Destroying a lively city – Our Grim Future – Series 1 – part 1

When you local member is representing the Baird Government instead of the people who supply his wages, the City of Parramatta has a problem. Geoff Lee (photographed here by the Western Sydney Business Access, who incidentally has given him space on numerous occasions,  while we are aware that this media member writes for business, it does not write both sides of the story. The publication is in favour of the developers and the Baird Government agenda. WSBA does not have balanced reporting. It tells the business community what they think the business people of Parramatta want to here.

Read about what the WSBA says about the Stadium Development, here http://www.accessnews.com.au/business/government/item/1500-parramatta-stadium

• Does it tell you that to accomplish this development  it needs to steal a bit more of our Crown Land, Our World Heritage Listed Parramatta Park?
• Does it tell you that to give you a facility that is only used by footballers that when Venues NSW did the Environmental Study that the football teams were the only ones who were consulted?
• Does WSBA tell you that to put this development up that the residents and ratepayers will lose the only pool in Parramatta, a pool that they have spent over $8 million dollars a couple of years back.
• Do they tell you that there are no future plans to rebuild the Parramatta Memorial Swimming Pool or any funds set aside.

Do they tell you a plan done about two years ago, would have given us a new larger Stadium and also kept the pool intact for our citizens and our schools.This is where you will have to swim if Venues NSW get their way. This is not good enough for Parramatta, we as residents need a  city, we can live in, places where we can go to cool off, walk in open green spaces and not concrete jungles, surrounded by high rise glass boxes, we need to be able breath.

We need our elected representatives back, we need a voice, we need to be heard, and we need our concerns met. We do not need our rights taken away and have to fight to get them back, so Geoff Lee we need you to represent us, not sell us out, and Mr Baird, we need you to protect our facilities and not sell us out.

If you were paying good money to tour Australia would you put this venue on your plans to visit?????????????

 

 

 

 

 

Parramatta The Next Great City – For Tourism I Don’t Think So!

Let us look at what makes a City attractive to the overseas Tourist. A trip from the City of Sydney to Parramatta by the River Cat, first of all if you are in a group or just a couple you need to purchase a $10 Opal Card, because that is all you can buy. You arrive at Parramatta, if you have not organised a local Tour operator to pick you up, and you don’t know the sites, you walk to Westfield, have a coffee and then back to the Ferry to go back to Sydney. If you are lucky enough to find the information centre, a young assistant tells you, no we do not have any history in Parramatta.

And why is this so, well the City of Parramatta Council has had the ratepayer’s elected representatives sacked. The council is under Administration, Amanda Chadwick and the staff was supposed to continue with the business of the area. But NO!!!! Amanda has been hand picked by Premier Mike Baird. So what is his agenda? It is to assist the developers to build on every spare piece of land in the Parramatta LGA. Will you be able to have a swim on a hot day in Parramatta, NO!!!!! why? Because Mike Baird has approved a new stadium (the best in the west) and wants to demolish the War Memorial Swimming Pool, and has no funds or plans to rebuild it, and the ratepayers are out of pocket.

Will you be able to visit a first class Convict built historical place like the Fleet Street Heritage Precinct? NO!!!!!!!!! Why, because Mike Baird and his developer mates want to build high rise glass boxes, smothering the area. Is there a first class Museum in Parramatta which tells the rich history of the area NO!!!!!! Why, because Mike Baird wants to move the PowerHouse Museum to Parramatta, but it will not be a PowerHouse, it will be a LittleHouse, Why, because it is planned to be 25% of the size of the original one in Ultimo and the site chosen is flood prone. Why, because Mike Baird wants to sell the Ultimo site for high rise.

Can you take a tour around Parramatta and see the sites? NO!!!!!!!!!! why because most areas are not coach friendly, no public toilets readily available to coaches, no place that caters for meals for coach tours, no signs, no planned Tourist strategy. And why you might ask, because no one is interested in bringing tourists to Parramatta. The NSW government thinking is more high rise, higher immigration, more cars, clogged roads every night and no jobs for our citizens. You might ask how are our present ratepayers are coping, to put it simply they are very mad.

Is their local Member Geoff Lee concerned, NO!!!!!!!!!!! why, he is perfectly happy with the way things are going.

