UPDATE: On Thursday 7 February, Randwick Mayor Kathy Neilson joined with City of  Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Waverley Council Mayor John Wakefield to voice their discontent with the way the Department of Planning has handled the proposed demolition of the Sydney Football Stadium.

The three mayors believe the consent for the demolition is invalid and are calling on the State Government to halt any further work until all requirements have been met. A letter to the Minister for Planning, Anthony Roberts, was sent on behalf of all three councils, which outlines the ways in which the redevelopment of the Sydney Football Stadium has not been compliant.

This comes after an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday 5 February, during which Randwick Councillors reviewed legal advice that indicated the consent of the redevelopment of the Sydney Football Stadium was not valid as it did not satisfy the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. Council agreed to call on the Minister to cease all work until a valid DA was lodged.

Keep an eye on Council’s website as the story develops.

Tuesday 29 January 2019: Randwick Council is joining Waverley and City of Sydney Council in calling on the State Government to immediately suspend all demolition work on the Sydney Football Stadium which is due to commence tomorrow Wednesday 30 January 2019.

Randwick Mayor Kathy Neilson says the Council considered five sets of legal advice at a Council meeting tonight, 29 January 2019, examining the Government’s approval process and found concerns with the validity of the consent.

“The legal advice finds the Government has failed to adequately consider design excellence provisions as required by the relevant planning legislation.

“The Government needs to follow the same rules for this project as all other developments. You would think that for a project of this significance, design excellence would be of primary concern and considered upfront.

“We are calling on the Government to immediately suspend all demolition work until a valid Development Application is lodged and follows the statutory notification period and approval process,” Mayor Neilson says.

The Sydney Football Stadium is located within the City of Sydney Local Government Area close to the border with the Randwick Local Government Area.

“The demolition of the stadium and construction of a new stadium would have substantial impact on surrounding residents including noise, vibration, dust and environmental impacts.”

“Council considered taking legal action, but ultimately decided it was not appropriate to expose our ratepayers to the potential substantial costs from court proceedings. The Minister should be following correct processes without the need for court action by local councils.”

Randwick Council will also commence a public information campaign opposing the demolition of the stadium. If you need further information, please email council@randwick.nsw.gov.au or call 1 300 722 542.