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Community Alliance of the Northern Suburbs
Planning and Development in the Northern Suburbs
1. INTRODUCTION
his report addresses various issues of planning in the northern suburbs of the Illawarra - from Bellambi Lane in the south to Helensburgh in the north.
CANS was formed in response to widespread community complaints about problems with current and proposed developments in the northern area and perceptions that there were severe deficiencies in the planning process.
The proposal by Wollongong City Council to revise the Local Environmental Plan (LEP 38) provided the stimulus for CANS to identify a broad community feeling for planning and development. This collection of community opinion is more widespread and thorough than ever before attempted by Council or any other organization.
The bulk of this document summarizes the opinions, arguments and some case-studies provided by the contributers to the community-based discussions. It can therefore be used as a resource in the planning process, which usually fails to seek this sort of community opinion, except as a response to specific development issues.
During the 9 months of community consultation, Wollongong City Council released two versions of the draft revision of LEP 38. This document therefore also addresses Council's draft LEP, and makes a set of recommendations about that proposed plan.
2. COMMUNITY VIEWS OF DEVELOPMENT
2.1 Conclusions This section summarizes the main outcomes of community discussions held by CANS. These points were frequently made in all precincts and represent a general view of potential development in the sub-region. Detailed comments relating to each precinct appear in Appendix 2. These detailed comments contain identification of many specific issues which will be relevant to detailed planning in each area.
1. The spectacular environmental characteristics of the adjacent coast, coastal plain and escarpment of the northern suburbs must be recognized explicitly as a resource to be protected at all costs.
2. In this context, large-scale commercial, industrial, residential or tourist developments on the coast, on the escarpment fringe, or on the escarpment top are completely inappropriate as they would substantially reduce the existing conservation, scenic and environmental values of the area.
3. In fairness to developers and to current and future residents, Council must impose a rigorous control over these areas, through zoning, so as to make it quite clear that such developments will not even be considered.
4. The northern suburbs should remain largely residential in character, with some increase in density and redevelopment of existing residences being the principal flexibility for growth. Opportunities for high-technology, clean industry and low-key, sensitive tourist projects exist but are limited.
5. Slip, erosion and flooding are issues of substantial concern to many residents in all northern suburbs. There are two main categories of problem:
(a) the perceived inability of Council to manage current watercourses to prevent erosion and flooding;
(b) a need to incorporate these constraints, particularly land slip, more explicitly in a northern suburbs planning process.
6. The escarpment is so important, for many reasons, that the current upper boundary of residential land must not be permitted to encroach further. Land instability, the need for tree cover to control soil moisture and erosion, and the need to protect watercourses mean that further clearing for development will generate intolerable problems to existing landowners downstream.
7. The current level of protection and management of land zoned for escarpment protection is considered inadequate. Future planning must recognize the multiple benefits of the escarpment - including scenic amenity, plant and wildlife protection and soil stability - and devise appropriate zonings.
8. The historical contribution of the coal mines to the current pattern of development must be recognized and, in some cases, retained. For example, some communities should remain village-like in character (e.g. Otford, Stanwell Tops, Coledale) with this factor developed as an asset in attracting visitors.
9. The dissection of the suburban strip with the retention of "green breaks" running east-west in various colliery lands should be viewed as a positive planning characteristic.
10. There is widespread agreement that the coastal fringe must be protected from unsightly and excessively high developments of town-houses or units. Approporiate zonings, good building design, control of parking and well-policed development controls are therefore essential.
11. Current access to and parking in northern suburbs are rapidly degrading these areas as attractive tourist destinations and angering residents. Improving vehicle (car and bicycle) access and controlling traffic are seen as very important objectives.
12. The current level of community conflict with Council is perceived to stem from three major shortcomings of the present approach of Wollongong City Council to forward planning and policing of existing policy. To resolve these conflicts, Council should adopt the following as policy in planning and development:
(a) community input to proposals must be sought sufficiently early to permit a real (rather than a token) community opinion to influence the future pattern of development;
(b) council must adhere to positions reached after consultation, so that the community does not feel the need to be constantly vigilant and frequently fighting the same battles;
(c) council must develop an effective mechanism of policing controls imposed on any development so that violations by developers will not compromise the objectives of an agreed zoning.
