Planning decisions need to be made only after the community has had an opportunity to express their opinion and voice any concerns they may have. This applies as much to council initiated projects as private developments. Too often in the past council has made decisions regarding public infrastructure or open space without first engaging in wide-ranging consultation with the whole community. If elected I would listen to all viewpoints when considering planning matters. It is not always possible to make a decision where everyone is happy but all voices should be heard.
A related concern is the lease or sale of public buildings and land with little or no consultation within the affected community. While it is legal for council to lease public facilities for less than five years without first advertising for representations I don't believe this is in the spirit of the council serving the community. I would lobby for all proposals to lease publicly-owned land and buildings to private organisations to be advertised before any decisions were made.
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