GSC- Great Sydney Con.

The Greater Sydney Commission set up by the Baird Government is made up of people who can use their power and influence to squash the residents of Sydney into submission. The worst thing is they are using our assets and taxes to do this. NSW is not a democracy but a dictatorship, run by people who have no interests in or knowledge of the Heritage of Sydney or Parramatta.

Let us look at the holdings of the Turnbull’s,  the couple reside in Sydney, with an additional property in Hunter Valley, an apartment in Canberra when they are not in The Lodge. They also own an apartment in New York City. The couple are independently wealthy. Mrs Turnbull is a figure head of the GSC, her task is to sell the government’s plan to sell our assets, build high rise glass boxes on every space, destroy as much of our heritage and our children’s legacy as they can, until our City have nothing left. Despite many requests for a meeting to discuss this topic, no answer is always forthcoming, tight deadlines for submissions, adds are placed on the second last page of the local papers and it is always done when they think we are distracted, like the Christmas Break for instance. Now let us analyse why this happens. Watch this video, a little long, but these plans were put in place years ago The Perfect Storm 

District Commissioner West Central Professor Ed Blakely. His Profile reads like this…..

US and international urban policy, US domestic policy with emphasis on race, class and socioeconomic issues, global urban agendas on sustainability, global warming, development economics with particular background in South America, China, Japan, Europe, Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.

Edward Blakely is Chair of the Future Cities Collaborative at the US Studies Centre and serves as a District Commissioner on the Greater Sydney Commission. He previously served for two years as Executive Director of the Office of Recovery and Development Administration, the “recovery czar” for New Orleans following the devastation of hurricane Katrina. The question, is what is his knowledge of the issues, needs and the heritage of the district he is serving.

Robert (Rob) Gordon Stokes MP

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws, Doctor of Philosophy (Law), Diploma of Biblical Studies, Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. Solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW. Stokes was an associate with the law firm David Begg & Associates in Martin Place Sydney. He also worked in a number of other legal firms including one at Mona Vale. He subsequently became a lecturer in the Division of Law at Macquarie University. He became a member of the Young Lawyers Association of New South Wales and was a member of both the Environmental Law and CLE Committees.

Geoff Lee MP Member for Parramatta.

Geoff Lee was born in 1967 and has an Australian and Chinese background. He attained a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in horticulture from the University of Western Sydney Hawkesbury Campus and was managing director of Hambledon Garden Centre, a garden centre and landscaping business in Parramatta from 1992 until 2001. He completed his Master of Business from the Macquarie University School of Business Administration in 2001 and commenced teaching part-time at Liverpool TAFE from 2004 to 2006, Lee was a lecturer in business at the University of Western Sydney and, during this time, completed a Doctor of Business Administration degree at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.  In 2007, he was appointed Associate Dean (Engagement) at UWS. Photograph Daily Telegraph.

Premier Mike Baird MP.

Baird attended The King’s School, Parramatta, and spent time living in the USA whilst his father served as head of the Australia trade commission in New York. Baird graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney. Baird also studied at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada, initially intending to enter the Anglican ministry, but while there decided a career in investment banking and later politics. In 1999, he successfully sought preselection for the seat of Manly. Baird then returned to investment banking, working for the National Australia Bank for a time in London, before returning to Sydney to work for the HSBC Australia. But of course now Mr Baird has started the avalanche of destruction, he has resigned the Parliament.

Now we are looking at Gladys Berejiklian as the new Premier who has promised us she will do everything that Mike Baird did but more, sales of the people’s assets, more infrastructure, privatisation of  Crown Land, and build more high rise for overseas investors.

Gladys has not mentioned her vision for Heritage and certainly does not know what Parramatta has, some tour guide should give her a days tour of Parramatta to see the potential “Tourism Dollars” if she is game to take on the current system of decision makers that Mr Baird has set in place.

Now, you ask what are these lot of people making decisions on our precious history and heritage, they are not interested in the subject or the people involved, they have not studied the subject or read stories, they do not or cannot tell the stories of the past, and has never explored or even visited the area they are in charge of, then what are they interested in and what is the common theme that these people are interested in? The answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!! is money.

