NSW’s rampant urban sprawl has produced dirty air that is exposing millions of people to adverse health impacts and it could get worse if the state’s new planning system panders to developers, according to the Total Environment Centre (TEC).
“With the O’Farrell government about to release its White Paper on the new planning system, community and health groups should be on the alert,” said executive director TEC, Jeff Angel.
“The population of Sydney is expected to grow by 1.7 million people before 2036 and could reach 6 million. This will result in major stress on air quality and increased breaches of air quality standards unless the dynamics of our urban areas are planned to avoid worsening air pollution.”
“NSW also needs to improve public transport infrastructure and build higher population densities around it, as opposed to allowing any further growth in urban sprawl,” Mr Angel said.
The sprawling nature of housing developments also adds to the pollution created by freight transport, as suppliers have to deliver smaller orders to more numerous outlets.
“Unfortunately the current review of the NSW planning system has focused heavily on providing increased ‘certainty’ to developers, reducing processing times, and increasing approval rates.
“This focus may not be compatible with addressing chronic air pollution problems.
“Fast approvals that deliver poor quality, high risk or unsustainable development are not in the public interest,” said Mr Angel.
