A "people's summit" into the state government's plans to throw open prime harbour-front land to development will still go ahead, its organisers say, even though some community groups have made the guest list for the official Bays Precinct "international summit" in November.
About 300 people from industry, government, academia, the community and the arts – such as the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart – are being invited to attend the government's two-day "exchange of ideas" into the future of the Bays Precinct.
David Pitchford from UrbanGrowth NSW, the government's property development arm, said the event would be used to help prepare an "overarching blueprint" for the 80 hectares of public land encompassing Glebe Island, White Bay, Rozelle Bay and Blackwattle Bay.
The invitations to groups such as the Better Planning Network and Glebe Society are being sent out two months after a community meeting criticised the level of public involvement set out in the government's plans as "patronising, undemocratic and unacceptable".
This anger prompted plans for a people's summit, an idea that won the backing of the City of Sydney.
Planning Minister Pru Goward said that, along with "an impressive line-up of speakers" yet to be announced, "community representatives are clearly an important part of the discussion" on November 19 and 20.
"I am delighted that they are keen to participate in this forum, to contribute to the discussion as well as to hear from experts from around Australia and the world," Ms Goward said.
Lesley Lynch, an organiser of the Sydney Harbour Bays Precinct: People's Campaign, welcomed the government's "constructive change of position" and said the people's summit would now be convened after, rather than before, the government event.
"The people's campaign is determined to see the public interest appropriately protected in the redevelopment of this bit of Sydney Harbour," Dr Lynch said.
"Given recent history of such developments, we have every reason to expect the public good will come a very poor second to developer interests and short-term political interests of the government of the day."
