Month: November 2025

Read ABC News 26.11.25

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Hillview Community Health Centre is at 1334 Pacific Highway, Turramurra.

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Read FOKE’s submission

26 November 2025

Not only is NSW fast tracking power and slowing accountability, but WA is as well! What’s gone wrong with state governments?

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The Centre for Public Integrity is concerned about the Federal Government rushing through their environment bill – but with significant integrity issues and no regard for proper legislative process

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See NSW Planning’s lack of vision

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Bendigo Bank Lindfield presented FOKE with a $1000 cheque on 11 November 2025

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Listen to Hawkesbury Environment Network’s new podcast ‘Hawkesbury Eco Hour’

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Read SMH article ‘Really bad planning’: Wendy Whitely joins the fight against Sydney high-rise apartments by Megan Gorrey, 17 November 2025

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Read FOKE E-News 20.11.25

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Read FOKE’s letter to the Mayor of Ku-ring-gai Cr Christine Kay, regarding her media release ‘Council votes to discontinue legal action against the State of NSW, 19.11.25

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Wednesday 26 November 2025, 2.30pm at St Johns Church Cemetery, Gordon

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Saturday 22 November 2025, 2.30pm at St Andrews Uniting Church, Turramurra

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FOKE expresses disappointment in Council abandoning its legal action against the NSW Government and approving its TOD Alternative Plan (with NSW Government Amendments).

Despite the enormous importance of having this decision debated in open forum, the Councillors made the decision ‘behind closed doors’.

Ku-ring-gai Council Resolution as of 18.11.25 (transcribed from video HERE)

CONFIDENTIAL ITEM

GENERAL BUSINESS ITEM 16        

Moved by Cr Kay

Seconded by Cr Wheatley

UNANIMOUS

1. That Council notes that Council’s adopted alternative Transport Oriented Development scheme was largely implemented by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure on the 14 November 2025 by State Environment Planning Policy Amendment Ku-ring-gai Station Precincts 2025 ensuring:
   
   i. the protection of heritage
   ii. preservation of biodiversity and tree canopy
   iii. protection of the desired future character of Ku-ring-gai
   iv. revitalization of its Town Centres
   
   
2. While Council considers it has strong prospects of having the TOD SEPP declared invalid in its proceedings against the State of NSW, it appreciates that even if it were successful the proceeding themselves would not have led to the outcomes that Council has now been able to achieve.
   
   
3.  While Council acknowledges that the transitional provisions associated with State Significant Developments will not resolve satisfaction, this alone would not justify the continuation of the proceedings in all the circumstances.
   
   
4. That Council accept the offer the State of NSW that the current proceedings in the Land and Environment Court be discontinued on the basis that each party bear its own cost.  The discontinuous be filed at Court with the consent of the State within one business day of the amended maps being published on the spatial viewer in the same form that those maps were provided to Council last week.
   
   

Mayor’s Media Release: Council votes to discontinue legal action against the State of NSW

Published on 19 November 2025

Ku-ring-gai Council has resolved to discontinue the legal challenge to the NSW Government’s Transport Oriented Development (TOD).

At its 18 November meeting, Council unanimously resolved to accept the Government’s offer to discontinue proceedings in the Land and Environment Court.

This follows the decision by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure earlier this month to implement Council’s alternative TOD scheme.

Ku-ring-gai Mayor Christine Kay said the decision brought certainty to property owners in Gordon, Killara, Lindfield and Roseville.

“Our alternative plan will replace the Government’s former TOD policy and protect important built heritage and tree canopy, while meeting the Government’s targets for new housing in Ku-ring-gai,” Mayor Kay said.

“While there were strong prospects of the TOD SEPP being declared invalid in the Land and Environment Court, this outcome is even better than what could have been achieved if Council was successful in the court proceedings.

“Council’s alternative plan was developed after extensive community consultation and has several advantages over the NSW Government’s TOD. It will help deliver much-needed new housing in a way that responds to community concerns and Ku-ring-gai’s unique area.”

Council resolved to accept the offer of the State of NSW that the current proceedings in the Land and Environment Court be discontinued on the basis that each party bear its own costs.

The discontinuation will be filed at Court, with the consent of the State, within 1 business day of the amended maps being published online.

Council noted that the alternative TOD scheme ensures the protection of heritage, preservation of biodiversity and tree canopy, protection of the desired future character of Ku-ring-gai and revitalisation of town centres.

Council acknowledged that the transitional provisions associated with state significant development were not resolved to its satisfaction but determined that this alone would not justify the continuation of legal proceedings.

Why did Ku-ring-gai Council vote on their Alternative TOD plan – one of the most important planning decisions for Ku-ring-gai’s future in CONFIDENTIAL?

