Conveners Annual Report for 2019
PLan works for balanced planning and for better living environments for the people of the Northern Territory.
1. Introduction
This report covers our 2019 year but as the AGM is late it will include information from both 2019 and 2020. As ever there is so much going on and it is the community that is stepping up to keep our fair city and surrounds in good shape. Without you the Territory would be a very different place! What follows is in no particular order:
2. Current Issues
2.1 Reform Agenda
2019 – This round of consultation went through almost completely without including anything from the public. Using the “ask at Christmas” method favoured by NTG a significant round of their changes is poised to roll out. Among other issues it seems it will be easier for the government to achieve change and harder for those affected to be aware that the change is coming to their urban environment.
PLan made submissions to Central Darwin Area Plan. Subsequent to this the very major policy changes to a highly amended Planning Act where introduced.
Late in 2019 PLan joins with others in the community campaigning to keep “amenity” in the planning act. Say no to taking Community out of the Act is a strong widespread campaign. This has had minimum impact, due to a lack of understanding from the planners.
2020 – The Planning Amendment Bill, 2020 was introduced by the NT Government to the Legislative Assembly very soon after Christmas, on 13 February, 2020.
If passed by Parliament without change, the Bill would replace entirely the existing Planning Act of 1999.
Draft NTG Bill goes through the Scrutiny Committee.
Midyear this is passed by parliament, before the new election.
September – New Planning Scheme and Act Information Sessions are announced.
2.2 Flagstaff Park
2020 September – PLan meet with NT Planning Commission Chairman Dr David Ritchie on the future of Flagstaff park.
2.3 John Stokes Redevelopment
2019 – Plan noted the lack of Community Consultation on this development to the relevant minister.
2.4 Park Lighting
2019 – 2020 There have been long running campaigns on the installation of night lights to sporting venues across the city and surrounds.
2.5 Two Trees – Post Office carpark
Today’s newspaper (28/07/2019) rolls out the CDU move to the current Post Office Carpark picture yet again. The splitting of the CDU campus to four locations across Darwin and Palmerston is hailed as the next best thing since sliced bread for the CBD. There is the Banyan Tree and a much loved Milkwood of great age on the site. According to the university interpretation the Banyan is to survive the new building by use of an atrium.
Just before Christmas the Milkwood tree in the post office car park was taken out overnight. The tree was under consideration for heritage listing and the public rallied and managed to prevent the axe on the first day, but a police guarantee of a stay of execution did not prevent the cull before dawn the next day.
2.6 Bagot Park Millner
2019 – The upgrade of the velodrome has morphed into a park engulfing bicycle precinct. City of Darwin have run a “consultation process” which they thought had managed to get the approval of the bicycle organisations. Not listed as stakeholders, the community of Bagot Park are calling for a feasibility study. Amongst other issues public open space will be subsumed into this project.
This continued as a divisive issue, in the second half of the year Friends of Bagot Park engaged with COD to seek an understanding of what was planned.
2020 – City of Darwin continue to rehash the Bagot Park/Velodrome conundrum. Council has appointed a consultant engineering firm to undertake detailed design as per the consultation undertaken with the community.
Mid 2020 an unbriefed Cardno meet with Friends of Bagot in an inconclusive discussion on the future the park and surrounds. Friends of Bagot Park ramp up their campaign.
Late July a meeting with the Lord Mayor, CEO and others was held.
July – Heard last night, that the Velodrome item on the agenda had been moved from the Confidential section of the meeting to the open meeting.
A detailed report was presented on the circumstances leading to the NTG requesting City of Darwin to return the $8m funding for the Velodrome and Cycling Precinct. It included a plan for the park including the car park as was envisaged by the Cyclists.
2.7 Dead Sites – Asti Motel
One of Darwin’s notorious Dead Sites; the Asti Motel came up for renewal of its development permit. Eventually the applicants never completed the application leaving this unsightly location in limbo yet again.
2.8 Old Hospital Site
A proposal to create a playground on a portion of the Old Darwin Hospital site came up. In 2020 a fortune is spent on unplanned Asbestos control.
2.9 State Square and surrounds
The new underground Car Park at State Square did not quite fit underground requiring a change to the tree load the structure could carry. An above ground garden is subsequently created.
2.10 Building deals
To quote the NT News: “It comes after residents in a Darwin apartment complex raised concerns that a company owned by the wife of the building’s developer was contracted to oversee cleaning, maintenance and repairs for $120,000 per year for 25 years.”
It appears the building also has the issue of the disbarred engineer and floor slabs.
2.11 When is a house not a home?
A three-story home with 32 rooftop air conditioners is applied for as a Single Dwelling but is eventually not approved to the relief of neighbours.
