June 2011: You may have read in the Review that the Dept of Planning has refused to allow 18 storey development in Auburn and Lidcombe. THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS.
Unfortunately, at the same time that some of your Councillors proposed 18 storeys, they also voted for 5:1 (or about 14 to 15 storeys). THIS PROPOSAL WILL NOW BE SUBMITTED TO THE DEPT. OF PLANNING & INFRASTRUCTURE. So we might still have high rise throughout all of Auburn & Lidcombe shopping centres, just not quite as high as the 18 storeys these Councillors want.
As well as this proposal, there is another to increase the floor space ratio (or density) of flats by almost 50%.
There are also several proposals to increase the number of streets that are zoned for high rise (B4), flats (R4) and industrial areas (IN2).
If you want to see exactly what was proposed and how your Councillors voted, you can view this at item 116B/10 in the Minutes of the Extraordinary meeting of May 12, 2010 on the Auburn City Council web site.
It is now up to the community to help stop these proposals. Please write to Brad Hazzard, Minister for Planning & Infrastructure at brad.hazzard@parliament.nsw.gov.au and tell him that our community wants his Department to say NO to any further increases in development in our local Govt. area.
*It is worth noting that none of your Auburn City councillors ran for Council on a platform of increasing high rise in the shopping centres OR flat areas.
*In order to deliver the new Local Environment Plan (LEP 2010) to the Dept of Planning, Council spent almost 3 years researching, seeking community input and getting consultants to back up its plan. This resulted in basically an 8 storey height limit in Auburn and a 9 storey height limit in Lidcombe Town Centres, which was approved by the Minister for Planning on October 29th, 2010. As from that date, these heights replace the 6 storey height limit that existed in these areas.
*On May 12th, this year, the very night that Council agreed to send the new LEP to the Minister for gazettal, Councillors from all sides moved to increase the bulk and heights of buildings 'out of the blue.' Both Labor and Liberal councillors called for further significant increases, along with the Unity councillor and Clr Anmak (independent?) Labor Councillors were not united in how they voted. While Clr Hicham Zraika supported the 18 storeys, the other Labor councillors, Clr Pat Curtin and Clr Teresa DiPaolo supported, in essence, 15 storeys.
On October 20th, Clr Attie set the 18 storey height at 55 metres and a floor space ration (fsr) of 8.8:1 NB: Clr Ronney Oueik (Liberal ,mayor) and Clr Le Lam (independent) declared a pecuniary interest and did not take part in the debates or voting as they both owned properties in the affected area.
(TO READ THE APPROPRIATE MINUTES OF THE EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF MAY 12TH, 2010 AND THE ORDINARY MEETING OF OCTOBER 20TH, SIMPLY FOLLOW THE LINKS BELOW:)
*Your RAGAA councillor, Clr Irene Simms, opposed both proposals put forward, as she believes that this is not what our community wants
*In the 'I Love Auburn' surveys that have been undertaken this year, the issue of no more inappropriate development and/or high rise came up at EVERY community forum. Your councillors should be listening to the community!
THEY CLEARLY ARE NOT, AND THEY SHOULD OVERTURN THIS DECISION.
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