Over the past month the Civic Trust has had the opportunity to comment on a number of State and Council proposals.
First there is the NSW State Government’s Draft State Strategic Plan for Crown Land – although this is mostly focussed on rural and regional Crown Lands (e.g. surrounding Orange, Bathurst, Toowoomba, etc.) where large swaths of Crown Land are a target for either agricultural use or for development of new Estates, we do have a very long list of small bits and pieces of Crown Land in the Hornsby Shire. Observatory Park in Pennant Hills is an example of this.
We’ve submitted to protect these Crown Jewels in our area, as they are highly valuable pockets of green space in our suburb, important both as local wildlife canopy corridors and as recreational space. You can read our submission here.
Next there is the related NSW Government Draft Greener Spaces Design Guide. It overlaps to a fairly large extent with the Crown Land in our area, as these are mostly our green spaces. Apart from protecting these green islands in our suburb, we’ve argued to maintain or increase local canopy, as well as ensuring our residents will have good access to a variety of high quality recreation areas. You can read our submission here.
Finally, we have made a submission to Hornsby Council’s Local Housing Strategy consultation. We have argued to improve access for residents to large open spaces in our area, such as e.g. fenced off School Grounds, improved supply of medium density and affordable housing, making efficient use of the calmed down Pennant Hills Road corridor once NorthConnex opens up, and enabling (through Council input at the State Level) options for people to downsize and free up larger homes to families. We’re also arguing for a better regulation for Granny Flats instead of the current “filling in backyards with mini homes” approach. You can read our submission here.
We’re keen to hear your comments. Send us a message on our e-mail account, or comment on our facebook page.
Do you have ideas on how to improve our local living environment, and want to contribute to submissions? Join the Trust Executive and tell us what you think should happen! Contact us to find out how.