NSW State Architect Rolls In His Grave – 200 Years Later Work Faces Destruction

If Francis Greenway was alive today, he would be on the streets protesting about what the modern day State Architect is proposing to do to his work that has lasted for 200 years. Peter Poulet the current State Architect is not a designer of grand old buildings, instead he likes modern art, “A well travelled artist” as this story in the Daily Telegraph tells the Australian Public. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/home-mag/architect-peter-poulets-home-is–testament-to-a-welltravelled-life/news-story/53b760e488aeaa077a986c89a5d74399

The question therefore has to be asked why a fellow that has no experience in design becomes the State Architect in Charge of the “Architects Office” of course the answer is a very simple one. You have a NSW Government that does not believe in saving out heritage and wants to sell it at any price. And that the original State Officer “Francis Greenway” is relegated to the $10 Note.

Francis Greenway (1777-1837), architect, was born at Mangotsfield, near Bristol, England, son of Francis Greenway and Ann, née Webb. The Greenways had been stonemasons, builders and architects in the west country for generations. Francis was in private practice as an architect in Bristol when in March 1812 he was found guilty of forging a document.

He was sentenced to death but the penalty was later changed to transportation for fourteen years. He arrived in Sydney in February 1814 in the transport General Hewitt, and was followed in July by his wife Mary, whom he had married about 1804, and three children in the Broxbornebury.

This is what the community is facing NSW from the State Government, no longer is heritage  a precious commodity to be saved for the future use of the people, but a treasure to be sold, it is ironic then that poor old Francis is put on our currency, for that is what is happening.

Peter Poulet the current State Architect presides over the work of the heritage destroyers Urban Growth, which is the development arm of the State, but managed by young inexperienced people who think that a visit by the Premier or minister to announce a grand plan of destruction, is the best thing ever. Urban Growth have lodged a development application with the ADMINISTRATOR APPOINTED BY THE BAIRD GOVERNMENT AT PARRAMATTA, which will slice the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct into three to sell off to the highest bidder. Photo courtesy of the Daily Telegraph.

The office of the State Architect has been dumbed down, this office has been the powerhouse for 200 years, it has now been reduced to an artists studio, not a design of grand buildings in sight, and the NSW community are fighting for their very life to stop the destruction of their heritage for the history and the future economy of NSW and Australia.

The problem with all of this is that when it is sold, when it is destroyed by high rise buildings, there will be nothing left that can bring tourists revenue to Parramatta. If the politicians including Geoff Lee the local member had an original thought that was sold by some one like Francis Greenway, they could see what a potential Tourism site this could be a desired destination of tourists from all over the world, it would boost the Parramatta economy for many years to come. But NO, Mr Lee has been advised (wrongly) that he will get the site World Heritage Listed after the site has been destroyed, not so Mr Lee, not so.

 

Mr Baird, Lucy Turnbull and Ed Blakely Hands off Parramatta Assets.

Never has there been a concentrated effort to sell off Public Land in Parramatta. Democracy is Dead and Buried in NSW. The Parramatta Residents turned out in good numbers to protest the move from the State Government to remove all means of our Democracy. Parramatta City Council had decided to fight numerous items before they were dismissed and replaced by Amanda Chadwick and her side kick Sue Wetherby. You may remember that the community lost the fight to put the portholes in the fake part of the Lennox bridge built in 1839. The result looks like a really bad add on, most photographers do not use the port holes when framing their photographs.

Geoff Lee the State member for Parramatta is also agreeing with Baird, Turnbull and Blakely, to sell off or destroy the assets that the ratepayers have paid for, in the city. Why don’t these people listen to the residents of Parramatta, are they drawing wages from the Ratepayers of Parramatta City and the Taxpayers of NSW. Why are they treating the Ratepayers and Taxpayers like a cash cow.

One of the groups fighting this sell off is the North Parramatta Residents Group, the only group who is doing something about this wholesale slaughter, they have successfully created a network of people who are quietly working their way into the underbelly of the political parties, the pen is mightier that the sword my friends.

And we might ask what happened to the plans that were raised a couple of years ago that allowed the War Memorial Pool to remain on CROWN LAND, but still allow the Stadium to expand. The Parramatta Park Trust had no right to give Venues NSW permission to take over our World Heritage Listed Park Land. Who is getting the contracts, who is making the money out of this, it is certainly not the tax payers and the ratepayers. We need to add a performance Clause to the conditions of the people who are making these decisions.

