Six out of seven recent dual occupancy applications in Banks have been rejected permanently after residents’ appeals.
A spokesperson for the Banks Action Group, Ros Thomas, said yesterday that she had been told by the Minister for Planning, Bill Wood, that they had been rejected.
Mr Wood confirmed this. He said they had been rejected by the Chief Territory Planner on qualitative grounds, mainly loss of amenity of existing residents.
That meant the rejection was permanent, unlike rejection on quantitative grounds such as set back, window placements and the like when the applicant could resubmit.
Mrs Thomas said she had responded to an election letter-box drop by Mr Wood asking residents about concerns in the area and had presented him with a letter of complaint about dual occupancy in Banks, saying there were too many; privacy was being affected and that in some cases agents were selling them off the plan before the plan was approved; that landscaping and screening required by plans was not being done; that requirements for letters and notices on the land so people could object were being ignored.
“”I was sick of this government turning a blind eye to what’s going on out here,” she said.
Mr Wood arranged a meeting with Mrs Thomas last week, and had told her that six or seven dual occupancies in her area had been knocked back.
One other was going ahead and one was being considered.
Mrs Thomas said, “”People thought they could do nothing, but this shows we can do something about it.”
She advised people to get informed. She had got copies of applications in Banks early.
“”Once the footings go in, it’s too late,” she said.
She said she would hate to be in Mr Wood’s shoes with builders on one side and us on the other, “”but they should have got a better balance in the first place. It was all in favour of the builders at first; there was bound to be a backlash”.
A spokesperson for the Save Our Cities Coalition, Jacqui Rees, said it was good for Banks, but it was a one-off knee-jerk reaction when the shape and function of the whole city was being undermined.
It was good to see the people of Banks being effective and she hoped that Mr Wood would be sympathetic to people outside and inside his electorate.
Mr Wood said the key issue was how to get excellence throughout the city. He had to deal with both sides. Yesterday, for example, he had a group of builders on very tight margins expressing concern that they had made applications and expected them to be treated quickly according to the law and guidelines.
If they did not get projects running they could go broke.