Georges River Council has accused the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) of a lack of transparency and collaboration over its rezoning policy process for Beverly Hills Town Centre.
The Department placed the Beverly Hills Town Centre (West) State-Assessed Rezoning Policy (SARP) proposal – for 407-511 King Georges Road, Beverly Hills – on public display on Friday.
The Council said planning staff were advised by the DPHI on 14 July that the exhibition was imminent for late July or early August. Staff asked the Department to reconsider the timing of the State-led exhibition, with the Council set to consider its draft Beverly Hills Master Plan in August, with public exhibition planned for late September.
Mayor, Elise Borg said the request was meant to allow time for residents and businesses to review the draft Master Plan, however DPHI did not agree to the Council’s request.
“We are frustrated by the absence of transparency and collaboration in this process. This is especially disappointing as Council has worked hard with the community to create a vision for Beverly Hills and satisfy all of the NSW Planning technical requirements,” said Mayor Borg.
“Planning for the town centre should connect with and be guided by local government strategic planning efforts, not a developer-initiated turned State-led planning proposal.
“The SARP proposal is focused on one side of King Georges Road for development and does not consider the whole town centre.
“The community is now being asked to consider two separate strategic plans for the same area that do not align. Council’s draft Master Plan for Beverly Hills takes into consideration the wholistic needs of the community, local businesses, and visitors to the area.
“Also, Council’s draft Master Plan has been prepared by independent planning experts on behalf of the community and considers the future of the entire Beverly Hills town centre. By comparison, the exhibited State-led proposal has been prepared for a narrow set of private landowners and focuses on a limited number of sites rather than the broader needs of the overall town centre,” said Mayor Borg.
The Mayor said Council staff will now assess the SARP proposal and analyse how it differs from the planning directions in the draft Beverly Hills Master Plan.
In a statement, the NSW Government said The Beverly Hills Town Centre (West) rezoning proposal could deliver:
- around 800 new homes, including at least two per cent affordable housing;
- new public spaces and pedestrian links to open the precinct;
- approximately 190 local jobs through new shops and commercial space;
- buildings ranging from 15 to 22 storeys.
View the exhibition documents on the NSW Planning Portal. Submissions are open until 5pm on 21 August.
