Australian Property News

Frustrations on both sides of planning system

Posted on Thursday, September 23 2010 at 1:09 PM

New South Wales Department of Planning report that found communities across the state are frustrated and cynical about the planning system has been criticised by the Urban Taskforce’s chief executive Aaron Gadiel.

The main conclusion of the report, titled Reconnecting The Community With The Planning System,is that: “The community generally feels disconnected with the planning process, deeply cynical about whether it’s worthwhile to engage and extremely frustrated about the current system”.

But Gadiel says the report is merely a demand that not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) groups be given even more power to block new housing and job-creating development.

He says there’s a big difference between a right to be consulted and a right to a veto.

The state’s planning laws, according to Gadiel, already provide NIMBY groups with very strong rights to be heard when development proposals are considered.

“Decision-makers in the planning system are very generous to objectors and others who want to stop urban renewal and expansion,” he says.

Gadiel says there’ll always be some people who aren’t satisfied, no matter how hard a developer works to address their concerns.

“Those that oppose development usually claim they were not adequately consulted,” he says.

“In truth, what they really mean is that they were consulted, but they did not agree with the final decision.”