Stuart Street re-zoning - "I Got it wrong"

Councillor Candy Bingham has admitted to making an error of judgement when voting for the rezoning of 38 Stuart Street Little Manly from Open Space to Residential at a Council meeting in December 2013.

"I don't know what I was thinking and now deeply regret supporting the rezoning", Clr Bingham said recently.

The Manly Mayor, Jean Hay and her Liberal Party colleagues (Steve Pickering, James Griffin, Alan Le Surf and Adele Heasman) and the Independent Councillor Candy Bingham, passed a resolution to spot rezone 38 Stuart St from Open Space to Residential (E4) at the Manly Council meeting of December 2013.
Photo shows: 34&36 Stuart St in red, 38 predominately grey

The Independent Councillors Hugh Burns and Barbara Aird and the Green Councillor Cathy Griffin, opposed the spot rezoning.

Since 1948, The County of Cumberland Planning Scheme, and each succeeding Manly Council has maintained the Open Space Zoning on all the properties behind Little Manly Beach.

At this time, Manly Council owns three of the four properties behind Little Manly  beach, 34, 36 and 40 Stuart St. Only 38 Stuart St is privately owned and has recently had a major new residential dwelling built on it.

Tireless campaigners to maintain the Open Space Zoning, The Save Little Manly Foreshore Group, maintained the Open Space zoning on 38 was important, because it signals that at some future time Manly Council intends to purchase this property as well, but if the property is spot rezoned Residential E4, then the value of the property is substantially increased, making it less likely Council will be able to afford to do so.

There is another concerning aspect to the spot rezoning of 38 Stuart St from Open Space to Residential. 

This rezoning was not formally requested by the owners of the property, and therefore could be  a gift of a substantial rise in the value of the property to the owners of 38 Stuart Street. 

The Manly ratepayers will also bear the costs of the spot rezoning, with NO benefit to the Manly ratepayers at all.

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