2.2 What is CANS? CANS (Community Alliance of the Northern Suburbs) was formed in June 1987 as a coalition of more than 12 existing community groups active in the northern suburbs. It was evident that the areas receiving attention from these separate groups were experiencing a period of rapid change and increasing pressure for redevelopment. Many recent proposals for redevelopment had been in environmentally sensitive areas along the foreshore and in areas adjacent to the escarpment or catchment (Hacking River).
There was perceived to be a push for "fast-track" regional redevelopment on the part of the Council, in an effort to secure the future of the local economy, with the declining role of coal and steel, by actively promoting tourism, regional retailing complexes and the expansion of the suburban sprawl of Wollongong. Given these presures for redevelopment, it was anticipated that planners would be under strong pressure to relax development controls. There had been a string of controversies surrounding what were widely perceived to be insensitive planning decisions
A series of discussions among these community-based organizations and other resident groups revealed a great similarity in their concerns and recent experiences, including the following:
* a widespread dissatisfaction with the way the planning process appeared to be operating in the northern suburbs;
* this dissatisfaction was reflected in the large number of community-action groups in the northern suburbs, many of which exist because of single issues seen to be detrimental but requiring constant opposition;
* the need for an umbrella organization to co-ordinate the efforts of the individual, single-issue groups and to address broader-scale, planning issues;
* the need for thorough, ongoing community contact to address the issues of the future of the northern suburbs in a balanced way, focussing both on opportunities for appropriate development and on setting appropriate limits to development.
CANS was established with the following aims and objectives:
* to protect and enhance the natural and urban environment, particularly in the sensitive and important shoreline and escarpment areas of the northern Illawarra coastal plain.
* to promote planning concepts and residential, industrial, commercial, recreational and tourist developments which are compatible with the environmental objectives of the coalition;
* to promote active community involvement in the physical planning process, in order to advance the environmental objectives of the coalition;
* to act in concert with other community organizations and groups to further the objectives of the coalition;
* to act as a forum and resource for member organizations and individual members.
"The community in the north is quite cohesive. It is quite capable of addressing the real planning issues which the area as a whole faces over the next twenty years. We believe that, with this involvement, appropriate developments will be welcomed and strongly supported instead of being delayed and disputed." (CANS Press Release)
2.3 Discussions with the Community
Wollongong City Council, through Mr David Winterbottom (City Planner), invited CANS to contribute to the revision of Local Environment Plan 38. The letter of invitation (Appendix 1) stated:
Specifically, it [the review of LEP 38]will be looking at issues related to population, employment growth, to environmental protection and to reducing community conflict.
17th December 1987
Following this invitation, CANS developed a mechanism for widespread public discussion in the northern suburbs, focussing on these broad issues. The area was divided into nine "Precincts", each with a CANS member as co-ordinator.
CANS Precincts
Precinct Co-ordinator
Helensburgh/Otford Jenny Donohue
Stanwell Park Tim Tapsell
Coalcliff Tom Williamson
Clifton/Wombarra Dallas Hall
Coledale Dave Beswick
Austinmer Cookie Lloyd
Thirroul Rob Whelan
Bulli Ray Brown
Woonona Stephen Green
Each precinct co-ordinator was provided with a package containing: (i) the then current zoning map for the precinct; (ii) key to the zonings and permitted uses; (iii) guidelines for discussion; (iv) questionnaire to fill in with information gained from community meetings (see Appendix 2). Precinct co-ordinators arranged the following activities within their areas:
1. Meeting of CANS members within the precinct for initial discussions;
2. Distribution of proposals and other information widely throughout precinct;
3. Public meeting to discuss future development in the region in general and the precinct in particular;
4. Collating of resolutions and/or discussions resulting from public meeting and communication to CANS planning committee.
From the responses to this widespread community consultation (summarized in Appendix 2), the CANS planning committee produced this report, which was presented at a CANS general meeting on November 16th 1988. This general meeting resolved to communicate the report to Wollongong City Council as a response to Mr Winterbottom's invitation and also to circulate it widely within the community and to appropriate government bodies.
2.4 Historical Overview and Future Pressures
CANS considers the current review of the Local Environmental Plan 38 to be particularly timely for that area of the northern suburbs with which this community group is concerned. For several reasons, the area is at an historical turning point. Certain pressures are just beginning to be experienced: how they are managed over the next five to ten years will determine the quality of the northern Illawarra as a place to live and to visit.
