Lee Point ‘is settled’
THE Urban Development Institute of Australia NT has called on the NT government to ignore a letter from the Darwin council over the controversial development of Lee Point.
In a piece in this week’s Sunday Territorian, UDIA NT chief executive Catriona Tatam said the move by Darwin’s aldermen was “an ill-informed political manoeuvre designed to appease some residents”. “The City of Darwin Council’s motion is well outside their role as a local authority and referral agency, and seeks to undermine the planning process to date,” Ms Tatam said.
She said the project had already been closely scrutinised during previous stages of the planning process and long-term aims to ensure the environment was protected had already been factored into an area plan for the site.
“I would like everyone to consider this: nearly every single person opposed to this development is likely residing on land that was once cleared, subdivided and developed, just as Lee Point is,” Ms Tatam said.
“All I can hope is that their own home and suburb were as rigorously and carefully planned and assessed as the Lee Point development has been.”
She furthermore noted the land earmarked for development at Lee Point did “not encroach on any land zoned conservation . . . and, in fact, increases the amount of conservation-zoned land and public open space”.
The development has been hotly contested by some residents.
Last week Darwin’s aldermen voted 11 to one to write a letter to the NT government asking for a moratorium on the development. It has now been six years since the area plan for the development was approved.
Ms Tatam said the snap decision to oppose the project by Darwin council was surprising, given the amount of public consultation for Lee Point through various stage of assessment.
“Every single one of these stages/ approvals requires some form of public consultation,” she said.
“The project is also supported by numerous assessments and reports, undertaken by skilled and qualified professionals in the various fields of environmental science, town planning and engineering.”
Ms Tatam expressed optimism that the Chief Minister, Michael Gunner, and Planning Minister Eva Lawler would continue to support the project going forward.