RESIDENTS OF PARRAMATTA UNITE.!!!!!!

Pre-Determined Plan NSW State Government – Sinks Moxham Wetland.

There is no democracy in NSW at all, the NSW Government has decided to sell off Public Land put aside by the “Crown” for the future use of the community. this affects as many as seven sites in Parramatta, this is happening during the forced council amalgamations, when Parramatta is run by a Baird Government appointee Amanda Chadwick.

There is a plan by  Baird the members of his government to deny all rights of the people in NSW to protest, or have their concerns raised, the public meeting held to discuss the problems of the Moxham site was effectively determined even before the meeting started. The community was told that the State would do whatever it wanted despite what they were worried about. Recently Pittwater was put through this type of process, despite many objections they were overruled by the Baird Government. This video shows how the GSC and the Department of Planning work together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV6LNfBNznE

An American Professor, Chairman of the JRPP and now Commission Chairman for Lucy Turnbull’s Greater Sydney Commission has effectively recommended the rezoning the Moxham Quarry Wetland at Northmead, (this site is the State Seat of Seven Hills, Liberal Party Member Mark Taylor is the sitting local member), Parramatta for High Density Housing…..

The State Planning Department officer sat and gave her views on the flawed EIS statements agreeing with them even thought speakers pointed out the flaws, there were no independent studies as you expect for a development, she agreed with the proponent and was spoke against the myriad of local residents, and past Councillors of Parramatta City Council who has fought since 1999 to stop this Quarry from being destroyed. Even the rich Aboriginal history has been ignored by this bloke from America.

The Quarry was abandoned in the 1950’s due to the miners hitting the aquifer, sand stone finds is not waterproof, no cap will hold it, it will seep out somewhere else. If built the community on the Wetland would be have a bigger threat from bush fires, one road in and out will put lives at risk.

Something is on the nose in NSW, the community needs supporting, we call for an inquiry into the sale of Public Land, the community won “Talus”  and “Rutledge” is a force to be reckoned with,  it is about time that some one takes a hard close look at what is going on.

 

 

 

 

Urgent Parramatta Female Factory Under Threat.

The Fleet Street Precinct is under threat from the very people who are supposed to protect it. I believe that the way  the NSW government is handling this project is not constitutional, the development action by Urban Growth is not transparent and I say this for the following reasons. Urban Growth has lodged a development application to divide this unique and iconic convict built site and rezone it. This has been done so that they can sell off parts of it to the developers. Now who will be making this decision? The Greater Sydney Commission (headed by Mrs Lucy Turnbull) will oversee that process; they will put pressure on the City Of Parramatta Council to approve this. Now who will the people be at COP who will make this decision?

This will be the NSW Government appointed administrator, there are no democratically elected councillors, they have been sacked. This was a deliberate act by the Baird Government, so as to lessen the opposition against the sale. So the person that has been appointed, who has no connection to Parramatta and I am sure that has very little knowledge of the history will be the person to make the decision. The ratepayers and members of the public who have ancestors in the Female Factory and people who generally are interested in our Australian history do not have a say. The elected State Member supports this project to divide and sell off the site (even though he is paid by the tax payers to represent us and our concerns, he follows the party line.)

The following is a comment from a participant that I believe, says what the people in the community are feeling.” I turned up this morning to discover the only things going on today were the tours for school groups and other booked groups.  Though there was meant to be stalls and information about potential ideas, there was nothing going on, so I left.  

The very young staff (with poor senses of geography and history) is all looking forward to the Smoking ceremony, ministerial speeches etc. tomorrow from 8 am.  All this sounds like it is a smoke and mirrors PR exercise and not about consultation at all.  Booklets and posters with pretty pictures, but I get no sense of depth at all.  I just hope tomorrow after the ministers leave might be more robust, but I doubt it.”

The guest Speakers for “Riot Day” were Tom and Meg Keneally, they were very concerned about the future of the Female Factory, they were amazed that the site was not World Heritage Listed, considering the importance of the stories. Tom and Meg accepted an invitation to be Patron’s for the Parramatta Female Factory Friends.

