The City of Canada Bay will appeal to the State Government to prevent construction works from taking place on Sundays and Public Holidays. The following notice of motion was endorsed at the City of Canada Bay's 21 July 2020 Council Meeting:
- THAT Council affirms that planning decisions should be community led and that local councils are best placed to make decisions about planning that is appropriate for their local area and constituents.
- THAT Council notes that the COVID-19 related amendments to the EP&A Act, which allow the Minister “to authorise development to be carried out on land without the need for any approval under the Act or consent from any person” could potentially be applied to developments other than hospitals, ICUs, morgues, or other directly COVID-19 related works, because of the ambiguity of the wording of clause 10.17(5)(b) regarding works “necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of members of the public”.
- THAT Council writes to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the Hon. Rob Stokes MP, and the Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, to express its opposition to the recent changes to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act which grants the Minister unprecedented powers to override planning decisions made by local councils.
- THAT Council requests that in light of complaints from neighbouring residents about ongoing disturbances, the Minister revoke the permission granted to the construction industry to operate every day, including public holidays.
- THAT Council seeks assurance from the Minister that Council’s ability to conduct due diligence in line with community expectations will not be impeded by the recently announced “Planning System Acceleration Program” to fast track assessments of State Significant Developments, rezonings and development applications.
