Chalk and Cheese.
Well I thought I’d heard it all until last week when I received a call from an anxious client enquiring if I knew anything about the ‘council whisperer?’ Oh dear.
Whilst our news cycle has recently been dominated by Tay Tay’s sparkling stadium tour something else has been the talk of the town (and it’s big).
In case you didn’t know, the NSW state government has recently announced highly controversial proposed development changes that would quite literally change the face of Sydney.
In short, the aim is to provide more housing by allowing a higher density of development, particularly near village hubs. Heritage and conservation controls would essentially be disarmed under these proposed changes, and you guessed it…developers are salivating. Promises of huge offers for possible development sites are now filling up letterboxes across the area.
Unsurprisingly this has caused quite the stir with local residents, reactions ranging from nostalgic outrage to lotto winning elation.
There is a lot to say on this topic but given how many calls I have received seeking advice I really just wanted to say one thing, calm down.
It’s said that humans are driven by two things, desire of gain and fear of loss. Right now there are a lot of people experiencing both of these but I don’t see cause for panic just yet.
Yes, if the majority of period homes near the village were demolished and replaced with apartment buildings I genuinely think it would ruin a large part of what makes Mosman such a special suburb. Consistent architecture makes the suburb beautiful, compare the streetscapes of Mosman to others…it's chalk and cheese.
The reality is that if you own a potential development site, it will become more valuable the more advanced this legislation becomes. Sure, right now you may have a big offer on the table subject to a council approval but if it doesn’t get approved you won’t get that deal.
I’m not anti development but as someone who loves our suburb I am concerned that if this gets up not only the streetscape changes but traffic and parking will continue to worsen (just ask Lane Cove).
It’s going to be very interesting to see how this plays out, I’m hoping that common sense will at least get a look in. Oh, I just realized that I didn’t explain the council whisperer, it’s the first of many that will gladly charge you to explain proposed development changes *we are happy to send it to you for free.
Until next week,
David Murphy