Jamberoo residents have once again voiced their disapproval, after an Independent Planning Commission (IPC) recommended a controversial development at Jamberoo be given the green light by the NSW planning minister.
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A decision to amend the Kiama LEP will see land at 123 Golden Valley Road, Jamberoo rezoned from RU2 Rural Landscape to R2 Low Density Residential, the lot size changed to 800 square metres, introduce a maximum building height of 8.5 metres and introduce a floor space ratio of 0.45:1.
Jamberoo Valley Ratepayers and Residents Association (JVRRA) chair, Rob McKinnon, said the overwhelming majority of Jamberoo village and valley people opposed the rezoning and housing subdivision.
He claims the community has been locked out of the NSW government’s project planning assessment process and “unfairly treated” for 18 months.
“In a letter to the Minister, Anthony Roberts, the JVRRA has asked him to carefully consider the community’s long-standing and overwhelming opposition to the proposal before making a final decision,” Mr McKinnon said.
“Particularly considering the community’s exclusion from the project’s planning assessment process for the past 18 months and obvious bias in favour of the developer in at least two key government planning hearings conducted in secret.”
Kiama Council opposed the development with a vote of eight to one at a council meeting in December 2016 after months of community protest.
Shortly after the vote, council’s power to make a final decision on the proposal was removed.
At a Kiama Council meeting in April 2018, councillors resolved to support rezoning the site four votes to three.
“The minister must decide whether or not to allow the proposal to rezone 4.7 hectares of active and quality agricultural land to make way for a project housing subdivision, which will increase the village’s population by 13 per cent,” Mr McKinnon said.
“Residents have made it clear to Kiama Council and Kiama MP Gareth Ward that they are already punching above their weight in providing more housing in Jamberoo with the building of two new substantial subdivision developments and the approval of a third in the heart of the village in the past four years alone.”
In a survey of Jamberoo village and valley residents conducted for the JVRRA in 2017, 93 per cent of respondents opposed the type of development exemplified by the recent subdivisions around Jamberoo.
While 83 per cent said maintaining agricultural or food producing farming land around Jamberoo was very important.
“The latest example of the NSW government unfairly treating Jamberoo residents and locking them out of government planning processes vital to the resident’ future quality of life occurred as recently as November 14,” Mr McKinnon said.
“Without public announcement, the IPC met in government offices in Wollongong with only the proponents and developer of the Golden Valley Road proposal.
“The public was not advised or invited.”
