Please join us for an important protest on Wednesday 26 March at 9.00am in front of the NSW Parliament (Macquarie St).
The purpose of this protest is to ask the Government to get rid of Pre-Gateway Reviews. These reviews, introduced by the O’Farrell Government, allow developers to bypass local Councils’ refusal to rezone and go straight to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure for permission to proceed (read more at http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/gateway-process ).
A new kayak storage shed will be built at the Chatswood Rotary Memorial Athletics Field. There is a kayak launching pontoon just nearby. The DA was approved last year by Willoughby Council. It is only now that the Lane Cove River Kayakers have received a grant from the Department of Sport and Recreation that the project will proceed.
The storage shed will assist poeple who can’t store kayaks at home because they live in an apartment.
Given Willoughby Council’s financial position, it would be interesting to know how much rent the Club will be paying.
The Final Report of the NSW Independent Local Government Review Panel – Revitalising Local Government argues for structural reform of Councils. North Shore Councils are taking moves to move along the direction the State Government is promoting.
It is proposed to amalgamate to existing Regional Organisations of Councils. NSROC consists of Hornsby, Kuringia, Willoughby, North Sydney, Hunters Hill, Lane Cove and Ryde Councils. SHOROC comprises Manly, Pittwater, Mosman and Warringah Councils. There have been a number of previous attempt to amalgamate these two bodies. These moves failed due to the hesitancy of SHOROC..
The merged entity would be known as a Council of Mayors (focusing on regional advocacy, intergovernmental relations and strategic planning). It would comprise the Mayors of all eleven Councils.
Accompanying the Council of Mayors would be a Regional Services Group (to provide joint services for participating Councils). It is touted that this would be a group of General Managers from participating Councils.This sounds a bit bizzare. Far better to have all Councils participating in the Regional services Group.
These proposal (from some perspectives) are a step backward from the NSROC structure where Mayors and General Managers sit together on the same Board.
Presumably the proposed structure is because there are eleven Councils which would mean a twenty-two person Board. If nothing else, this identifies the need to have fewer larger Councils.
Final Report of the NSW Independent Local Government Review Panel – Revitalising Local Government
This recent report identifies that the NSW Government is trying to achieve structural reform of Local Government which has become moribund. Two alternatives are being considered: status quo of many Councils or amalgamations. Based on published reports the preference is clearly for Council amalgamations.
Some of the changes proposed in the report include:
With great assistance from a local resident we have now confirmed that NO stand-alone fixed speed cameras have been installed in NSW since 2006 to December 2013. There is only one in consideration and that is in the country.
It has also been found that a decision was made that no further consideration of a Fixed Speed Camera would be made (29th. August 2013). RMS has been kidding us along.
The resident is continuing to battle with RMS and NCAT.
This might be another issue to ask the candidates if they support a speed camera on Fullers Rd (and how the see it being achieved)
Previously, Clr. Saville had advised that Council has engaged a consultant to review the traffic impacts of the Mowbray Road / Beaconsfield traffic signals and also to review the traffic study prepared for Lane Cove Council dealing with traffic impacts of the rezoning activity on the Lane Cove side of Mowbray Road. The consultants review will be completed in mid to late March 2014 after which it is proposed to report to Council on recommended measures. Following that it is likely that we would be consulting widely with the community in regard to a package of works on Mowbray Road and adjoining side streets.
On 17 March Clr Saville apologies that “I have been unable to organise a meeting with the consultant as yet as hoped re the developments along Mowbray and increasing traffic volumes on residential streets in West Ward including Greenlands, Coolaroo etc According to the GM council staff are working with the consultant to arrange a date for an appropriate meeting to which a general invite will be sent to all affected areas. When council has some options they will let us know.”
Our thanks go to Clr. Saville for keeping the community uptodate.
Willoughby Council is proposing to embark on major revenue raising introducing scores of addition parking meters in residential areas.
The focus for new parking meter areas are ‘transport nodes’. If you live within 15-20 minutes walk of a bus stop or train station expect to see parking meters in you street. If you live within another 15 minutes expect to see commuter’s cars in your street.
Where meters are installed it is also likely that the area will become a Residential Permit Parking Area. However, this will have the effect of forcing commuters to park in un-metered areas in nearby residential areas. Pretty soon, the whole of Willoughby’s streets become one giant carpark.
A sad thing about Council’s study is that it is myopic. It’s focus was singularly on ‘Street Parking”. For years, residents have been advocating for a commuter car park with Willoughby, serviced (if needed) by a shuttle bus. NO ALTERNATIVES TO RESIDENTIAL STREET PARKING HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED BY COUNCIL. It is time that Council starts taking a strategic approach when considering complex matters.
There is a suggestion by Council that revenue from parking meters will be used for sustainable transport initiatives. However, Council’s record on how it uses meter revenue is abysmal. Basically, revenue has gone into general purpose funds.
There is also talk of using innovative methods of payment instead of the dreaded parking meter. However, there seems to be no known alternatives to meters.
