Observations on Housing developments
My observations cover more than delivering homes and sustainable neighbourhoods, but all relate back to this. Our community needs and deserves a City Development Plan than considers not just development, but sustainable development for the long term future of all our residents in an environment that is healthy and safe and that means considering all three pillars: Social, Economic and Environment, also remembering that environment means so much more than water, energy, waste and power generation... Please see document attached.
• Every multiple housing development considers access to local amenities - business, retail, schools, cultural AND NATURAL
• Any development proposals must to be supported by a comprehensive transport assessment and travel plan (in accordance with the proposed sustainable transport objectives).
• Far more consideration needs to be given to sustainable transport – i.e. getting people out of their cars
• Monitoring and evaluation needs to be much more detailed and stringent - otherwise why bother?! Be transparent and accountable to the City's residents. MEASURABLE targets are required with regular reporting.
• Local community engagement is critical to local community development. The Council needs to connect with community groups and update their base data which in many cases is out of date – both in terms of “assets” and impacts.
• The objectives of Climate Action & the Environment (Chapter 5) and Green & Blue Infrastructure, Open Space and Biodiversity (Chapter 6) must be enshrined in all objectives.
In order for our City to have a future, we must consider the three pillars of Sustainable Development and Communities TOGETHER: Social, Economic and Environment. This will ensure that we can meet the plan’s core principles of sustainable development, health (physical and mental), compact growth, the creation of liveable communities and places, and the complimenting of nature and climate resilience.