Residents Fight To Keep Streets 'leafy'
Newcastle Herald
Saturday April 2, 2005
THE character of neighbourhoods in Lake Macquarie is being destroyed by city council planning laws, according to councillor Kay Fraser.
The zoning laws, which took effect last March with the council's local environment plan, allow high- and medium-density housing around shopping centres.They apply to major centres such as Warners Bay, Charlestown and Toronto, and to smaller areas including Mount Hutton, Valentine, Redhead and Rathmines.Cr Fraser said the laws were too broad and did not fit every suburb."We should be treating each suburb differently," she said.Cr Fraser said the zoning, known as 2(2) Residential (Urban Living) was destroying the "leafy suburb look" of Valentine.The council gave its conditional approval on Monday to a $9 million development in Melody Lane, Mount Hutton, under the zoning.Cr Fraser cited Melody Lane as an example of the zoning's flaws. Residents living in the lane protested against the plan but failed.Rathmines residents have been active in opposing the zoning, resisting a 10-unit medium-density development in Fishing Point Road.In that case, the council backed the residents and took on the developer in the Land and Environment Court.The developer won the case this month, but had to reduce the storeys in his plan from three to two.The council ordered a review of the zoning in March last year in response to the Rathmines development. The review covers 27 areas across the city.Rathmines Progress Association president Bob Thorburn, who was involved with the review, said he had pushed to limit building density within the zoning.He argued that only half of a site should be developed, rather than three-quarters. He also wants buildings restricted to two storeys with attached garages, instead of three storeys including an underground car park.Lake Mayor Greg Piper said Cr Fraser's concerns could be taken into account when the review, now in draft form, comes back to council.THE SUBURBS UNDER REVIEWWest WallsendHolmesvilleBarnsleyEdgeworthArgentonTeralbaJewellsKahibahWhitebridgeDudleyCarey BayValentineRedheadBlackalls ParkFassifernFennell BaySpeers PointGatesheadWindaleRathminesWangi WangiMarks PointCooranbongBlacksmithsCaves BeachBonnells Bay
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