The magnificent physical setting of this area derives from the spectacular landscapes of the escarpment and the narrow coastal plain. Residential development in the area has been largely confined to the elongated "village" pattern by the natural physical (and cost) constraints of the steep and unstable escarpment to the west. North of Austinmer, the rugged and precipitous coastline has been an eastern barrier.
The urban sprawl of Wollongong has reached Thirroul only in the past ten years and has yet to penetrate significantly further north. This situation is not the result of explicit planning decisions. Adequate residential land was available closer to Wollongong and, more significantly, the northern townships and villages were separated by large parcels of land protected from residential and other developments because it was and is reserved for mineral extraction. Much of this land is still at least partially forested.
The pattern of settlement and physical development of this area has thus been shaped by the history of the coal industry even more directly than has been the case in the Illawarra as a whole. The settlements of the northern Illawarra were largely located and established in close relationship with the local coal mines, which were the largest source of employment in the area. The links of these communities to greater Wollongong in the south were strengthened by the development and expansion of the steel industry, which became the second major source of employment. This history is clearly evident in the string of villages and townships nestling between the escarpment and the ocean, close to the sites of the earliest coal mines.
The current turning-point in the history of the area is closely associated with the long-run economic changes being experienced in the coal industry. With the recent and imminent closures of pits in the area, large tracts of previously unavailable land, much of it bordering the escarpment, is potentially becoming available for uses other than coal mining. Other factors, and also changes in the regional economy, have coincided with the decline in the coal industry to generate significant pressure for more extensive and intensive residential and other development in the area.
These factors include the following:
* increased pressure on land supply in Sydney;
* improved commuter access to Sydney from the norhthern suburbs area, with the electrification of the railway line, and from there to Wollongong (if and when the "Northern Distributor" is completed);
* a movement of population from the area as jobs were lost in coal and steel in the 1982-83 recession, permitting an influx of people commuting to Sydney with an attendant increase in property values;
* the development of Thirroul as a sub-regional shopping centre (and proposals for further such development in Woonona) whcih would have the capacity to serve a much larger population to the north. This move is likely to give rise to local commercial activities which would seek more intensive and extensive residential development;
* Australia's national trade imbalances have prompted a nation-wide push, at all levels of Government, to promote tourist developments - especially international tourism. Given the spectacular natural features of this area, its proximity to Sydney and Mascot, and the perceived availability of vast tracts of hitherto "vacant", former colliery land close to the coast, the prospects of large scale tourist developments are receiving increasing attention, particularly from the NSW Government.
The processes of change reflecting the above factors are already evident in activities occurring over the past two to three years.
* New residential developments have been established or proposed on previously undeveloped land in the Russelvale area, at Thirroul, at Helensburgh and elsewhere.
* Modest cottages have been replaced by larger and more affluent dwellings, particularly on the coastal strip north of Austinmer.
* There has been "infill" of town-houses in some areas.
* Medium-density redevelopments have been established or proposed, especially in Thirroul and other beach-front areas.
* There are proposals for major residential subdivisions on the escarpment fringe in many areas, including Thirroul, Bulli.
* There have been proposals for various developments in the catchment of the Hacking River, near Helensburgh, including a considerable expansion in the size of the Helensburgh residential area.
* There has been a substantial increase in the level of day-visitors from western Sydney to Austinmer, Thirroul and other northern beaches.
* There have been several proposals and rumours about proposals for major tourist developments, including a large hotel complex in Bulli and a Grand Prix racing circuit on the escarpment rim above Austinmer and Thirroul.
There is a widespread perception in the community that the area is at a cross-roads. Were it not for the coal industry, this area may well have been developed in the post-war years, with little regard for planning objectives of any sort. There are abundant examples, in Queensland and elsewhere, of fragile coastal areas of great natural beauty, close to capital cities, which have been degraded by inappropriate, insensitive and uncontrolled development. The coal-related history of the northern Illawarra has provided a respite from these earlier pressures. There is now the opportunity for enlightened planning decisions to determine the future "look" of the area. These decisions must secure the broader planning objectives stated in the draft LEP 38 (September 1988) and the draft Wollongong Development Guide and Plan (October 1987). These stated objectives include the following.
