The mayor has come out swinging in a standoff with Planning Minister Frank Sartor, calling for an inquiry into proposed planning law changes.

“The changes are skewed toward the whingeing development industry who certainly don’t want pesky residents or councils interfering with their prospects of making a buck,” Cr Chadban said.

Accusations of bias were stirred up on April 3 when Mr Sartor tabled his plans.

The main sticking point is a new ability for corporations to get State development approval without having to deal with local councils.

This type of development would be classed as Exempt and Complying, where projects valued under $1 million could be fast-tracked by the government.

“The developer might come to town as a one-off and build a new house for his mate,” Cr Chadban said.

“The community would have no recourse and get no say.”

Mr Sartor said it is a common misconception that projects under $1 million would be automatically classed Exempt and Complying.

“This was never part of our reforms and became an urban legend during the exhibition period,” he said.

“In reality, a proposal will only be dealt with as Complying development if it fits into one of a number of codes the NSW Government will develop in consultation with local practitioners. We will take all public submissions into account when drafting the codes and the legislative changes.”

The lack of detail has Cr Chadban fuming.

“All we get from the government is this ‘master and pupil’ relationship. The government thinks it always knows what’s good for councils, but there’s nothing to suggest that’s the case,” he said.

“There are no specifics in these proposals. It’s all been rushed through and we were given three weeks to respond. By the time a council of our resources is able to make a proper response the bill will be finalised in Parliament.”

Mr Sartor pointed to the tangle of red tape making laws inaccessible to “mums and dads”, and said the proposed changes would streamline small-scale developments.

“Under our proposed reforms it will be possible for property owners to get an approval for their renovation in as little as 10 days, provided it fully complies with the rules,” he said.

Cr Chadban scoffed at claims the reforms would simplify planning.

“That’s ludicrous. The changes would add red tape and make things more complex by bringing in private companies with no local knowledge or expertise,” he said.

“These ‘mums and dads’ as the minister refers to them would also miss out on contributing to what happens around them. The council is the vessel that gives the community their say.”

He cited dissent over a recently proposed Forster high rise building that led to its rejection as something that couldn’t happen under the new laws.

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