The St Ives Orchid Fair is the best in Australia, with displays from local groups and vendors travelling from as far as WA and QLD to sell their plants.
It is open this weekend at the St Ives Showgrounds. For more information visit
2024 Show Page
The St Ives Orchid Fair is the best in Australia, with displays from local groups and vendors travelling from as far as WA and QLD to sell their plants.
It is open this weekend at the St Ives Showgrounds. For more information visit
2024 Show Page
At the August 2024 council meeting we resolved to:
๐โโ๏ธ Adopt a Prevention of Violence Against Women Action Plan, a first for Ku-ring-gai.
๐ก Put on public exhibition for at least 28 days an updated Planning Agreement Policy. Planning Agreements are a legal agreement between a developer and a planning authority where planning controls are varied in order to achieve a public benefit. Some examples may be to dedicate land for public recreation, environmental protection, road widening, or an extra road while allowing the developer to build an extra storey. Itโs usually a win-win for both public benefit and future housing.
๐ Modify and then support two Planning Proposals for a retirement village (110 homes) and residential development (181 homes) in Turramurra, to be sent to the Department of Planning for โGateway Determinationโ. The Department of Planning will review the planning proposal and conditions before it goes to Public Exhibition and Assessment.
๐ Write to the Minister for Transport and the NSW Premier to accelerate the delivery of rapid bus services along Mona Vale Road.
๐ถ Explore setting up a small dog park at the site of the former Gordon Bowling Club site.
๐๏ธ Provide terms to council’s lawyers for the court-ordered mediation with the State Government re: housing, noting that this would not have been necessary had the Planning Minister responded to any of my earlier requests for good-faith collaboration in the last ten months.
There were other items as well, which you can read about in the draft minutes. (I will update with a link when this becomes available.)
Thank you Ku-ring-gai for choosing us to serve you from 2022 to 2024. We just had our last official Ordinary Meeting of Council last night, and the Council will enter caretaker period from Friday 16 August through to the election on Saturday 14 September. Our General Manager David Marshall will be in charge during this period.
I have personally enjoyed working with each of the councillors and I wish them (as well as the other candidates) all the best in the coming weeks. I would also like to thank the staff for their contributions (within the guidelines set by the governing body) to what is predominantly a well-run organisation that seeks to serve you as ratepayers.
Happy Friday Everyone!
Itโs Public Education Week so Iโd like to thank all the awesome teachers, staff, parents and carers, community leaders and P&C associations who play an important role in educating us as well as our kids.
Yesterday Councillors from across NSW said farewell to Councillor Linda Scott who has served both as the President of Local Government NSW and the Australian Local Government Association .
What has impressed me all these years about Linda is that as the head of Local Government, she looks after the interest of all councils regardless of their geography or political makeup. She has led advocacy and sometimes even fought with the State and Federal Governments on issues such as financial sustainability, skilling our workforce, and industry representation – and in some instances she has helped to trigger reforms that put the Local Government sector in a better position to serve our communities.
We will dearly miss Linda and wish her all the best with future endeavours. She of all people has earned a well deserved break to spend time with family.
I popped into the Gordon Library to pick up a book that my daughter has been keen to read. (She is currently into super heroes and super villains.)
It was also great to see that the Children’s Corner, which was previously unavailable during the school holidays, is now refurbished and available for use.
At Ku-ring-gai we want to create opportunities for the youth to participate in policy and projects that matter to them, so we have started a Youth Advisory Committee.
Applications are open til 13 September.
If you know anyone who may be interested in participating, please check out the website.
https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Council/Council-meetings/Committees-and-Panels/Youth-Advisory-Committee
One thing that we are in the process of improving at Council is the way that we consult with or notify the community regarding proposed changes.
An example of this is Traffic DAs where our staff will traditionally send a notification to nearby households (eg 10 or 20), and then make a recommendation based on any feedback received. However these notifications may not necessarily go out to the wider group of residents who are affected by the traffic proposal, and a ward councillor may end up asking for the notification to go out to a wider group.
To assist with this process, Iโve asked the staff to make some of the larger impact matters available for online consultation so that we can reach a wider group of people.
We experimented with this approach when a roundabout was proposed to improve safety conditions at Trafalgar x Clanville. The traditional notification only generated a few responses, so when we switched to online we received quite a lot more. [I have not yet seen what these responses say.]
The process can still be improved. On hindsight I should have actively shared the consultation link on social media, and will aim to do so next time.
https://krg.engagementhub.com.au/clanville-trafalgar-roseville-proposed-roundabout
So we all know how bad the right turn from Archbold onto Boundary is during peak time. It’s a situation that annoys residents because it’s not acceptable to have to wait 20 minutes to get past just one traffic light.
