For several months now the site has been churned up with earth-moving equipment and a stream of trucks coming and going from the site. The trucks are supposed to use Golden Grove Street, the best connection back to the main roads, but they also use Burren Street and trundle through Erskineville. The problems are manifold: noise, dust, vibration, fumes, dangers to pedestrians and cyclists, as well as the disruption of traffic. And this is just the start, as the development of this site could go on for a decade.
The compaction of the new road has led to vibration and cracking in about 20 houses. Under Council jurisdiction this would be managed by Dilapidation Reports at the beginning and end of the work. After several months and complaints from irate residents these are only just being done. It is not known at this point whether residents will have access to the reports. Complaints are being dealt with by the contractor. UrbanGrowth NSW is avoiding responsibility.
The O’Farrell government was elected on the promise to return power to the community and to respect the role of councils. It is doing precisely the opposite. Their pull back of the new Planning Act is a sign of a bit of listening, but the extent of privatisation of the development process and centralisation in the state agencies encourages a very cosy relationship between developers and politicians. Apart from poor outcomes, this presents a huge corruption risk that puts the Eddie Obeid case in perspective.
Control should be returned to the City of Sydney for this and all other major developments. They have the record of a transparent process, of listening, of scrupulous records and decision-making, and the resources and skills to do the job well.