1. To encourage the proper management, development and conservation of natural and man-made resources, including agricultural land, natural areas, forest, minerals, water, cities, towns and villages for the purpose of promoting the social and economic welfare of the community and a better environment;
2. To protect the environment from degradation and despoilation by protecting environmentally sensitive areas from development, and minimising adverse impacts of urban development on both the built and the natural environment;
3. To protect and improve the quality of life and the social well-being and amenity of local residents;
4. To encourage economic diversification and growth of the business and industrial base to increase employment.
It is crucial that planning decisions taken now, within this general framework, incorporate an appreciation of the special physical and environmental constraints of the northern suburbs area and of the pressures to which the area is, and will increasingly be exposed.
2.5 The Issues Discussed
In the wide variety of community discussions (see Apendix 2), many issues were raised by concerned residents and discussed widely. There are too many to present in detail here. Instead, we have focussed on a set of broad-scale concerns which seem to be common to all precincts, from Helensburgh to Woonona.
2.5.1 Future "look" of the northern suburbs
Rich historical influences have steered development in the northern suburbs of Wollongong to their present, readily identifiable character. Moreover, there are unique and strong local links which bind many of the villages and suburbs, resulting in high levels of community cohesion and activity. Planning must address not only the physical issues involved in growth and development in the north, but must also consider the pre-existing and continuing needs and desires of the existing community.
Much of the past reaction to proposed developments can best, and sometimes only, be understood by realizing that for a very large proportion of residents, there is a commitment to a lifestyle which has been jealously guarded, perhaps for generations.
The current pressures from Sydney's "spill-over" is already giving rise to rapid transformation of some areas. Rows of miners' cottages are now being overshadowed by 30 square metre (and larger) brick-veneer dwellings. These, transposed from Sydney suburbia, do little for preserving the character of a local area.
The maintenance of levels of social cohesion of community and amenity, having regard to existing conditions, is seen as dependent upon future planning creating both a climate and guidelines which mean that changes can be made from a position of relative security for long-term residents. Increased residential density can be achieved, and examples of this occurring with relatively little dislocation should provide planners and developers with a guide for the future. Two areas in Thirroul are instructive. On the eastern side of Lawrence Hargrave Drive, between Thirroul pool and the top of Kennedy's Hill are the remnants of a past ad hoc planning policy. Three- and four-storey walk-up units are littered around the foreshore. By any criterion, these "boxes" are eye-sores which sit among Federation-style dwellings.
In contrast to this situation, significantly increased residential densities have been achieved in the Mountain Road area, after some initial difficulties, in a style more acceptable to the community generally. Planners, in consultation with the community, must identify areas where this sort of residential expansion can be accommodated. Progressive, selective and incremental rezoning of areas to medium density, rather than a scatter-gun response to individual development and rezoning applications, is seen as a rational way to cope with residential growth in the northern suburbs.
The demand for new, contemporary housing can be met too, without much of the conflict attending past developments. The Hooker estates on McCauley's Hill at Thirroul, new subdivisions at Bellambi, and moderate expansion at Helensburgh are the only three areas left in the northern suburbs where new, detached housing can and should be located.
Pressures for increasing tourism can be met, as long as there is a recognition that natural features and characteristics of the area are capable of absorbing only relatively low-key developments which complement the natural beauty of the area. Adding imposing structures that detract from the natural beauty and vistas of the escarpment and foreshore is unacceptable.
2.5.2 Limits to development
CANS notes the discussion of the development potential of the northern suburbs in the "Draft Wollongong Development Guide and Plan", prepared by the Town Planning Department in October 1987. This document is useful in addressing the larger issue of how the planning process can recognize and incorporate the development constraints in the area, in harmony with broader planning objectives which have been laid down.
The Development Guide and Plan notes that opportunities for development in the northern sub-region, other than for high-income residential infill or redevelopment, are limited by a variety of factors. These include the high cost and current unavailability of resources and the relatively poor access along the coast (p. 6). The introduction to the document also notes:
The escarpment, Lake Illawarra and the beaches provide a high-quality setting to the local environment. Their protection and enhancement is a major factor in upgrading the quality of life in the area and at the same time providing tourism potential. (p. 3)
Because of the very limited and linear land area of the northern coastal plain, this planning objective limits the scale and nature of potential developments in the area. Since 1974, the Illawarra Escarpment, from Stanwell Park to Macquarie Pass, has been listed by the National Trust and classified as a "Landscape Conservation Area" (see Appendix 3). The reasons for this listing are as follows.
