Campbelltown’s Labor MP Greg Warren says there’s no better example of a poor proposal driven by spot rezoning than the Scenic Hills cemetery.
Despite overwhelming opposition from the community and Campbelltown Council, the state government still gave the rezoning for the 136,000-plot cemetery the green light.
Introduced in 2012 by the NSW Liberal Government, spot rezonings, also known as pre-gateway and rezoning reviews, allow developers to seek site specific amendments to zoning laws, even if they are not compliant with a council’s Local Environment Plan (LEP).
LEPs are designed by councils to set out a specific vision for future development in the area.
Mr Warren, pictured above at the Scenic Hills, says if Labor is elected at the March 23 NSW election it will give spot rezonings the flick.
“Local residents and Campbelltown Council know what’s best for the community – not Liberal ministers who have never stepped a foot on Queen Street,’’ says Mr Warren.
“There is no better example of this government’s spiteful, arrogant and dismissive attitude towards the people of Campbelltown than the Scenic Hills cemetery.
“The community overwhelmingly opposed it, the council said ‘no thanks’, but the Liberals, in their infinite wisdom, gave it the green light regardless.
“A NSW Labor Government will ensure the voices of communities and councils are heard and acknowledged,’’ he said.
Local residents and councils should be the ones who determine what their towns look like in the future.’’
Labor’s planning spokesperson Tania Mihailuk agrees:
“The Liberals have rigged the planning system in favour of big developers at the expense of ordinary people and public amenity.
“We will shut the developers’ backdoor into the planning system and treat communities and local councils with the respect they deserve.”
