‘Fit for the Future’? 

IPART has now released the methodology it will use to assess a Council’s ‘Fitness fir the Future’. Somebody has already coined the name for the merged Councils on the North Shore – North Shore Council. The Councils of Willoughby, Mosman, North Sydney, Hunters Hill, Lane Cove and Ryde have failed to come to agreement on merging. This plays immediately into the hands of the State Government appointed IPART to recommend new boundaries.

The Government set down four criteria for IPART to assess:

• scale and capacity to engage effectively across community, industry and governments
• sustainability
• effectively managing infrastructure and delivering services for communities,
• efficiency

Most Councils have focused on the three latter criteria. However, IPART has recently re-emphasised the importance of the first criteria.

Population is part of the ‘scale’ analysis. Over the next 20 years Sydney will need to accommodate an additional 2 million people. For the North Shore Council, the magic figure bandied about is 250,000 people. Willoughby currently has around 70,000 people. There are three ways Willoughby, if Willoughby goes it alone or even with North Sydney, tit can address the population criteria:

1. merge with adjoining Councils
2. Upscale population density within Willoughby by around a factor of four. This would require high rise buildings (similar to the Chatswood and St Leonards CBDs) along main rail and bus routes plus other current residential areas.
3. a combination of the above

Given that Willoughby Council is only actively looking at staying the same or merging with one or two other Councils, the implied outcome is that we would need to accommodate a massive increase in population density – more high rise.

The phrase ‘engage effectively across community, industry and governments’ has particular meaning. Developers have been arguing for many years the need to make development easier and less costly. The Government is already changing the Local Government and the Planning Act to cater to developer demands. Sixteen current rules are being axed. More will follow. Any Council not considering a compliant merger will need to demonstrate now, how they intend to make it easier for development to occur.

A big ‘bugbear’ for many Councils is their political composition. Willoughby Council is a predominately party political free Council. The majority of Councilors are Independents. To the State Government this means representatives of the NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) brigades. A likely outcome of amalgamations will be Councils more likely dominated either by Labor or Liberal parties. Both the Government and the Opposition see this as beneficial. Councils such are Willoughby are clearly in the Government’s sights.

Most Councils, including Willoughby, have been focusing on financial parameters in mounting their case they are ‘Fit for the Future’. They will likely be blindsided by Government and ultimately amalgamated, probably by ‘boundary adjustments’ recommended by IPART.

Fit for the future is an initiative of the NSW State Government designed to reduce the number of Council’s in NSW.

Following are various views on this matter.

Former Mayor Bartels

Sadly, former West Ward   Councilor and Willoughby Mayor Greg Bartels has passed  on. A full obituary will be published in due course.

Hopefully, some WestWarders can make it to his funeral.

Eulogy

Gregory Bartels has devoted a great part of his life to public service and to a large range of community activities. Educated at St Ignatius College Riverview, Mr Bartels was a Lane Cove local from his earliest days and was a resident at St Johns College, University of Sydney, after graduating from school. At the young age of 17, Mr Bartels enlisted in the Australian Naval Reserve and served in the Pacific campaign from the early landings in New Guinea until the liberation of the Philippines. In 1946 he was promoted to officer rank and served again for the victory contingent to England before being demobilised in 1947 at the rank of sub-lieutenant. However, his military history is but one of many significant areas of which his contribution allows me to feel proud of his Lane Cove roots.

Mr Bartels continued his public service with the Commonwealth, and it was during this time that he completed his university degree in arts and was prominent in student affairs at both the State and Federal level before becoming president of the National Union of Australian University Students in 1952. Following the completion of his degree, Mr Bartels began his outstanding period of service to the United Nations Secretariat. Mr Bartels was responsible for the establishment of the Freedom from Hunger Campaign in Australia and New Zealand and negotiations on the treaty agreed to in 1968 between the United Nations and the Government of Japan for the employment of Japanese nationals in the United Nations secretariat. Further, he served four years as treasurer of the United Nations International School Council.

My deep respect and love for Mr Bartels is relevant not only to my capacity as the member for Lane Cove but also to my role as Minister for Fair Trading. Upon his return to Australia, Mr Bartels was given a dual appointment by the New South Wales Government as the first Commissioner for Consumer Affairs and Trade Practices. He subsequently became a senior manager with the British Tobacco Company Limited and held directorships with WD and HO Wills Limited and Amalgamated Holdings Limited. After a period working with the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, Mr Bartels was offered the position of director general of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, which he occupied continuously until his retirement in 1991. I make particular mention of his service to the Liberal Party. Bringing his extensive experience in so many different fields, Mr Bartels served as general secretary of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party from 1978 to 1981.

Gregory Bartels is a man of many talents with a wealth of experience. His community involvement spans decades, including his time as mayor of Willoughby City Council. As well as holding that important civic position, Mr Bartels also served as a patron, chairman, board member and director of so many local groups that the entire list is far too long to mention today. Nonetheless, I will mention just a few: Chatswood Golf Club, Chatswood RSL Club, the Northern Sydney Area Health Service Board, Riverview College Foundation, Chatswood Community Care Association, and many many more. Mr Bartels’ experience in business and government, from local involvement to international involvement, makes him an exceptional asset to our Lane Cove community. This was recognised as he was made a member of the Order of Australia in January 2000 and awarded the Centenary Medal in 2003. These are remarkable and well-deserved achievements.

Whilst there can be no doubt that Greg’s late wife, Jill, and their four daughters, Kerry, Robyn, Julianne and Michelle, were enormously proud of their husband and father’s contribution to the community, it is important also to mention the familial support for Lane Cove. Mr Bartels’ eldest daughter, Kerry Chikarovski, served as the member for Lane Cove immediately before I was elected in 2003. Lane Cove is home to some of the State’s most valued citizens, and I am proud to stand here today as the member for Lane Cove and speak of the extraordinary contributions of a man like Greg Bartels.

