“The only reason the Calderwood housing development is going ahead is because of Part 3A of the planning system,” Mr Shoebridge said.
“Part 3A was introduced by this Labor government in 2005 and has fast become notorious. It puts approval for planning decisions miles from local communities right into the hands of the Minister for Planning.
It allows developers to bypass local councils and ignore local height, density and environmental regulations.
“Part 3A is another example of the free ride Labor is giving developers and corporations in NSW.
“Barry O’Farrell and The Coalition have said they’ll repeal Part 3A, but they haven’t said what they’ll replace it with. In four years time we could all be campaigning against a repackaged Part 3B.
“The Greens want to replace Part 3A with an Independent State Planning Commission to decide on state significant infrastructure and genuine large scale projects.
“Unlike Part 3A, the Greens’ proposed Independent State Planning Commission would be bound by state and local planning and environmental controls. It would also be independent of the Government of the day and their developer mates.
“Local Council’s have people on the ground and direct input from local residents that helps them set planning regulations for their areas. State governments need to respect and work with local councils, not ride roughshod over them,” Mr Shoebridge said.