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Read FOKE E-News 18.11.25

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When the NSW Government . . .

• still wants to keep the State Significant Developments?
  
  
• includes the rezoning of additional heritage properties at 12 Stanhope Road, Killara; 9 Middle Harbour Road and 1 Valley road Lindfield; 29 Roseville Ave
  
  
• off loads affordable housing to Council but lets developers ‘get out of affordable housing’ after 15 years
• Major additions/ uplifts for No. 1-7 Carlotta Avenue, Gordon, and no.1A Carlotta Avenue, Gordon. This will now be zoned for 29m, and 1.8:1 FSR
  
  
• Major additions/ uplifts for Nos. 9, 15 and 17 Dumaresq Street, Gordon. Height of building (HOB) from 51.5m to 64.5m
  
  
• Major additions/ uplifts for Nos. 784, 786-788, 788A, 790, and No.802-808 Pacific Highway, Gordon (the Gordon Centre) Height of Building (HOB) increase from 93 to 109 m, FSR inc from 6.5:1 to 7.5:1. Minimum site area reduced from 9000m to 7700
  
  
• Major additions/ uplifts for No. 22 Bent St and nos. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 & 18 Newark Crescent, Lindfield FSR increase from 0.85:1 to 1.3:1 to match neighbouring propoerties one side of this crescent. With increased HOB from 12m to 18.5m
  
  
• Major additions/ uplifts for No. 5 Oliver Rd and 4 Roseville Ave, Roseville. As I understand the subclauses on this. This area behind Hill st Roseville is affected by some clauses that I think mean they can be included in any SSD. Very confusing language
  
  
• 924 Pac Hwy Gordon. Height up from 51.5 to 61m
  
  
• No. 810 Pacific Highway, Gordon, HOB increase from 70.5 to 73.5
  
  
• No. 2 Spencer Road, Killara FSR increase from 0.85:1 to 2.1:1
  
  
• No. 345 Pacific Highway, Lindfield HOB increase from 51.5 to 54m
  
  
• Nos. 239, 251, 257, 259, 265-271, 283, 295-303, 305-309, 313, 317, 321, 323, 329 Pacific Highway and Nos. 1-5 Tryon Place, Lindfield  HOB increase from 51.5 to 54m (This is the current Lindfield Library site all the way to the station)
  
  
• Some additions, some removals for active street frontage maps

Ku-ring-gai Council’s alternative plans for Killara, Gordon, Roseville and Lindfield were approved on Friday 14 November 2025. 

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Read what the NCC says about Minns planning agenda

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A key reason for the Minns Government’s overhaul of the NSW environment and planning laws is not for communities, not for good affordable housing, not for climate resilience but for the mining and development industry and their super profits.  

Minns candidly told a Sydney Investment Summit in October 2025 that he is keen to make NSW ‘the quickest, the easiest, the most direct state to develop and release big projects in’. He also told an international mining summit that he wants ‘quicker approvals and quicker productive mines.’  Minns constant messaging has been that the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Planning System Reforms) Bill 2025 is about making it easier to build more mid-high rise apartments everywhere, regardless of thei9r environmental damage. Now Premier Minns has admitted that the new Bill will also apply to mining and power projects.  Despite NSW Labor’s rhetoric about being a party ‘better for the environment’ their planning legislation fails for climate action and biodiversity protection. Minns new laws will remove, weaken and obliterate controls to ensure a safe climate and accelerate biodiversity extinction.   Jeremy Buckingham MLC moved a last-minute amendment in the Legislative Council on Thursday 23 October 2025 calling for climate impacts and greenhouse gas emissions to be considered when assessing developments.   Write to your local MP calling on her/him to support this amendment when it is debated on Tuesday 11 November 2025.

Read more:

• Nature Conservation Council of NSW E-News Minns’s plan to fast-track mining projects exposed HERE
• Minns admits mining and power projects can be fast-tracked under contentious NSW approval laws’ – The Guardian 
• Update on the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Planning System Reforms) Bill 2025 from the Environmental Defenders Office 
• NSW planning overhaul removes corruption and environment safeguards, legal experts say’ – ABC 
  
  

Biggest rollback of planning protections in NSW history

The Minns Labor Government has introduced one of the largest rollbacks of planning, environment and community protects since 1979 with the first Environment Planning Assessment Act. Its new Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Planning System Reforms) Bill 2025 is a seismic change for NSW citizens in how development will affect planning and environment decisions in every local government area of NSW.

What does the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Planning System Reforms) Bill 2025 do?

• removes health and safety from the Objects of the Act
• removes health and safety from the objects of the Act
• weakens the duty to consider environmental impacts,
• creates new fast-track approval pathways where decision-makers are prohibited from weighing the environment, climate impacts or the broader public interest.
• centralises power in a single senior executive, the Planning Secretary, at the expense of councils, independent agencies, and communities.