Mayor Gail Giles-Gidney reminded us recently that households are entitled to a free personal rubbish pickup per year (in addition to the scheduled pickups).

You can orginise your personal pickup for a fee by calling Council on 9777 1000 or email them at:email@willoughby.nsw.gov.au

Imagine Me is an innovative creative awareness-raising project for people who are living with a spinal cord injury. We aim to foster greater community understanding toward people living with disability.

READ MORE

Imagine me has been invited by Willoughby Council to exhibit all the works at the new gallery space  BLEND Coffee, Art, Food Café, 7 Victor Street Chatswood

The Exhibition runs to 30th June, Mon-Friday 8.30am – 9pm and Saturday 11am-3pm.

Thanks are due to Willoughby City Council, Royal Rehab Ryde, and staff at the Dougherty for the triumphant launch of the ImagineMe exhibition at the Dougherty Centre Cafe & Gallery space today.

Willoughby Council has a long term plan to provide a footpath (at least on one side of the street) for very street within the city. Current projections indicate that there are 95 footpath projects with a projected cost of $2,098,451. Usually, $100,000 is allocated each year for these planned works. So achieving the goal od new footpaths will take over 20 years.

Each ‘missing link’ footpath segment has been assessed and ranked.

The highest ranking West Ward segment is for Hinkler Crescent East side from No. 1-19. However, this is unlikely to be addressed until two years time. However, it would be then maybe ten years before the Ward’s second highest ranking segment would be looked.

A full list of the planned footpath segments is available on the Council web site.

The following information was provided by Clr. Saville: “To keep you informed, that the Report on the Mowbray Road Traffic Study will be added this week to Council’s webpage “Have your say”.

All contacts who have been involved with this issue will be emailed advice that the report is available on Council’s webpage.

The public meeting will be held on 29 April at 6.00 pm at the Dougherty Centre.

When the night light extravaganza VIVID comes to Chatswood in May/June there will need to be road closures to provide safe access for pedestrian. The pedestrian activity will be focused between the Rail Interchange and The Concourse. Roads such as Anderson St and Victoria Avenue and some feeder streets will be closed of an evening.

OFFICER’S RECOMMENDATION

That:
1. Council support the Planning Proposal for the land Lot 1 DP 1068007, Lot 1 DP
121830, Lot 1 DP 839309 and Lot 2 DP 839309, known as 654 – 666 Pacific
Highway, 1 Freeman Road and 2A Oliver Road, Chatswood.
2. Council adopt and make the amendment to Willoughby Local Environmental
Plan 2012 in accordance with Section 59 of the Environmental Planning and
Assessment Act 1979, so as to change Willoughby Local Environmental Plan
2012 for the land known as Lot 1 DP 1068007, Lot 1 DP 121830, Lot 1 DP 839309
and Lot 2 DP 839309, known as 654 – 666 Pacific Highway, 1 Freeman Road
and 2A Oliver Road, Chatswood, and give effect to the Planning Proposal in the
following manner:
(a) Increase height for the site to RL 137.8 for Tower A and RL 128.8 for
Tower B and identify the site as „Area 4‟ on the Height of Buildings Map.
(b) Add the following sub clause 4.3A(9):
“The height of a building on land at 654 – 666 Pacific Highway, 1
Freeman Road and 2A Oliver Road, Chatswood, that is identified as
„Area 4‟ on the Height of Buildings Map must not exceed 18 metres
except:
Where the site area exceeds 2,400 square metres, the height must not
exceed the height shown on the Height of Buildings Map.”
(c) Identify the site as „Area 15‟ on the Floor Space Ratio Map.
(d) Add the following sub clause 4.4A (20):
“(20) The maximum floor space ratio for a building on land identified
as „Area 15‟ on the Floor Space Ratio Map may exceed 2:1 if:
(a) The site area exceeds 2,400 square metres
(b) The floor space ratio will not exceed 3:1
(c) The floor space ratio of any shop top housing will not exceed
(e) Identify the site as „Area 3‟ on the Special Provisions Area Map for the
purposes of affordable housing in accordance with Clause 6.8.
3. Council support and adopt draft Willoughby Development Control Plan Section
E3.4 for the site at Attachment 2 to the officer‟s report, subject to the following
amendments:
(a) Proposed awnings and verandas fronting the Pacific Highway be
setback a minimum of 1.5 metres from the future kerb (associated with
the proposed road widening affectation).
(b) Proposed awnings and verandas fronting Oliver Road be setback a
minimum of 1.5 metres from the future kerb (associated with the
proposed road widening affectation).
(c) Jenkins Street is not to be used by trucks accessing or exiting the site.
(d) A development application will require an updated assessment of traffic
controls and truck routes at the time of lodgement.
4. Council support the draft Voluntary Planning Agreement accompanying the
Planning Proposal for the site.
5. That delegated authority be granted to the General Manager and the Mayor to
finalise and enter into the planning agreement offered by the applicant.
6. Council advise NSW Planning and Environment that the Strategic Planning
Manager, Linda McClure be nominated to be delegate to process and finalise
the Planning Proposal.

The Draft Planning Agreement provides for:

 A 4 metre wide strip of land along Oliver Road to be dedicated to Council for local
road widening.
 A 1 metre wide strip of land along Freeman Road to be dedicated to Council for local
road widening.

QUESTIONS FOR STATE CANDIDATES

Last night (19 March 2015) the Federation of Willoughby Progress Associations was host to a meet the candidates of the State election. Over 120 people from across Willoughby gathered to hear what candidates had to say.