As Boundary Street is operated by the State Government (TfNSW), we’ve been bugging them on a very regular basis about improving the traffic light timings and/or road widening with their land holdings (as they own 1 Archbold Road as well as 85 and 87 Boundary Street).
And their responses over the last few years have been quite lacking in detail.
However we recently received a more detailed response which I’ve copy and pasted below. It does seem like someone from TfNSW has this time put some serious thought into the matter before providing a response, and for that I appreciate it. However I’m not entirely convinced by their argument because I know that Boundary Street performance is nowhere near as bad, neither is the northbound traffic from Penshurst.
I’ll need to gather more evidence on our end before furthering the conversation.
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ฏ-๐จ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฎ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ด ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ๐ท๐ฐ๐ญ๐ท๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ข๐ญ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฉ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฉ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต, ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฅ. ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ด ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ถ๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ค๐ข๐ฑ๐ข๐ค๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ข๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด. ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ธ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด. ๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด, ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ท๐บ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข.
๐๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐น๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ท๐บ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฎ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ค๐ข๐ฑ๐ข๐ค๐ช๐ต๐บ, ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ช๐ด ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด:
ยท ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต, ยท ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต, ยท ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ง๐ต ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฉ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ, ยท ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ง๐ต ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฉ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต.
๐๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ท๐ข๐ช๐ญ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด, ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ, ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ช๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฆ๐น๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ท๐บ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ง๐ง-๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด. ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ด. ๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ข๐ญ๐ธ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ. ๐๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฉ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต.
๐๐น๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ท๐ข๐ช๐ญ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ด๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ. ๐๐น๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ท๐ข๐ช๐ญ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ด๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ. ๐๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ต๐ข๐ญ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข ๐ค๐บ๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ด๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ด. ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ช๐ต ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ.
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ด๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ด ๐ข๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ญ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ, ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ค๐ข๐ฑ๐ข๐ค๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข. ๐๐ต ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐น๐ค๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ท๐ข๐ช๐ญ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ค๐ข๐ฑ๐ข๐ค๐ช๐ต๐บ, ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ญ๐ธ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ถ๐ข๐ญ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ค๐ค๐ถ๐ณ ๐ข๐ด ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ถ๐ญ๐ต.
๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐จ๐ถ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค ๐ด๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ
In the coming months Council, alongside a range of Electric Vehicle charging providers, will be installing chargers across the LGA (some will be on a pay-to-use basis).
Last week we ‘completed’ a set of chargers outside North Turramurra Golf Club with Exploren and there will be two more sets at Turramurra Library and the West Pymble pool later this month.
I went to test out the North Turramurra charger and my experience is as follows.
1. Bring your own charging cable and plug into what appears to be a 7kW charger.
2. You have to download the app to being charging, so I installed the app.
3. Scan a QR code. No probs.
4. ERROR MESSAGE!!! Charger not found on network. ๐
So it’s a bit of an embarrassing situation, similar to the Jolt charger in Roseville when it was first rolled out.
They’re teething issues and I’m sure they’ll be sorted out over time.
These chargers, along with potentially hydrogen next decade, will support our transition to Net Zero by 2040 in Ku-ring-gai. Alongside the charging network, we have also required the builders of new apartment blocks to provide electric charging conduits and meters to each residential parking spot. (The installation of an actual charger is the last leg that the home owner has to opt-in.)
Congratulations Jo and the entire team at Wellness in Motion Lindfield for winning the Fitness Service of the Year award.
Jo proudly showed me her studio which caters to all with a range of personalised activities to help them stay healthy and/or recover from a prior issue, without having to face the competitive pressures that come from being in a gym environment. The convenient location next to the train station is also a big plus, with most customers choosing to walk or take public transport.
We also discussed some of the issues that concern local businesses, and I had the opportunity to talk to some of the patrons.
It’s great to see businesses like this thrive (especially after COVID) and we wish them all the best in the coming years.
A few months ago we had multiple residents independently complain about the state of Alston Way, Roseville. It was repeatedly patched but always got worse again due to an underlying / structural issue.
I raised the matter with Council staff and they said that although we didn’t have enough funds to address the matter straight away, they would consider it “next financial year”.
Well, the new financial year started in July and they got onto it straight away! I wasn’t actually expecting the speed on this one, as we’ve got other more complex but inter-related draining issues nearby as well.
