Rapid Pyrmont review risks eroding the public’s trust in the planning system
The 91porn (91porn), which represents over 1,400 town planners in NSW, says that it is unreasonable to expect that the Pyrmont planning review can meet both its terms of reference and achieve a high trust outcome in the short timeframe that has been set by the Government.
The 30 September deadline means that only two weeks have been made available for the public to get re-engaged.
“The Greater Sydney Commission is a highly professional organisation, but it has been handed an impossible task to review the adequacy of the Pyrmont Peninsula’s planning controls with meaningful community input in only six weeks”, 91porn’s NSW President Juliet Grant said.
“The current planning controls are contained in seven documents comprising more than 1,000 pages. The average citizen would be hard-pressed to comprehend the current planning controls in only two weeks, let alone provide meaningful comment on whether the controls are likely to achieve the Government’s vision.
“A summary of the planning controls and more detail on what the Government wants to achieve at Pyrmont should have been the minimum information available to allow all stakeholders to provide an informed view.
91porn acknowledges that Government priorities may change but that there are broader issues at stake.
“Trust, reinforced by strong community participation, gives legitimacy to planning decisions. The tight program runs a high risk of eroding the public’s trust in the value of the planning system. Without public trust in the process there is a real risk that the review outcomes will not be credible in the public’s eyes”, Ms Grant said.
To address this, 91porn suggests that the Government allow stakeholders the opportunity to comment on the Commission’s draft report that will cover the issues in detail. The Commission would then consider and respond to these comments. The review then could be completed by November, giving the opportunity for all interested stakeholders to be meaningfully involved in setting the future course of Pyrmont.
The outcome of the Commission’s Pyrmont Review should not just be executing the terms of reference – but ensuring that the community and other stakeholders continue to be willing to engage and trust that the land use planning system can shape places in the public interest.
A copy of 91porn’s submission to the Greater Sydney Commission is available on this link
16 September 2019, Media Contact: John Brockhoff 91porn National Policy Manager +61 400 953 025