2.12 Hughes Avenue – Skywalk
2019 – $15m of NTG funds have been promised to the owners of the new waterfront hotel to construct a second waterfront skywalk. It would come up Hughes Avenue which is bounded by a significant and remnant Darwin stand of rainforest. Use of this publicly owned street was altered by City of Darwin briefly banning bicycles for safety reasons. That ban was soon retracted. The Skywalk will also overlook Government House. This introduces visual pollution and a question of safety for the Administrator as well as a less than optimal use of public resources.
2.13 Dead Sites – Westin Hotel
Mid 2020 pressure mounts on the developers of the Westin site to make good what is now an ugly eye sore.
CAMPAIGN: ‘Waterfront Wharf 2 Foreshore to be returned to Citizens by the Landbridge Hotel & Jervois Park land remediated
GROUP: Friends of Waterfront Wharf 2, part of the PLan Network
DAY/DATE: Saturday 1st August, 2020
TIME: 4:00pm – 5:00pm
VENUE: Goyer Park, Kitchener Drive, Waterfront Wharf 2
2.14 East Point Throb Nightclub
May 2020 sees the Lord Mayor and City of Darwin aldermen endorsing a “pop up” nightclub at East Point Reserve. This is very divisive and eventually is overturned.
June 2020 – Tonight at the Council Meeting, the Motion put forth by Alderman Andrew Arthur (Waters Ward) for the establishment of an East Point Advisory Committee was passed – 9 votes to 3. The three Aldermen who voted against it were: Mick Palmer (Lyons Ward), Paul Arnold (Lyons Ward) and Jimmy Bouhoris (Richardson Ward).
2.15 Kulaluk, the stockpile and piles of fresh rock
2019 – In what is probably the longest running campaign to preserve and bring some logic to what is an amazing area of environmental diversity there has seen continued degradation by neglect. Land is being filled in preparation for more “Box Drop” style commercial warehouses. Gamba Grass is spreading unchecked causing a severe fire risk. Calls for a resolution to the illegal stockpile have fallen on deaf ears at NTG.
2.16 Double Block/ Dual Occupancy
During 2019 the ability to build two houses on one lot is established as prohibited in the planning scheme, but the minister retains and has used an override. A continuation of uncertainty in planning that gives to some and not to others.
2.17 Lee Point and Casuarina Coastal Reserve
This one just hurts, DHA are packing as many houses as they can cheek and jowl alongside Casuarina Coastal Reserve. The DHA to Darwin Community interface is broken.
An open boundary between thousands of people, cats and dogs and Casuarina Coastal Reserve is unacceptable. NTG should never have given the green light to an environmental travesty.
Mid 2020 Friends of Lee Point ramp up the concept of creating more park out of the now open space on Lee Point.
Public Meeting held Saturday 25th of July 2020 – well attended.
80% of the thirty-five attendees agreed to call on the Commonwealth and NT Government to immediately cease any development on the two affected areas.
July 2020 An application for a liquor licence for Muirhead appears and PLan objects.
2.18 Darwin City Council and CBD
2019 – There is a thought that City of Darwin should not be property developers. Combining with NTG to pump start the NT economy by road building and yet to be publicly released changes to key council infrastructure. It seems the residents will be the last to know.
The installation of controversial facial recognition technology across the city has seen the council back away by advising that technology will not be used.
A mooted plan to place public statues on the Esplanade send shivers up my spine.
March 2020 and the RSL move to the Esplanade becomes a focus for the Lord Mayor. Community response builds.
April 2020 The Lord Mayor reveals his desire to commercialise City of Darwin assets.
2.19 Esplanade Cenotaph Carpark and Deckchair Cinema
Mid 2020 Public awareness campaigns are running strongly on this controversial idea by the Lord Mayor. The Deckchair Cinema are facing a business destroying potential event and support for the Deckchair is strong.
There is strong community support for the returning of the space back into the Esplanade as flagged by the City Deal.
You are invited to a Community Event,
Date: Saturday 4th July 2020, Time: 4pm, Location: Darwin Esplanade Cenotaph Car Park
Agenda:
- Who owns Darwin Esplanade?
- The Deckchair Cinema is under threat.
- A promise is a promise to be kept – (Darwin City Deal page 13).
- Governance, provide for the interests and well-being of individuals and groups
The Deckchair petition eventually gets to over 11,000 signatures!
City of Darwin Tuesday 13/10/20 5:30pm 400 people attend and mob the public meeting at City of Darwin. Decision is removed from the agenda.
2.20 Little Mindil
2019 – This space was guaranteed as open space for the community. Now up for sale/sold what agreements are NTG insisting to preserve the promises of previous Chief Ministers?
Feb 2020 – This week SkyCity contractors cut down trees in the forest along the Little Mindil escarpment. Surveyors have also been sighted at Little Mindil. With the pending sale of Little Mindil is the community to lose the precious asset they fought hard for over a decade ago?