Another proposal is to create more Resident Parking Scheme areas and to issue 3 (rather than the current 2) Resident Stickers. However, this is contrary to RMS policy.
The current proposals for parking in Willoughby are most disappointing. Years of hopes and promises have been dashed in favour of a revenue-centric scheme. Perhaps this is something you might wish to raise with aspiring Mayoral candidates.
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Below are the final proposals for Kenneth Slessor Park. Full details of the plans.
FACILITIES
All paths will be replaced with new paths of a more consistent grade and surface that is non-slip. A new handrail will also be installed. Increased seating opportunities, both informal and formal have been included with added benches and picnic tables replacing the existing furniture on site. The installation of sun lounges will allow users to lie beneath the shade of the existing trees Additional bin enclosures within the park will
cater for the increase in demand, whilst a water fountain will also be installed
LAYOUT
The park will be re-graded with some small retaining walls built to form flatter turf areas,
making the entire site more usable Selective tree removal and pruning will open up the park and regain hidden views, re-establishing views toward the Blue Mountains
LIGHTING
Existing poles are to be removed and a lighting design for the park completed that will allow accessibility at night and provide better security for its users. Proposed lights shown are indicative The lower end of the park is the safest location for a play space, and can be easily accessed by the nearby school and local residents. The area will include an embankment slide, spinner and flat turfed area for active play. A picnic table will be installed to give parents a place to sit and monitor their children. Additional equipment
may be included as necessary
TREE REMOVAL
Self seeding Pittosporums will be removed from the middle section to open up and allow for greater views through the area. A Camphor laurel of deteriorating health will also be
removed. All existing trees are to be pruned on the underside and trimmed to shape
VEGETATION
The natural feel of the park is to be maintained. Flatter areas of turf will create a more
functional space and will encourage other user groups into the park.
Dense planting will line the southern boundary of the site and will assist in screening
the adjacent buildings and enclose the park as a green space. Access to the park from these properties will remain for residents The embankment at the lower end of the park
will be planted out with groundcovers and these will also border the path moving through the site
ART
Some suitable references to the parks namesake Kenneth Slessor and his poetry will be included as part of the constructed works.
During 2013 Council conducted a series of community meetings to discuss future infrastructure needs for the Willoughby area. The aim of the discussions was to acquaint people with a broad outline of the infrastructure and assets that Council is responsible for and, through Q&A sessions, for Council to better understand what people require as far as roads, footpaths, parks and playgrounds, playing fields, stormwater drainage and other council services are concerned. Generally, people told the council that they are happy with local infrastructure being in reasonable condition, not poor but also not necessarily perfect in all respects.
Council also in 2013 drew together a Citizens Panel of 40 residents and business people to help Council’s long term planning for asset expenditure. Panel members attended a series of workshops aimed at adding to their knowledge of Willoughby, its community needs and assets. Following this the panel conducted a review of Willoughby’s assets and developed recommendations which were delivered to Council in a report last August.
Using all this information together with inputs from other council departments, council officers revised the 15 year long-term financial plan which indicated that Council would need to increase rates by a greater percentage than that permitted by the NSW Government which for several years now has held annual council rate increases to around the level of the annual CPI, between two and three percent. This then led Council to a community consultation program, aimed at seeking agreement to apply to IPART for a proposed five year plan to increase rates by a total of 28.8% by 2019. This would equate to an actual increase of 32.7% over 2014 rates. The community response to the proposed variation was mixed with many saying OK to the proposal while others felt Council had not provided the community with enough information to justify the increase. As part of the community consultation over this matter, Council scheduled a public meeting for the 4th February to give people a chance to hear further details and ask questions of the council officers and Councillors.
While all this was happening, late last year the General Manager and the Senior Management Team commenced a review across the entire council to ascertain what organisational changes could be made to improve service delivery and where appropriate, reduce costs to allow funds to be allocated back to asset improvements. The loss of our Mayor, Pat Reilly, raised the spectre of the rate controversy being added to the mayoral contest so to prevent this and give the Management Team more time for their review, a mayoral minute was introduced in the February 3 general Council meeting. The effect of the minute which was confirmed unanimously, was to abandon the application to IPART for the rate variation for 2014/15 and to wait for the General Manager to report to Council by July 2014 outlining the preliminary results of the service review together with a list of cost savings and revenue raising opportunities across Council. Further, at the appropriate time to enable Council to resolve this matter prior to December 2014, an updated long term financial plan together with a community consultation plan and draft timetable is to be drawn up for a new application to IPART for a rate increase commencing in 2015/16, if the increase is still required.
Rate variations are always a contentious issue but it should be noted that Willoughby rates are among the lowest in the Sydney area and this year twelve other Sydney councils will apply to IPART for a rate variation. Willoughby enjoys all the good things a well-run community expects and it is largely through the administrative efforts of a Council that stands equal to any in the Sydney region that Willoughby is held up by many as an example of a well-managed local government area.
Courtesy: Journal of the Willoughby South Progress Association (WSPA)
Chatswood West Ward History 