Category Archives: Uncategorized

Promoting Better Practice in Local Government

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1. The Council should prepare and implement whole of council policy and procedure to ensure all of its legislative and regulatory obligations are met on an ongoing basis.

2. The Council should better align its ‘Policy for the Payment and the Provision of facilities for the Mayor and Councillors’ with the ‘Guidelines for the payment of expenses and the provision of facilities for Mayors and Councillors in NSW’,
Division of Local Government, Department of Premier and Cabinet, October 2009.

3. The Council is encouraged to continue work to better resource the individual activities of its Delivery Program.

4. The Council is encouraged to strengthen its Operational Plan by the including target and baseline information in the measures and targets.

5. The Council should ensure that future revisions to the Asset Management Strategy and Long Term Financial Plan adequately address the issue of asset maintenance and renewal to prevent a cumulative impact on the Council’s financial sustainability.

6. In proceeding with the option of applying for a special levy (Special Rate Variation), the Council is encouraged to use the guidelines that the Division has prepared to assist councils in this area.

7. The Council is encouraged to continue to work toward reducing the average time it takes to assess development applications.

Telstra Tower in Nelson Street

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PROPOSED LICENCE OF NELSON STREET ROAD RESERVE CHATSWOOD TO TELSTRA

RESOLUTION
1. That Council enter into a Licence with Telstra for a portion of Road Reserve adjacent to 14 Nelson Street, Chatswood for the purposes of telecommunications infrastructure for a term of five (5) years with a starting Licence fee of $33,000 per annum plus GST.

That Council notes that Telstra will make available an expert to inform Councillors about EME upon the lodgement of the Development Application.

That, in the event the tower is erected, a term of the licence is to be that Telstra monitors the total emissions from the transmission antenna and any other providers and reports to Council and the EPA annually.

38 Albert Avenue

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PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF A MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT COMPRISING HOTEL, INTEGRATIVE MEDICAL HOSPITAL FACILITY, RETAIL AND RESIDENTIAL UNITS – AMENDED PLANS AND DOCUMENTATION.

Councillor Saville moved: That, having regard to the advice of the Environmental Services Director by email to Councillors dated 22 July 2013, in regard to sustainability features of the building, no submission need be made to the JRPP on this matter.

Friendly Cities

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Council recently considered a proposal for Councillors and staff to visit towns in Italy. Council had already entered into a Global Friendship/Sister Cities agreement with Guardia Sanframondi, a small hamlet in the mountains behind Naples. There is a relatively large community in Willoughby who migrated from this area. It was also proposed that Councilors and staff meet with Vetrona while they were in Italy.

The plan was that the Mayors costs be met by Council and everyone else would need to pay their own way. There was debate on this matter before it was decided that only the trip to Guardia Sanframondi would be endorsed by Council.

Clr. Mustaca is planning on going on the trip (at his own expense). The motion was moved by the two remaining West Ward Councillors (Mustaca and Saville)

Rates Hike?

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The 26,000 plus ratepayer families in the Willoughby Council area will be out of pocket $300 a year (on top of their $1300 -average house- rates) every year for the next 14 years according to figures in the the Long Term Financial Plan of the Willoughby City Council – a total of $4200 per ratepayer family. Up until a few years ago Willoughby Council met all its obligations without accumulating annual losses – then along came the sell-off of assets to pay for The Concourse, plus the heavy debt all rate payers carry for that building which Mayor Reilly told a public forum when it was mooted “It will not cost ratepayers a cent to run”.

Swimming Pools

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Due to new legislation, pool owners are required to register their swimming pool on a State-wide register before 29 October 2013. The owner of a swimming pool will need to attest that their pool complies with the regulations.

After October 2013, Willoughby Council will commence a program of regular inspection of swimming pool barriers.

As of 29 April, 2014, all residential premises wit ha pool must have a Certificate of Compliance.

You can register your pool at: swimmingpoolregister.nsw.gov.au before 29th October.

Penalties apply if pool is not registered.

Justice Denied

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The Law Society of NSW has grave concerns about proposed new State Planning Laws.

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One of the biggest concerns they have is the loss of community right to challenge bad planning and development decisions, even in the case of legal error.

The new laws will also deny legal scrutiny of major Ministerial decisions (concerns about bad Ministerial decisions was a major impetus for reform in the first place). An example of this could be if a Minister made a decision to benefit a friend, that would not be subject to public scrutiny.

Above Ground Tunnels?

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The State Government is considering allowing more buildings above railway lines. Planning Minister Hazzard said this would invigorate the Sydney landscape. He called on developers to ‘knock on Sydney’s door”.

The idea would be to construct high-rise residential towers built over railway lines. In one report, St Leonards and Chatswood were mentioned. A key advocate of the current suggestion is Chris Johnson, former State Architect. Johnson was also behind the design of the towers being constructed around Chatswood Station. Johnson is now the CEO of the Urban Taskforce, a key developer lobby group with considerable sway within the government.

Such proposals are likely to result in seventy story towers near heritage buildings