<< Peninsula New 25 July 2005 - Chamber makes PUDS submission >>

Chamber makes PUDS submission

Peninsula Chamber of Commerce has called for building heights of six to eight storeys in Woy Woy's commercial area, of five to seven storeys in Ettalong and of four to five storeys in Umina.

However, in a seven-page response to the draft Peninsula Urban Directions Strategy (PUDS), the Chamber says that it is not wanting "quantity simply for the sake of housing people".

"The Chamber's fundamental position is that urban development should focus of quality of design and provision of adequate infrastructure rather than quantity simply for the sake of housing people," said Chamber president Mr Matthew Wales.

The chamber's submission calls for changes to planning controls to "encourage both designers and architects to be more innovative in their approach to housing design and choice".

"The Chamber supports the fundamental view of PUDS that planning controls in and around town centres and their medium density catchments need to be reviewed and commercially viable incentives be implemented to encourage redevelopment," the submission states.

"The Chamber supports the view that developers need to contribute to the review process.

"Whatever people's views are about developers, they are the ones that take the financial risk in providing housing and housing choice.

"If the new planning controls are not sympathetic to the developers needs and do not provide the required incentives, developers and builders will not take up the challenge and PUDS may well fail to deliver the benefits it proposed in terms of better quality housing, affordability and choice."

The Chamber says that builders, land owners and developers need to be given substantial incentives for innovative and energy efficient design.

"Bonuses should be given to developers that consolidate numbers of allotments so that it is financially worth their while to make larger investments through property acquisition."

It argues that height limits should be flexible.

"We should not fear height but use it as an effective design tool for better quality design outcomes."

The Chamber supports the premise that the current zonings are largely adequate.

"It is more the internal planning mechanisms that have failed to produce the results intended," according to Mr Wales.

The submission opposes "appreciable" expansion of the medium density residential zone, but talks of "rounding off" commercial zone boundaries.

Within the existing medium density zone, "development controls should be made more flexible to further encourage innovative design, promote lot consolidation and provide development bonuses for high quality and energy efficient design."

The full text of the Chamber's submission is available on our website www.peninsulanews.asn.au.

Submission, July 5 Matthew Wales, Peninsula Chamber of Commerce