2.21 Sale of Lands Title Office
2019 – The privatising of building inspection has clearly introduced a mistrust in the process with many apartment buildings across the country (including 9 in Darwin) revealing faults that should never have been allowed. Recently NTG discovered it could sell our Land Titles function. Where this has happened interstate, costs have gone up astronomically. The function of the Land Titles Office is a public service and to avoid unforeseen issues this should remain so.
The government continued to support this concept.
2.22 Heritage Council and the Minister
The Heritage Council and the Minister continue to confound with their decisions. Recently the approval of an installation of a full-size container, solid wall and second floor veranda to the Knuckey Street side of Admiralty House could perhaps indicate a straying from the Heritage Value of the site.
Advice on our Heritage Listing application for Old Darwin Primary School brought a smile to my face, to quote … “Some structures associated with the Old School were demolished and/or subsumed by landfill, and the construction work had a significant effect on the setting of the Old Primary School”
2.23 Blake Street rezoning raises its head late in 2019
Lot 06907 Town of Darwin 25 BLAKE ST THE GARDENS.
The process is that first they rezone from Community Purpose to Specific Use Zone. This is what you are being asked to comment on.
“Rezone land to a SU (Specific Use Zone) to facilitate residential development in accordance with Zone HR (High Density Residential), Zone MR (Medium Density Residential) and specific non-residential activities.”
2020 Just before the election
Eva Lawler Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics makes a new statement on a different matter.
STATEMENT ON 16 AND 25 BLAKE STREET, THE GARDENS
28 July 2020 – I have made the decision not to approve the rezoning of 16 and 25 Blake Street, The Gardens to Specific Use Zone. Rezoning would have facilitated high and medium density residential development.
2.24 Barneson Boulevarde completed
The controversial road was completed 9 months early but millions over budget due to the additional work to stabilise the mangrove end of the road. Also gets renamed.
2020 the bus interchange on Cavenagh Street is completed. A what a gem it is not.
2.25 AZRI Site sale large near rural block goes for direct sale
During the Christmas break this appears:
We refer, in this instance, to newspaper ads to sell 11.6 hectares of crown land at 155 Colonel Rose Drive Kilgariff (‘ for the purpose of a residential subdivision’: NT News 13/12/19 p.43) and 658 Channel Island Road Wickham (‘ for the purpose of development and the operation of a minerals processing facility’: NT News 14/12/19 p.42).
2.26 Cullen Bay
Feb 2020 $10m to be spent on public space upgrades at Cullen Bay.
2.27 Gamba Grass
March 2020 PLan writes to Minister pointing out the proliferation of Gamba Grass is creating fire hazards in the community.
2.28 National Aboriginal Art Gallery – Alice Springs Anzac Park
June 2020 Alice Springs community and council object to a land grab for Anzac Park to place a new Indigenous Art Gallery on land not approved by both local communities. NTG are using the lands Acquisition Act to override opposition.
3 Where to from here
PLan – the Planning Action Network Inc is a volunteer community group working for better urban and rural planning in the Northern Territory.
PLan collaborates with resident and community groups on matters including the built environment, heritage, cultural and environmental values of concern in the Northern Territory and Australia. PLan’s aim is to achieve, for the community, sustainability in terms of social, cultural, environmental and balanced long term economic impacts.
3.1 Public Facing
- Market Stalls – Jane and Josie take PLan out to the community at market stalls.
- 1 Planning Bazaars – During 2019 we ran Planning Bazaars which were public events where community members and groups would present their current strategies and issues.
- Action Network – PLan adopt online software which enables awareness campaigns which allow for concerned community members to direct letter write and email elected representatives and other parties.
- PLan presented at the Ripple Effect section of the Seabreeze Festival.
- PLan launch a Community Survey. https://planinc.org.au/news/current-campaigns-2/269-community-survey-2020.html
3.2 Web Site/Facebook/Newsletter
A lot of effort goes into getting a permanent record of planning decisions into the public domain. We run a web site, Facebook page, newsletter and regular emails, as well as maintaining our archives.
3.3 Casuarina Campus of CDU
PLan participated in workshops as to the future of Casuarina Campus which is being defunded and may require demolition of some of the existing buildings.
3.4 Committee
Our committee aims to meet on regular basis, and we welcome new blood. At our Winnellie Office are multiple projects that just require an owner to get them up and running. So, if you have some free time please feel free to put your hand up.
3.5 Grants
PLan joins with Bird Life NT on a Community Environment Grant on Shorebirds and Casuarina Coastal Reserve.
2020 August Plan applies for a History Grant Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Landing of the Undersea Telegraphic Cable in Darwin
3.6 Plan memberships goes online
Thank you for your memberships and for the support of the PLan Committee.
Regards
Nick Kirlew
Convener 7/11/2020