The Hills Shire Council Planning Panel has refused an application from the land owners of 584, 586, 590, 600, 602, 606, 618 and 626 Old Northern Road and 7, 11, 21 and 27 Derriwong Road, Dural to rezone 21 hectares of land within the Dural locality from RU6 Transition to R2 Low Density Residential, in order to facilitate approximately 181 new residential lots.
The original DA was submitted to Hills Shire Council in 2016, but was held in abeyance subject to the outcome of the Urban Capacity and Capability Assessment for the Dural locality. This report, published in March 2019, concluded that while some land is environmentally capable of accommodating development, there is insufficient infrastructure capacity to facilitate development uplift in the Dural locality at this time. A point (item 3) was also made in the assessment that:
3) If the proponent of any future planning proposal to rezone land within the Dural locality is able to demonstrate that they can deliver the required local and regional infrastructure upgrades at no cost to Council, Council consider such a planning proposal and review its position with respect to rezoning within the Dural locality at that time;
The applicants put forward their application on the basis of point 3 above. They also provided a road corridor from Derriwong Road through to Old Northern Road. This was to address the potential ‘by pass” of Round Corner from residents coming from the new land release are/as in Box Hill.
However there was a unanimous vote that the Planning Proposal NOT proceed to Gateway Determination. (See reasons.)
REASONS:
1. The proposal does not demonstrate strategic merit.
2. The proposal is not consistent with the Greater Sydney Commission Central Sydney City Plan, specifically planning priority C18 “Better Managing Rural Areas”.
3. The proposal is not consistent with Section 9.1 Ministerial Direction 1.2 Rural Zones.
4. The proposal is not consistent with Council’s Rural Lands Strategy.
5. The proposal has the potential to generate conflict with the RU2 zoned land in the Hornsby Local Government Area.
6. The proposal will have an adverse impact on the character of the Dural Precinct.
