By Clyde Mooney
Yesterday it was revealed in Parliament that former Minister for Planning, Labor’s Tony Kelly, had approved dozens of projects – including the high-profile redevelopment of the Coogee Bay Hotel – under controversial planning regulations.
Last September Kelly said that Oakstand Property Group’s proposed redevelopment of the site would not be considered until a review was undertaken by the Government architect, Peter Mould.
The review, expected later this year, would have taken into consideration objections by Randwick City Council and local residents, and would be made available to the public.
The new Minister for Planning, Brad Hazzard, was quick to distance himself from the revelation, reputedly telling the House that Kelly had signed off on developments back in December before the election.
“Labor went right through the election effectively lying to the Coogee community,” he said.
Today a spokesperson for the new State Premier, Barry O’Farrell, went beyond simply halting applications to reveal that around 63 projects approved by Labor, worth billions of dollars, would be sent back to local councils.
This will include the controversial redevelopment of the Coogee Bay Hotel, which is reported to be worth around $150 million.
There are still around 460 out of more than 500 applications made, outstanding under the Part 3A scheme.
Hazzard said he wanted to ensure future applications were dealt with ‘transparently and openly’.
The O’Farrell Government will be scrapping Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, which allowed the Minister to be sole consent authority for big projects, even if they exceeded local planning rules.
A spokesperson for the key players behind the redevelopment, Oakstand and C.Inc, has said that they ‘will continue to work with the local community and Randwick Council to further refine and communicate their vision for the proposed redevelopment’.
Both parties expressed disappointment with the NSW Government’s announcement to overturn the declaration of the development, particularly given the extensive consultation undertaken with the Department of Planning, Randwick Council, the NSW Government Architect and the previous Government since October 2009.
“We took the initiative and requested the involvement of the State Government Architect to review and advise on the urban design merits of the proposal prior to consideration of the $150 million project as a Major Development Declaration, because we want to deliver the optimum outcome for the site and the Coogee community,” said David Cullen, Oakstand managing director.
“The State Government Architect recommended a number of changes and we further refined the development as a result.”
Both Oakstand Property Group and C.inc Hospitality reiterated their commitment to communicating the benefits of the proposed $150m development, which will deliver an estimated 473 full-time jobs, the revitalisation of the Coogee shopping precinct, and a more family-friendly space.
