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Community Alliance of the Northern Suburbs
Planning and Development in the Northern Suburbs
1. INTRODUCTION
This 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. 2.5 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.
2.5.8 Reducing community conflict
It is clear from the above discussions that a common concern is an apparent inability of Wollongong Council to resolve planning issues to the satisfaction of residents. We identify three components to this:
* inadequate involvement of a sufficient number of residents in the planning process sufficiently early for their views to be incorporated in a real way;
* constant change of Council's position in response to new development proposals such that residents are forced to fight repeatedly for a particular issue;
* a demonstrable inability of Council to enforce development controls of various sorts (i.e. tree preservation orders, development control plans), without local residents having to perceive the violations and agitate about them.
These points significantly determine the strength of community opposition to Council's zoning proposals, and will affect the community's response to a revised LEP 38. While the community perceives that it will have to fight again in the future to retain a zoning which contains agreed and appropriate objectives, there will be pressure to impose a more constraining and protective zoning in the first place. While the community perceives that the current planning process does not ensure adherence to regulations which are designed to constrain development within the agreed objectives of a zoning, there will be constant pressure to impose more restrictive zonings.
The Excelsior Colliery land between Thirroul and Austinmer provides a clear example of the first of these problems. Some of this land is considered by many local residents to be suitable for a variety of purposes. However, the belief that Council will entertain future proposals for what are considered unacceptable developments has forced residents to argue that a 7(e) Environmental Protection (escarpment) is necessary.
The proposed 7(c) Environmental Protection (Living Area) Zone provides a good example of the second problem. An objective of this zoning is "to cater for residential and village development in selected areas possessing special environmental qualities or which may be affected by environmental hazards; and to allow some diversity of activities which will not ... detrimentally affect the environmental quality or character of the locality..." Such zonings exist in the escarpment fringes, where tree cover is important, both aesthetically and as a means of binding surface soil against erosion and reducing soil moisture by transpiration. The creeks in this area, which run through current residential areas, and drain onto the flood-prone plain, are subject to severe erosion in high-rainfall events. Careful control of tree clearing, damage to creek margins during preparation of lots for building and diversion of subsequent runoff away from creek lines is clearly of great importance. Yet there are many instances of too-severe clearing unnoticed by Council, blockage of creeks during clearing and construction, and severe erosion and flooding downstream.
Reducing community conflict regarding development issues will clearly require changes in practise and attitude on the part of Wollongong City Council.
Authorised - Kerrie Christian
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