The Haberfield Association (HabAs) was formed in 1980, as a result of the increased public awareness, of the need to maintain Haberfield's special architectural and Garden Suburb character.

We are the recognised residents' group for the Garden Suburb of Haberfield, postcode 2045. The Association started as a protest against the notorious development excesses of the Askin-era 60's and 70's. We now have a long-standing record of constructive input, consistently working for the community for over 30 years. We assisted with the original O'Connell Inquiry of 1981-82 which found that Haberfield had such unique heritage integrity, garnering such strong community support, that Haberfield was indeed unique and should be protected.

In 1985 it was declared as the first Conservation Area in NSW.

HabAs has close working knowhow re community and planning matters. In 1995, our "demonstration" submission showed how diagrams and plain English information could be used for the Haberfield DCP. The result has been a people-friendly format - soon hailed as a landmark innovation, admired and now much-copied. It remains in active use for the Haberfield Conservation Area.

HabAs has had major input in regard to the revised Ashfield LEP, approved and gazetted 23 Dec 2013, and is involved in the LEP process for the new Inner West Council.
We:

• keep track of all Haberfield DAs,
• frame comments, offer advice to homeowners,
• address Council, prepare submissions, address Independent Planning Panel Hearings and
• attend as witness at the Land & Environment Court in support of Council decisions.

Of particular note, in 2009, involving Yasmar and the adverse impact of the proposed Part A lease - in itself a powerful argument against the proposed changes.

It is worth noting that there are not many LEC cases now, and in the majority, the Court has upheld the community view. This adds up to decades of unrivalled cumulative experience about how such things work - or don't work. HabAs continues to work with the Inner West Council on the new LEP.

Yasmar faces significant challenges in the current State Government climate of asset sales.

Our ongoing work re Yasmar Reserve also provides living proof that The Haberfield Association takes planning and community affairs seriously, has in-depth experience in this area, understands how PEOPLE relate to community involvement and development protocols, and that we are committed to practical solutions. Since 1998 we have actively urged that a self-funding future be developed for Yasmar - and offered dynamic, marketable, ideas on how this might be achieved. As yet, to no avail.

The Haberfield Association is not against development, nor against Crown Land use, nor against revising standards of Crown Lands governance. We actively support UPDATING the Crown Lands Act 1989 - but not yet. We believe it is important to learn from the mistakes of the past, and ensure that the community receives full recognition of its role as the legitimate OWNERS of NSW Crown Lands. This ownership is enshrined in the current "Principles of Crown Land Management" - and such must remain as a keystone in any future legislation.