 

Tom and Meg Keneally are writing a book based on their Girl in the Female Factory they say she was a “Good Girl”.

Sydney Harbour Federation Trust – Liberal National Party Selling NSW

Sydney Harbour Federation Trust – Liberal and National Party Selling New South Wales.

 

Why are the principles of crown land management being so blatantly ignored, not just by negligence but by outright illegality in breach of the Crown Lands Act?  Why is this condoned not only in regard to developers, but by councils as failed trustees, by the NSW Crown Lands Department who has failed administration system, and in the last decade by Public Servants employed to uphold the law, but Ministerial manipulations and rorts.

 

Why is the sale of land to private owners started by the Federal Labor Party been allowed to continue under a Federal Liberal National Party Government? Mr Bailey CEO of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust was quoted as saying that Crown Land is owned by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust …WRONG …it is owned by the people of Australia.

 

Before the New South Wales State and Federal election-

 

The Member for Warringah, the Hon. Tony Abbott, responded on this issue: – “I have been extremely concerned about this issue ever since the former Labor Government announced the military’s plans to leave in answer to a Parliamentary Question on Notice from me in May 1995. Since then, I have organized a number of protest meetings and campaigned strongly to ensure that this priceless piece of our heritage is not squandered to the everlasting loss of the people of Sydney and Australia.”

 

A response from Joe Hockey, the Member for North Sydney stated: ‐ “The sheer volume of correspondence I have received on this issue indicates that while the community respects the need for the Department of Defence to occupy prime land for strategic purposes, this need does not encompass a right to pass title to this land into the hands of private interests. Significantly, the views of the local community also reflect a general desire to promote intergenerational equity when it comes to our environment. The request that the lands do not fall victim to private concerns is not motivated by jealousy on the part of local residents.”

 

Seriously, what has changed, why have these men, who are now leaders of Australia gone against everything that they said and now is advocating the sale of Crown Land. The story appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald.

http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac;jsessionid=AEA9B0DF2A7E0560F50175AB6272E30D?sy=afr&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=1month&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=brs&cls=18871&clsPage=1&docID=SMH140329VG6UD2GHN4F

 

But they are not selling it to Australians, they are selling it to overseas investors, not small parts of the state, but large pieces of important land that was put aside for the future use of our citizens.

 

The White Paper on Crown Land Management which has been shelved until after the election sought to water down the laws so that large items like Jenolan Caves could be sold. A member of the Crown Land Our Land has written to the Premier and the Minister, from the Central Coast she expressed her frustration in the political deals and corruption in that area. Some of what she wrote is quoted here.

 

“The Premier needs to know what voters are concerned about up here.  The last Liberal member standing up here , Chris Holstein, has a record of ignoring not one but two  10,000 plus signatures on Parliamentary petitions regarding the Developer- friendly takeover of  public school and Crown Land sites on Gosford Waterfront for private development under Minister Brad Hazzard , calling the signatories A “vocal minority” and even” bananas”.

 

The latest takeover has been under Mike Baird’s watch, at the Broadwater, (part of the State declared SSS),  with a site reserved for Public Recreation W2 entirely given over to a developer, with the support of CCRDC and the approval of your Minister for Lands – and  with as yet absolutely NO opportunity for community input at all into the approval to thus illegally alienate Crown Land without a Plan of Management being prepared for the Minister which would assess the impact of the extension of use on the original purpose for which the land was reserved.

 

When this is pointed out directly, attempts to cover up are all we get.  I have had a letter from Minister for Lands reassuring me they are working closely with GCC to ensure things are done correctly.  But they haven’t been, and he has already given his approval.  Can illegal processes be smoothed over by collaboration?”

 

And more “Unless these issues are recognised, and responded to by the current government,  selecting Liberal candidates for the next State elections will be a waste of time, however strategic  it may seem at the moment. Political parties for too long have placed too much faith in their power to use the media to persuade and dissemble.  Performance and delivery of service, after listening to the constituency, is what is needed.”

 

It is a sorry state of affairs when ordinary people spend endless time and energy to contact their elected representatives only to be ignored or brushed aside referring it to the “minister” or the department hoping they have brushed the community aside. We afraid that it will not happen this time, the community have rallied, they are communicating with each other, supporting each other and using social media to get the problem out there. Only action will satisfy, Premier Baird, only action.

