If I were Mayor for a day...

If I were Mayor for a day, I’d unlock a simple, commonsense fix that would help families stay together, help young people find a foothold in the local housing market, and help our small businesses keep tradies on the tools without touching the rural character of Hawkesbury we all love.

Here’s the move: I’d direct Council to formally back State changes that let detached dual occupancies in rural zones be approved through a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) and I’d extend the same streamlined path to ancillary structures like sheds, carports, and pools on lots that have up to two dwellings.

Right now, families who want a modest second dwelling for ageing parents or adult kids are pushed into a slow, expensive Development Application maze. That’s bad for households and bad for our local economy. Detached options are simpler and cheaper to deliver because they don’t require cutting into an existing roofline or load-bearing walls, and when you keep the buildings more than 1.8 metres apart, you don’t need fire-rated walls a major cost and time saver. The outcome? Faster builds, safer sites, fewer headaches.

Guardrails matter. If attached dual occupancies aren’t allowed on flood-prone land, detached shouldn’t be either. That’s consistent, conservative, and keeps risk where it belongs out of harm’s way.

Where would the rules live? I’d push for alignment across the Part 3A Rural Housing Code, Part 3D Inland Housing Code, and the relevant SEPPs so residents, certifiers, and Council staff are all reading from the same music sheet. Clear rules reduce disputes, delays, and costs.

Why this helps Hawkesbury now:

• Stronger families: Granny flats and second dwellings let parents age in place and keep grandkids close without leaving the district.
• A fairer start: A second dwelling can be a first step into home ownership for younger locals who’d otherwise be priced out.
• Local jobs: About 30% of our workforce is in construction. Small-scale projects keep those pay packets local and tills ringing for our suppliers and cafés.
• Less red tape: Straightforward proposals shouldn’t clog the DA pipeline. Freeing them up means Council planners can focus on the genuinely complex applications.

What I’d do in 24 hours:

1. Adopt a formal Council position supporting CDC approval for detached dual occupancies and ancillary structures on rural lots with up to two dwellings (excluding flood-prone land).
2. Write to the NSW Government urging amendments across Part 3A, Part 3D, and the relevant SEPPs to embed the change.
3. Issue a “plain-English” guidance note for residents and certifiers so there’s a single, consistent interpretation across our LGA—no surprises, no ping-pong.
4. Set service standards for CDC turnarounds and publish a monthly dashboard so the community can see approvals flowing and hold us to account.
5. Stand up a help desk hour each week with a planner and a certifier to coach families through the process—because good rules only work if people can use them.

This is practical housing choice, not overdevelopment. It’s family-scale, rural-appropriate, and it respects flood risk and amenity. Most importantly, it gets Council out of people’s way for small, sensible projects and points our effort at the big, tricky ones that actually need it.

If I were Mayor for a day, I’d choose this reform because it costs Council nothing and gives the Hawkesbury something we badly need: a faster, fairer path to keep our families together, our character intact, and our local economy strong. Let’s get it done.