Ngai said in a draft of a mayoral minute seen by this masthead that he believed the changes put the area’s garden-style heritage conservation areas at risk.
“Our early legal advice indicated that this will fatally weaken local controls on heritage,setbacks and urban canopy,” he said.
Ngai said the council’s request for a 12-month deferral of the new planning rules was rejected by Scully.
Ngai said the majority of Ku-ring-gai residents did not support the Minns government’s approach to the housing crisis and had urged the council to go to court to fight the changes
“There are concerns with the one-size-fits-all approach,lack of planning,the need for infrastructure to come before housing,lack of genuine community consultation,traffic,heritage,urban canopy,wildlife and climate adaptation,” he said.
Shadow attorney-general Alister Henskens,the Liberal MP for Wahroonga,in Februarytold Ku-ring-gai residents that the opposition would fight the changes to planning rules.
Loading
Ngai’s mayoral minute said the council supported more housing,“but denounces the lack of planning and one-size-fits-all policies of the state government”.
Ngai said the council wanted to initiate its own studies of Gordon,Killara,Lindfield and Roseville stations to “explore better resident outcomes” and create its own master plan.
It is not the first time that Ku-ring-gai Council has taken the NSW government to court – in 2017,the councilsuccessfully defeated the Berejiklian government’s attempt to forcibly merge it with Hornsby Council.
The mayor’s hardline stance is backed by Independent councillor Martin Smith who said the purpose of the legal action is to protect Ku-ring-gai’s heritage areas and tree canopy.
“If they take away our heritage and trees,we’ve lost our identity,” he said. “It would be like taking away the beach at Bondi.”