Gordon Bradbery has used a Lord Mayoral minute to take aim at developers who build without consent, saying Wollongong City Council was being blamed for allowing them to get away with unlawful construction.
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“In recent times we have witnessed in our city, some concerns that have been expressed by many residents about a building development in Bourke Street.
“We are the subject of the ire of our community, and it isn’t our fault [because] a lot of the planning regulations are very porous.”
Cr Bradbery said most developers conformed to regulations, but the council and residents had little recourse for those who didn’t as the Land and Environment Court rarely ruled to demolish buildings. He said the planning rules allowed developers to get away with building without consent and needed to be changed to deter illegal development.
Councillors voted unanimously to write to NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes to seek assistance in deterring the work, and agreed to table Cr Bradbery’s motions and the upcoming Local Government NSW Annual Conference.
