With the Manly by-election on April 8, have you heard any word on the Government’s plans in response to the Report – Adequacy of the regulation of short-term holiday letting in New South Wales – Report 1/56 October 2016.
I showed the cover sheet of the report to the Liberal candidate, James Griffin, to replace Mike Baird asking whether he had read it. No. “Well you had better read it, because look around you, and all you see are residential apartments, and your government is planning to make them open to Airbnb and other organisations, so we need an answer now, because it will affect our vote once people living in residential apartment blocks realise that they now have no protection if the Recommendations of the Report are carried through.”
I wrote to Mike Baird in January about the matter. He replied two days before his resignation advising that he had handed my email with attachment to Rob Stokes, then Minister for Planning. I have now made a submission to the new Minister Anthony Roberts, together with emailing the new Premier twice. To date no comment.
We solved the problem of holiday letting in Manly in 2004 based on Council Planning Regulations and a new bylaw. Sadly everyone believes that they have the matter under control in Manly.
Unless we receive a guarantee from the government that we are safe, the people of Manly are in for a rude awakening.
On raising this matter with our Chairman and Secretary, I was told that we were alright because of Manly Council Planning Regulations and our By-Law. Having been the one who dealt with holiday letting and took part in the Manly Council Working Party on Holiday Letting as an EC member, and having read the report, I know this is not so.