Why is the Bill so dangerous?

• “This Bill is the most dangerous change to our planning system we have ever seen. The Government is using the housing crisis as cover to ram through reforms that silence communities, weaken environmental protections and hand extraordinary power to one bureaucrat”- Greens MP, Spokesperson for planning Sue Higginson (3.10.25)
• “Protections for the environment are being stripped out across the Act. The duty to consider impacts on land, water, biodiversity and climate has been replaced with a proportionality test, allowing obligations to be watered down. At the same time, the Bill makes it possible that considering climate impacts under the public interest test could be deemed unlawful. These are not reforms for the future, they are a deliberate weakening of our ability to plan responsibly in a climate and extinction crisis”- Greens MP, Spokesperson for planning Sue Higginson (3.10.25)
• “The Bill also removes the requirement for bushfire hazard assessments, leaving communities more vulnerable at a time when fire risk is intensifying across NSW”- Greens MP, Spokesperson for planning Sue Higginson (3.10.25)
• “Community participation will be gutted. Local participation plans will be abolished and replaced with a single statewide plan controlled by the Planning Secretary. The result will be cookie-cutter consultation that ignores the specific needs and knowledge of local communities”- Greens MP, Spokesperson for planning Sue Higginson (3.10.25)
• “The Bill also undermines the protection of First Nations cultural heritage and Country. By funnelling approvals into the Development Coordination Authority, expert advice from Heritage NSW and the voices of Land Councils and Native Title holders will no longer be guaranteed a statutory role in decision-making”- Greens MP, Spokesperson for planning Sue Higginson (3.10.25)
• “This is not planning reform. It is a developer’s charter. It will open the door for damaging projects to be forced onto communities, strip out safeguards for biodiversity and climate, and put people at greater risk from fire and unsafe development”- Greens MP, Spokesperson for planning Sue Higginson (3.10.25)
• “All Members of Parliament who truly represent their communities should oppose this Bill. We need planning reform that tackles the housing crisis while strengthening, not dismantling, protections for communities, the environment and First Nations heritage” M- Greens MP, Spokesperson for planning Sue Higginson (3.10.25)

Read what Sue Higginson MLC has to say about the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Planning System Reforms) Bill 2025 HERE

FOKE Summary

The Minns Labor Government has introduced the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Planning System Reforms) Bill 2025. The Bill represents one of the largest rollbacks of planning, environmental and community protections since the Planning Act was introduced in 1979.

The Bill removes health and safety from the objects of the Act, weakens the duty to consider environmental impacts, and creates new fast-track approval pathways where decision-makers are prohibited from weighing the environment, climate impacts or the broader public interest. It centralises power in a single senior executive, the Planning Secretary, at the expense of councils, independent agencies, and communities.

Greens MP, Spokesperson for planning Sue Higginson said:

“This Bill is the most dangerous change to our planning system we have ever seen. The Government is using the housing crisis as cover to ram through reforms that silence communities, weaken environmental protections and hand extraordinary power to one bureaucrat,”

“Protections for the environment are being stripped out across the Act. The duty to consider impacts on land, water, biodiversity and climate has been replaced with a proportionality test, allowing obligations to be watered down. At the same time, the Bill makes it possible that considering climate impacts under the public interest test could be deemed unlawful. These are not reforms for the future, they are a deliberate weakening of our ability to plan responsibly in a climate and extinction crisis,”

“The Bill also removes the requirement for bushfire hazard assessments, leaving communities more vulnerable at a time when fire risk is intensifying across NSW,”

“Community participation will be gutted. Local participation plans will be abolished and replaced with a single statewide plan controlled by the Planning Secretary. The result will be cookie-cutter consultation that ignores the specific needs and knowledge of local communities,”

“The Bill also undermines the protection of First Nations cultural heritage and Country. By funnelling approvals into the Development Coordination Authority, expert advice from Heritage NSW and the voices of Land Councils and Native Title holders will no longer be guaranteed a statutory role in decision-making,”

“This is not planning reform. It is a developer’s charter. It will open the door for damaging projects to be forced onto communities, strip out safeguards for biodiversity and climate, and put people at greater risk from fire and unsafe development,”

“All Members of Parliament who truly represent their communities should oppose this Bill. We need planning reform that tackles the housing crisis while strengthening, not dismantling, protections for communities, the environment and First Nations heritage,” Ms Higginson said.

Federal environmental laws need to be stronger if Ku-ring-gai’s unique and rare biodiversity is to be protected

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Read EDO concerns about the Federal Government’s new environmental laws

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