Last month, Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai jointly held a dinner for our volunteers from the Hornsby/Ku-ring-gai Rural Fire Service, thanking them for their years of service in assisting our residents not just during bushfires but also other extreme weather events, and the education and preparations that lead up to it.
We also had annual awards for the brigades, and I had the opportunity to catch up with the volunteers for Ku-ring-gai and Killara Rural Fire Brigade . Killara in particular were excited to open their new headquarters soon.
Also in attendance were (in the bottom left image) Crs Simon Lennon, Christine Kay, Kim Wheatley, Martin Smith and Barbara Ward.
Earlier this week Nathan Tilbury – Deputy Mayor Hornsby Shire Council and I were invited to visit Sydney Waterโs Purified Recycled Water (PRW) Discovery Centre where we learnt about what it is that we are doing to ensure there is water for the ever growing population.
In recent years the focus has been on recycling water for non-drinking purposes, provision of water from our desalination plant, and water efficiency measures.
From 2031 Sydney Water hopes to purify (filter, UV treat, chlorinate) wastewater to drinking water and blend it with raw water from our natural waterways. Itโs not a new concept – they have been doing it for years in Los Angeles, Singapore, Perth and South East Queensland.
You can find out more on their website. https://www.sydneywater.com.au/education/drinking-water/purified-recycled-water.html
Great to welcome 80 new citizens to Ku-ring-gai in July.
Special thanks to Barry Fear for being our special guest and giving a speech on what it means to be Australian (more on that in the next post) as well as the Ku-ring-gai Ranger Guides for helping out.
In attendance were also (in the photo from left to right) Matt Cross MP , Councillor Barbara Ward, Councillor Cedric Spencer and Councillor Simon Lennon.
At the July Citizenship Ceremony we had the privilege of having Barry Fear speak to the new citizens about what it means to be part of Australian Society. We really appreciated the time that he spent with us, though it was short and I asked if I could catch up with him afterwards.
This week a Council staff member and I visited Barry at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance: St Ives Lifestyles Centre. He showed us around the facilities and shared about his passion for advocacy.
He also has a YouTube channel that he wants all of you to follow. Please visit and the link below and click on subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/@barryfear7192
Glad to see so many of our local businesses win the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Local Business of the Year Awards.
@bobbinheadbakery – Bakery / Cake Business of the year Wellness in Motion Lindfield – Fitness Service of the year Wahroonga Flower Shoppe – Florist of the year Kanak Kiran – Antiques, Arts, Crafts and Gifts of the year McDonald’s Pharmacy – Pharmacy of the year KX Pilates Turramurra – New Business of the year The Pymble Grind – Fast Food / Takeaway of the year Kipling’s Garage Bar – Hotel / Bottle Shop / Bar of the year Century 21 Masterpiece – Real Estate Agency AND Business of the year The Village Vet – Pet Care of the year
In attendance of the awards ceremony last night were Cr Simon Lennon , Cr Barbara Ward, Councillor Martin Smith , Councillor Kim Wheatley , Cedric Spencer and @CDeputy Mayor of Ku-ring-gai, Cr Christine Kay as well as Alister Henskens MP and our colleagues from Hornsby Council.f
Congratulations to Glenda Borg for her painting of a Scribbly Gum and winning the Silver Jubilee prize at the Ku ring gai Art Society 57th Annual Art Awards Exhibition.
She said that it was a pleasant surprise and that she had no idea that she would win.
I shared with her my reasons for choosing her work as the winning entry. Not only was it good, but it reminded me of another Scribbly Gum that we once had.
As part of National Tree Day, residents had the opportunity to plant 500 trees at St Ives Showgrounds. It was encouraging to see so many involved, young and old.
In attendance were Crs Kay and Ward, and I know that Cr Smith and others also attended later in the day.
Earlier this month our Council’s Flood Risk Management Committee explored the implications of different flood mapping methodologies on properties in our LGA.
As context, each Council is required by the State to ensure that their flood areas are mapped and properties appropriately tagged as this impacts where residents can safely build as well as what future infrastructure is required to support.
At Ku-ring-gai we’ve broken up the LGA into their respective river / creek catchments and we are systematically going through each one to model and understand which properties are impacted under various flooding scenarios.
We do so based on current available data, which means that the increased rainfall from future climate change and increased velocity of runoff from state housing increases and non-compliant construction are not baked into the modelling. In other words, the modelling may understate actual impacts that are experienced in the coming years.
At the same time, we have residents who will push in the other direction…. They are generally motivated by concerns that addition to a flood map leads to increased insurance premiums.
