land,’’ Ms Kirkby wrote in the letter, which was released to the local media.
“Instead I refer you to the SHA submission and ask that councillors read it as its concerns have not been dealt with by council planners or the proponent.
“Spot rezonings (also known as planning proposals) are a failure of planning by definition.
“It means that council got its Local Environment Plan (LEP) wrong.
“How many times will council approve these endless spot rezonings on its agricultural and former scenic protection land before the whole community decides that council is simply incompetent by its own admission?
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“There is no strategic merit to this proposal,’’ Ms Kirkby wrote.[/social_quote]
“It is the SHA’s view that a physical barrier between the South West Growth Centre and the Scenic Hills is required to avoid a domino effect on adjoining rural and environmental protection land.’’
The submission by Campbelltown City Council objects to the proposal over the removal of the spatial buffer and transition area between the Campbelltown and Camden LGAs.
Campbelltown Council is also concerned the draft DCP did not adopt a key recommendation from the visual impact assessment.
The submission also requests that Camden Council consider a larger minimum lot size of 10,000 square metres to reduce the impact on the spatial buffer.
What’s is happening here is what has happened for decades in the region…..no planning , no leadership or vision……..just decision making on DAs