Feel free to use these points in your letter but it’s always good to add a personal touch!
LOSS OF RECREATIONAL LAND FROM WAVERLEY
• Waverley is Australia’s most densely populated LGA and therefore needs more recreation space, not more apartments. Bondi is already the 9th most densely populated area in Australia.
• Recreational space in Bondi is finite and irreplaceable.
• Bondi Beach already lacks alternative outdoor recreational space.
• Without tennis courts, Bondi is only about the beach and surfing, lacking diversity.
• The health and fitness of the community, young and old, depend on recreational spaces like this.
• There is a childhood obesity epidemic in Australia – how can the replacement of recreational land for apartments be justified?
HOUSING
• Waverley does not need this land rezoned to achieve their housing targets as set out in theMetropolitan Plan for Sydney 2036.
• Allowing more and more apartments could leave Bondi Beach looking like Hong Kong one day.
APPROPRIATE/CONSISTENT ZONING
• RE2 (Private Recreational) can not be in an area of consistent zoning.
• Most of the surrounding housing was built AFTER the tennis courts existed
TRAFFIC AND PARKING
• 42+ apartments will increase traffic congestion in Wellington Street and the surrounding single lane and one way roads.
• 42+ apartments will increase evening on-street parking pressure. The closure of the courts has proven this as there has been no improvement in parking after 5pm.
LOSS OF TENNIS COURTS
• Despite the existence of these tennis courts for over 70 years, the land is Private and only the owners can determine what type of recreational uses it will be used for.
• The courts are within walking distance for thousands of people, helping to reduce traffic.
• Local courts like Wellington Street are where tennis stars of tomorrow are born.
• We need to protect the work-life balance of Bondi Beach of which courts like these play a part.
• The courts have been there for generations and have helped build community in Bondi.
• The developer’s proposal is not an attempt to create accessible housing, but rather it’s a careless money making scheme.
PRE-GATEWAY REVIEW – STATE OVERRULING COUNCIL
• This Planning Proposal has been the subject of the controversial Pre-Gateway Review that benefits the developers over local Councils and communities. This Review is fundamentally flawed, causes uncertainty and encourages speculation within the community. The Department of Planning has itself acknowledged this with the Assistant Planning Minister Rob Stokes recommending a review of the process. He has said it “[provides] endless backdoor opportunities for disreputable developers to push their proposals”, and “where a spot rezoning is all about the developer’s interest and the case for public interest is not crystal clear and compelling, it simply should not happen”.
Rezoning open space to suit a developer’s financial interest rather than to adhere to strategic planning principles is unethical and irreversible.
Rescue Bondi 