More At Stake Than Developers Profits On Waterfront

Wednesday, 07 February 2007 02:56

TEC Director Mr Jeff Angel said “Increased population density under the Metropolitan Strategy will make provision of adequate public space and access to foreshore areas even more critical. Failure to protect access to the harbour and its foreshore will seriously undermine public acceptance of the Metropolitan Strategy and its goal of containing urban sprawl through consolidation of existing suburbs”.

Under draft amendments to the landowners consent policy the NSW Maritime Authorities powers to control overdevelopment on the foreshore, protect the environment of the harbour and ensure public access will be severely weakened. Control of waterfront development would fall mainly to local Councils.

“The NSW Government has a duty, as custodian of the harbour and its foreshores, to ensure that they are managed for the benefit the entire community, not just the interests of a small group of developers and waterfront owners. It is difficult to see how local councils could fulfil this role in a coordinated way that takes into account wider regional and city wide considerations”, Mr Angel said.

TEC has also warned that relying on local councils to control waterfront development would seriously jeopardise sensitive aquatic environments and could lead to increased disturbance of contaminated sediment.

“Protecting the environment of Sydney Harbour and preventing the release of contaminants trapped in sediments after centuries of environmental abuse also requires detailed regional planning and expertise in environmental management. Ad hoc planning by local councils in the foreshore areas will have serious consequences for the environment of Sydney Harbour”, Mr Angel said.