People power teams up to protect patches

Not so long ago, a big local campaign against an ugly block of flats or a multi-storey car park meant a petition, a few hundred objection letters and a story on the front page of the local paper.

If locals were particularly incensed, 50 or so might march down the main street to wave placards outside council chambers.

But people power has changed.

The State Government's takeover of some local planning powers and the growing influence of big developers has forced residents to adopt increasingly sophisticated strategies from the corporate world and federal politics to protect their patch.

Residents' action groups are carefully crafting their media message, coming up with sophisticated branding strategies and deliberately targeting marginal seats to pressure decision-makers at the big end of town. And the strategies appear to have worked.

From massive housing and coal-mining proposals in the Hunter Valley, to plans for a McDonald's in the inner-city, local action groups have forced the Government and councils into a string of back-downs this year.

"Watching these groups utilising social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to raise awareness, and keep the community engaged in the campaign with regular text messages - it's a level of sophistication I've not seen before," said James Goodman from the Department of Social and Political Change at the University of Technology, Sydney. "It's natural and normal for people now, which it wasn't five to 10 years ago."

In Double Bay, residents defeated plans by the Ashington Group to build a 14-storey tower. Protesters used a slick campaign featuring professionally produced literature, a media strategy and a clutch of local celebrities.

The campaign mobilised about 1500 residents for a street protest - no mean feat in a suburb not known for its activism - pressuring the then planning minister Kristina Keneally to reject the proposal.

"Ashington was superbly done in terms of publicity," Save Our Suburbs president Tony Recsei said. "You've got to latch on to certain emotional triggers that people will pick up on - that their freedom is impinged on, or that their way of life is under threat."

The State Government's Part 3A planning powers and the establishment of Joint Regional Planning Panels, under which all but the smallest developments will be taken out of council hands, has prompted unprecedented co-operation between local campaigns.

A coalition of community and environment groups opposed to the expansion of mining in the Hunter Valley and the Central Coast defeated plans for a sand mine 260 metres from Somersby Public School.

And two months ago, thousands of residents from across Sydney and NSW took part in the Death of Democracy march to State Parliament to protest against the loss of local voices in planning and development decisions.

"Concentrating power in a single place creates a single target and for these groups the target has emerged as the NSW planning minister," Dr Goodman said.

"Connecting campaigns is the crucial step that groups have to take to translate a local issue to one that has power across a broader group. It allows people across the whole state to connect with their issues in a meaningful way."

This coalition is now planning to take its fight directly to Macquarie Street - banding together to stand candidates against Labor in marginal seats at the next election.

"It's only if the politicians think that they're going to lose votes or lose face that they will act," Mr Recsei said.

But the activists say even the most sophisticated strategies will succeed only when combined with traditional campaign methods.

In Haberfield, residents gathered nearly 7000 signatures on petitions and 1000 objection letters against plans for a McDonald's restaurant, convincing Ashfield Council to reject the proposal.

"We canvassed every house in Haberfield, door-knocking, educating people about the fact that they could write objection letters and call the councillors," a campaign leader, Ilona Rabey, said. "Whatever strategy you use, you have to make people realise that there is something they can do."

SCRAPPED DEVELOPMENTS HALTED BY LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Jamberoo Plans for a retirement estate defeated in the Land and Environment Court last Christmas.

Somersby, Central Coast Kristina Keneally refused an application to locate an open-cut sandmine 180 metres from a primary school.

Currawong, Pittwater Development proposal blocked to build 25 luxury houses at a site owned by Unions NSW in the national park at Pittwater.

Branxton, Hunter Valley State's biggest housing project collapsed after Kristina Keneally admitted she acted unlawfully as planning minister in approving the 7200-home proposal.

Hill Top, Southern Highlands Proposal for regional shooting complex defeated.

Catherine Hill Bay A crushing judgment in the Land and Environment Court swept away plans by Rose Group to build 600 houses at the coastal hamlet.

SYDNEY

Rosebery Plans for a megachurch to be built by the Hillsong Church knocked back by City of Sydney council.

Haberfield Ashfield council rejects proposal to build new McDonalds.

Double Bay Ashington hotel development refused by Kristina Keneally.

Marrickville Plan to put synthetic grass on Arlington Oval rejected by Marrickville Council.