Level playing field - sensible advice required

I and many others live in areas that are/were quite villages with very small populations.
Now developer's arrive with extreme plans and
we understand the need for development and the need for businesses to make profit.
Government and local governments are in favour of higher density living and giving developer's plenty of slack.
Developer's and Councild have very experienced people and consultants to make all look good.
Sadly those with these developments on their door step mostly have little experience or resources to get some controls eg traffic, community safety etc etc.
I am thinking of targeting governments to ensure the underdogs are on a level playing field against developer's and Councils.
What can guys on here suggest as this is a serious matter.

Good luck with your endeavours! You'll need to excel in playing their game: (ie; Baffle them with bull****!)
There is no level playing field.

I work for a builder/developer and only this year was involved with a project where a development was at odds with the community and there were some high-level people against it with it was all over the Brisbane media. I was sitting in meetings with the chairman who was telling the development group how he had personal assurances from the state government and council that the development would go ahead. Meanwhile I would hear on the media that the state government & council were reviewing the development and considering the communities wishes. Nothing happened and both governments ticked off the project and came up with all the reasons to the public which never had to go to the developer to reconsider.
I have been privileged to see two developments that bulldoze Koala habitat and get state government blessing when the environmental impact report was completed by a sympathetic scientist to the developer. I raised my concerns with management, but they said the science was done.
Lastly, I have personally involved with my community committee where the state government had allocated a few million dollars to fix up out local park due to a bridge development. We had meetings and the area that the money was to be spent was clearly given to the committee to include the entire park lands around the affected area. When it came time to do the works the money was a fraction of what was promised, and a very small section of park was cleaned up. The committee contacted the state minister who then lied to our faces saying the extent of works were never established in the meetings.
So, from this I can only say good luck and if you can record all your conversations it may help. Developers are speaking to council years in advance so what you get told about community consultations is really just a show and tell rather than anything meaningful.

Spring Creek in Torquay has gone through all of this.
Council and developers were happy to push it through against community wishes. Fortunately the election cycle and being in a marginal seat led to the state government backing the community, so a win for them.
Of course at the next change of government the developers will push back again and will probably succeed? Good luck.

We are going through this in our quiet little Sydney suburb. A friend started her own local government party a couple of years ago and they got elected in 3 out of a possible 4 wards in our electorate. An incredible result for a party that had ever existed before and had only been around for a couple of months before the elections. Since then, they have managed to have genuine and significant impact in preventing some ridiculous development plans that would otherwise have gone ahead. (e.g. 6 - 9 story units in a suburb that presently has 2-3 story, etc.)

But there was an incredible amount of work to get there and the work doesn't ever stop. When they were trying to register the party, the major parties did everything they could to prevent the registration. They'd do this in the most damaging way possible, such as trying to have the party invalidated just before elections on technicalities so that by the time things were cleared up, the elections would be over and it would be too late. I could write pages on what was done to try and stop them...all very calculated and sinister. Honestly, you wouldn't really want know the detail cause it's just depressing to think this is how our so called democratic system is run. It would lead the nicest person to have feelings of hate for these people....the people leeches that run exploit our communities under the guise of so called leadership.

I'd say my friend spends 50% of her time devoted to this effort (she does get a modest salary for being an elected councilor, but nothing compared to the hours she puts in.) She has to put up with constant personal verbal attacks, criticism and abuse, work through the continuous lies (e.g. stating certain developments were required to meet mandated state government targets when they weren't) and manipulation of process. (e.g. council votes being pushed back until a time when she may not be able to attend, not being privy to secret meetings, etc.) In addition, it needs continued support from a lot of people from her network of friends (e.g. we spent several weekends assisting with her parties campaigning, along with continued support by attending monthly council meetings, manage public demonstrations and arrange for press attendance, etc., other friends provide legal services and advice, etc.)

You're up against people that stand to make millions of dollars and have the resources and political connections to push for it and you have to match them in that effort. The only way to keep things in check is with relentless push back. So, bottom line....are you willing to commit 50% of your life on an ongoing basis (and have 20-30 people who will continue to assist you in the long term) to stopping this, because anything less will fail.