To keep professionals up to speed with the major changes to Planning in NSW introduced by former Planning Minister the Hon Frank Sartor, NEERG ran a regulatory overhaul series in 2008 and 2009.Then led by Frank Sartor's successor as Planning Minister, the Hon Kristina Keneally, the anticipated rollout of the planning refor...
“I consider it is vital to attend these (NEERG) seminars regularly. Although one is involved in the profession on a daily basis, it is important to connect with a diverse range of colleagues and related professionals. The workshop sessions provided me with some very good feedback on the current values of the professio...
Neustein's first rule of heritage planning is that the degree of difficulty of securing approval for changes to a heritage item is inversely proportional to its significance. That is, the less important the item, the greater the degree of difficulty in securing approval for changes.
To improve the system, he proposed six strategies which he believes have the power to improve the process, making it more rigorous and ultimately less restrictive of appropriate urban change:
1. Require all councils to reassess their listings within a defined thematic framework, removing borderline and/or isolated items of minor significance.
2. Clearly separate contributory or borderline listings from items of proven local or state significance.
3. Subject new listings and applications for complete demolition to peer review, much like SEPP 65 panels.
4. Revise the guidelines for the assessment of changes to or demolition of contributory or borderline items by setting strict limits on the documentation required.
5. Prevent individual items, which do not form part of a cohesive group, from being listed unless of high or state significance.
6. Reconsider the wisdom of the LEC’s Heritage Planning Principles.
Michael Neustein, Heritage - Ageing in Place, NEERG Seminar, June 2007