 

June M Bullivant OAM

Crown Land Our Land

http://www.crownlandourland.org.au/sydney-harbour-trust.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left Over’s from 2009 – Adopted by Baird Government.

 Left Over’s from 2009 – Adopted by Baird Government.

The establishment of Crown Land Our Land and our affiliated groups networked to research the complexities and management of Crown Land and the push by the NSW Government to sell our land off has led to some interesting partners who have been watching the progression of Public Servants through the ranks of the service to attain high office usually to the detriment of the NSW Community. We have a number of examples, starting with Sam Haddad who held a high ranking office in the Department of Planning and now has been stood aside after a failed attempt to legislate a White Paper for planning which after a lot of intense work by the Better Planning Network with its affiliated members, was shelved for the time being.

The next person to come to our attention is Stephen Fenn, a man who was chief advisor to disgraced Minister Tony Kelly when he sold off Carrawong, is now highly placed in the Crown Lands Department and in charge of the White Paper for the privatisation of Crown land which was to be sold off. The White Paper Crown land has also been shelved for the time being.

Now that leads us to the current announcement by Planning Minister Pru Goward “that a committee of senior bureaucrats had been formed to articulate a ‘new vision’ for Sydney’s harbour, led by Les Wielinga, the new committee has been told to deliver a coordinated foreshore strategy” SMH 30^th August 2014. Below is a small sample of the work of Mr Wielinga for your perusal. The question now being asked by CLOL is why has this man been appointed to a senior position to decide what should happen to our Sydney Harbour Foreshore.

LES WIELINGA

Quoting from the linked webpage: Les Wielinga, previously the RTA’s Director of Motorways and Chairperson of the Lane Cove Tunnel Integration Group, was appointed to the RTA position of Chief Executive Officer in July, 2006.

In April, 2009, Wielinga, by then the ‘head’ of the Sydney Metro Authority, was one of the Senior New South Wales roads executives and members of former roads minister Eric Roozendaal’s office implicated in an Ombudsman’s report which was referred to the state’s ‘corruption watchdog’.

During his RTA career, Wielinga was also involved in Pacific Highway ‘upgrades’ which would maximise environmental and human devastation. He worked on the Bulahdelah to Coolongolook ‘upgrade’ for which the longest route ‘option’, affecting the second highest number of people, was used. Les Wielinga could have prevented the conglomeration of atrocities the RTA [has now inflicted] on Bulahdelah township, its residents and road users with the fraudulently named ‘Bulahdelah Bypass’ but did not.

[In late March or early April, 2009, the Ombudsman] ‘sent his report to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), concerned the potentially corrupt practices may have spread to the entire public sector’. Why haven’t all potentially life-affecting projects involving the RTA been delayed pending investigation? _________________________________________________________

 

In July, 2009, Les Wielinga was appointed Director General of Transport.

Following the 2011 state election, GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN and DUNCAN GAY appointed Wielinga Director General of the newly created Transport for NSW.

As Director General of Transport for NSW, Les Wielinga, together with Paul Broad, (the then) CEO of Infrastructure NSW, was ‘in charge of delivering … WestConnex and [the] North West Rail Link’. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/fat-cats-go-to-war-over-our-roads/story-fndo317g-1226590312414

Les Wielinga ‘retired’ in September, 2013.

In August, 2014, PRU GOWARD, Minister for Planning, announced that a ‘new’ ‘high level’ committee of senior bureaucrats had been formed to articulate a “new vision” for Sydney’s harbour.

The heads of the Department of Planning and Environment, Premier and Cabinet, Transport for NSW, Roads and Maritime Services, NSW Treasury, Trade and Investment and Government Property NSW will comprise the committee.

The committee is to be led by Les Wielinga.

http://bulahdelahbypass.wordpress.com/6-wall-of-shame-publication-pending/

Given that the WestConnex development is planning to deliver a very expensive, disruptive and high carbon project, the future should be public transport, we believe that WestConnex when completed will be obsolete with the planned projects from Urban Growth, why is the Government going down this path.

