The Illawarra Greens have urged planning authorities to enforce the conditions under which a development is approved, so communities retain key infrastructure.
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In the lead-up to this weekend's state election, the Greens have called for a Royal Commission into Planning in NSW.
They say this is "based on the DA amendments tearing apart the communities of Calderwood, Tullimbar, Tallawarra and West Dapto".
"We're looking at the developments that are ongoing, and how the developer amendments to those are actually changing the social structure of the communities they're selling," Jamie Dixon, Greens candidate for Shellharbour said during a visit to Calderwood on Monday.
"We're looking for these amendments to be removed, so that the houses that people buy are the houses that they're going to get.
"People are buying a dream and it's being taken away from them, while they have no actual power to do anything about that."
Mr Dixon said the Royal Commission's purpose would be changing the planning network of the NSW government to include measures such as greater community consultation, giving planning powers back to local councils and greater consideration of environmental impacts.
"The end result (of the Royal Commission) would be the original plans that people bought their houses off, the developers would be held to," he said.
"If we do it now, before stage three and four of West Dapto are released, before anything is done on the Tallawarra lands... If we get it fixed before then, these new developments can actually be the communities they're sold as."
Late last year, Greens MLC David Shoebridge told the Mercury that drastic "modifications" which boost the size of developments - after consent has been given to smaller plans - are gaming the planning system.
He said the Tallawarra and Calderwood developments showed contempt for the planning process as they got approval against strong community opposition, then removed key features such as open space or infrastructure.
The Tullimbar development's new owner the Dahua group has also angered residents by scrapping plans for a promised town centre, and instead lodging plans for 37 new residential lots.
Brendan Crabb
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