The Illawarra escarpment is considered of supreme importance to the drama of the Wollongong-Port Kembla landscape and to the South Coast landscape as viewed from the Princes Highway and Bald Hill. The combined effect of a narrow coastal plain, rugged escarpment and rich forest and pasture land gives a most unusual landscape of considerable grandeur which exceeds any other coastal plain and mountain landscape on the New South Wales Coast. There are many easily accessible vantage points on both escarpment and plain from which extensive vistas can be seen. Many smaller areas within the escarpment are of specific scientific, historic and scenic importance. The escarpment is located adjacent to one of the most heavily indistrialized and confined areas on Australia's east coast.
The escarpment and coastal areas are also widely used as a regional recreational resource. There is some potential for limited international tourist participation, especially if there is improved access and management of the escarpment areas. Given the fragility of the coastal foreshores, and narrowness of the coastal plain adjacent to the northern escarpment, a few large-scale, intensive developments on the fringe of the escarpment or the coastline have the potential to blight the magnificent physical setting of the area as noted in the Development Guide and Plan.
In this context, CANS received comprehensive opposition to any large-scale development, coastal, escarpment fringe or escarpment rim, which would compromise the objective of protecting the natural assets of the northern region.
Permitting such developments would be extremely short-sighted, because the scale of the area means considerable qualitative loss (lifestyle and broad tourist potential) for little quantitative gain. The land mass of the area is simply not large enough to make much difference to the "land supply equation". The regional economy would be far better served by recognizing and preserving the valued features of the area and actively enhancing its potential in these respects.
2.5.3 Improving visual amenity and quality of life
The issues of the retention of "green breaks" from the escarpment to the sea to articulate the city and reinforce the urban elements, as noted in the preface of the Guide and Plan, are particularly pertinent to the northern suburbs. As noted above (section IV), the colliery lands extending from the escarpment to the railway line have been major historical features of the area. Much of this land is "green" - either forest or a mixture of forest/regrowth and grazing land.
Not only have these lands established the boundaries between the former mining villages, but they have also been regarded as publically accessible, through policy of the mine owners and custom. "Keep Excelsior Green", the name adopted by the community group opposed to residential development of the old Excelsior land between Thirroul and Austinmer, reflects public desire for retention of these green corridors.
As noted elsewhere in this document, the future use of the colliery lands is perceived to be one of the largest issues affecting the region. CANS submits that it is necessary for planning decisions to be taken about the future fate of these lands now, bearing in mind that the Council has the opportunity , through the planning process, to contribute to the "greening" of the City by recognizing that the "green breaks" in the north should be substantially retained and properly managed.
The considerable effort required to create a "green corridor", where clearing and development have already proceeded too far is seen in the Keira Green Corridor. If the green areas of the northern coastal plain are lost now, they will probably never be reclaimed.
2.5.4 Soil stability, erosion & flooding
These issues are stongly felt throughout the northern suburbs, and some residents in most precincts have anecdotes about battles with Council in attempts to resolve specific problems. The fact that all precincts reported problems stimulated CANS to call a special public meeting (July 21st 1988) to address the issues. The resolutions of that meeting, attended by over 200 residents from Helensburgh to Woonona, are presented in Appendix 5. In order to solve these problems, the following should be addressed:
* identify adequately, and advertise the location of slip-prone lands and failure to provide a mechanism to protect future potential residents from disaster;
* recognize that excessive land clearing higher in the escarpment and residential development will inevitably lead to increased peak water flows in the watercourses draining the escarpment;
* develop land management strategies for higher in the catchments (e.g. protection or replacement of tree-cover) to reduce the likelihood of slip problems appearing in existing residential areas;
* recognize that although individual developments may not appear to have a significant effect on runoff and drainage, the real impact is the sum of many small, incremental effects. Therefore, in these escarpment areas, the impact of development must be studied for a whole catchment, not one development application at a time;
* the identification of areas on the coastal plain which have flooded frequently in the past and the need to investigate management strategies to prevent future flooding;
* recognize the significance of the temporal pattern of rainfall in the area, which produces infrequent but substantial water-flows to the coastal plain from the escarpment creeks. The natural consequence of this pattern was a narrow, meandering creek channel with a flood-plain inundated only in periods of heavy rain. These small flood plains should be recognized as constraints to residential development, and a more appropriate and creative use made of them.
Authorised - Kerrie Christian
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