Information received from People Opposing and Exposing Corruption NSW

June M Bullivant OAM

Crown Land Our Land.

http://www.crownlandourland.org.au/nsw-public-servants.php

Photograph Daily Telegraph

 

 

 

 

Parramatta Female Factory – Government Promises – Overseas Developers.

Crown Land Our Land was formed to highlight the problems of the NSW Communities. The lack of respect by our elected leaders who were put into government to look after us, our homes, our lively hoods, our farms, water. Over successive governments the lack of representation for our communities is unbelievable and literally thousands of people are putting their lives on hold to protest about the problems they are having trying to protect their homes. The rush of the current government to allow big development has already been experienced when the community fought to have the NSW Planning laws actually represent the community instead of Big Business. Then the White Paper giving the government the means to sell off our precious assets to overseas interests has been shelved for the time being. but come the March election if the same people are in Government it will be aired again. June Bullivant writes about the problems in the Parramatta local government area………………..

Sitting through three sessions of consultation meetings with people hired by Urban Growth (the commercial arm of the NSW Government) has not allayed the fears of our groups for the privatisation and commercialisation of land that belongs to all Australians. Day one we were asked questions and our views, played pin the tail and then the crunch, “we need to do something to pay for all of this.”

Local State Member Geoff Lee was quoted in the local newspapers as saying he supported the plan that is being proposed by the State Government, he held the party line. He also was quoted as saying he did not the are World Heritage Listed, his reasoning, they would not be able to sell off the land surrounding it to the developers for the building of high rise.

The State government thinks that this land is theirs to sell, they say that the money is needed for conservation of the buildings on the site. All the new releases are now saying the other buildings on the site. There is no mention that these buildings are the only intact sandstone buildings in Australia built by Parramatta sandstone from the Fleet Street Quarry and by convicts. No other place in Australia has intact buildings, only ruins.

The State Government is pushing to have 6000, apartments on this convict site, people say “Oh I hope that it will be put aside for affordable housing”, well there hopes are to be dashed. The author knows that clandestine tours of non English speaking overseas developers were driven around Parramatta. Affordable Housing is not even on the horizon, most of these developments are sold off the plan, to overseas investors, this means that they will own the land on the site.

Of course these units will need to be serviced so that means 6,000 apartments will need to have electricity and water, if you have witnessed any building site you will know of the rubbish generated and the mess made of the building site, of course the public will not see the devastation because they surround it with fabric you cannot see through.

Will they have an explorative archaeological dig so they know what they are digging up, they have not said, have they promised that the sandstone structures will be safe and conserved, yes, but not when, they will sell off the surrounding land, will they put the money in a special account to be used for the convict buildings,  they have not said.

So my friends they have not developed a plan for the Convict Buildings (they are occupied by the NSW Department of Health) they have not told us the plans to develop the convict site for tourism or how the community can use them, they have only showed us a plan to sell and develop the land for high rise to sell off to overseas developers.

We are angry, why, because the trust in the NSW Government is at a low ebb, why because of a corruption of process, because our land is being sold for profit, because the push by this Government is to develop, develop, develop and to hell with the community, you will get what we tell you,  they have declared the site to be of State Significance, this means from here in you will not be able to have  an impact on decision making, they can increase the height at their whim, and there will be no way that you will be able to stop it.

Watched a presentation on the work on our World Heritage Listed Parramatta Park, no ifs buts or maybe, this was set in concrete with no consultation with the committees set up by council to give important historical information, who did they work with, the same people who are currently putting portals through the 1836 Lennox Bridge. People of NSW our State is in for a vey bad period for our history and our heritage, we liken it to the 1970’s, but we fear it will be much worse. There is no gate keeper with a lock on the door, it is open to the elements.

This is another exercise where our elected representatives are governing for the big end of town and not the citizens of NSW.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nsw-premier-mike-baird-announces-up-to-6000-new-apartments-as-part-of-2-billion-renewal-of-north-parramatta-heritage-precinct/story-e6frg6n6-1227039856678

Photo Greg Davis

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Parramatta-Female-Factory/324446394388274?ref=hl

http://www.heritagewatchnsw.org.au/parramatta-female-factory–.php

http://www.crownlandourland.org.au/parramatta-female-factory–.php

June M Bullivant OAM

Crown Land Our Land.