Council generally explores the impact on each property on a case by case basis, so for example if the flooding is expected to only impact 1 sqm of the corner of a property then we are happy to remove the tag from that property. But if modelling with reasonable assumptions shows that a large portion of the property may be affected (even prior to climate change / increased density scenarios) then we would have to exercise our responsibility by tagging the property.
The current focus is on Middle Harbour North and the next area will be Lane Cove catchment. We will later cover Cowan Creek, Ku-ring-gai Creek, Lovers Jump Creek, and Spring Gully Creek when the funding becomes available.
For more information visit https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Environment/Sustainable-living/Prepare-for-extreme-weather/Flooding
Last month at the Ku-ring-gai Rotary Changeover dinner, I joined Anthony Rigney from KYDS Youth Counselling and Elizabeth Lovell from Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury Sydney in (unexpectedly) receiving Honourary Memberships in recognition of the partnerships that our organisations have with the Rotary Club of Ku-ring-gai.
Ku-ring-gai Rotary has actively been in service for over 60 years and their members support the community through fundraising efforts such as the Lindfield Fun Run, the Gordon Markets, and the Bobbin Head Cycle Classic.
In 2023 they raised and distributed over $100,000 to local charities such as KYDS and Lifeline as well as other causes such as the National Centre for Childhood Grief, the Early Education Toy Library, Dreams 2live4., and a project in the Pacific Islands. They also donated funds for a picnic shelter defibrillator at West Pymble and co-ordinated the dementia friendly cafe at West Pymble.
They would welcome anyone to join their efforts and you can find out more about them on their website or call Malcolm Braid on 0400 528 604. https://www.kuringgairotary.org.au
What was your favourite part of the Paris Opening Ceremony? My kids liked the Minions the mostโฆ we rewound and watched it five times!
From time to time we receive complaints about the Coles development at Balfour Street Lindfield, primarily in relation to traffic delays that it causes on Balfour Street and perceived breaches of the conditions of consent which say “๐๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ด๐ข๐ง๐ฆ๐ต๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐บ, ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ค๐ค๐ถ๐ณ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ-๐ฐ๐ง๐ง (8:00๐ข๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฐ 9:30๐ข๐ฎ) ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ค๐ฌ ๐ถ๐ฑ (2:30๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฐ 4:00๐ฑ๐ฎ) ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ๐ด.”
Residents have also said that council has done nothing to prevent these perceived breaches but that is not the case. The construction site has been fined over $80,000 to date for various offences.
I think it’s important to break down what is and is not a breach, because we will have many more construction sites like this in the years to come as part of the TOD precinct.
So I went down there yesterday morning to observe what was going on.
First of all, this condition of consent applies to construction vehicles. That means concrete trucks, excavators, demolition trucks, heavy transport.
The condition of consent applies to construction vehicle MOVEMENTS which means that if we see a construction vehicle parked on the street but it is not moving, then it is not a breach.
There are other things like forklifts, cranes, machinery, scaffolding, which are counted as plant and equipment. In other words, forklifts are not construction vehicles, they are plant. And if you see a forklift driving or a crane operating during those peak hours then there is no breach because they are not construction vehicles.
What was annoying, however, is that from time to time the lollipop ladies would pop out and block off traffic along the entire street so that the forklifts can pickup skip bins, etc. This probably took up 5 of the 90 minutes that I was there, and if I was a resident driver on Balfour Street waiting to get to work, I would be very annoyed and blame Coles for everything….. I gave our Director of Regulation a call and he explained to me that the lollipop ladies were part of the construction traffic management plan, and that the intent of the condition of consent was to prevent heavy construction vehicles from hurting pedestrians from a SAFETY perspective. That is, the condition of consent was not designed to optimise traffic flows, and there will always be some level of disruption associated with construction.
I did also see two skip bin trucks moving that morning, but the Director said that these were not construction vehicles. They were ‘ephemeral’ and only there to quickly pick up or drop off something before they were gone. He explained that the condition of consent was with regard to longer, more drawn out activities.
I also saw five concrete trucks pop out from Bent Lane turning right onto Balfour Street, before turning right onto Pacific Highway. While these do count as construction vehicles, they were not in relation to the Coles Development so their movements are not a breach of the conditions of consent.
Out of all the things that I observed, there was only one thing that the Director agreed was illegal. I noticed that the utes on Balfour Street were parked for longer than the 1 hour allowed. The Director said that rangers do come here from time to time to issue fines, and that he’d send rangers onto this case.
So other than the illegal parked utes, it was a relatively good morning for the construction firm. But just because they were good this morning, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re like this all the time. They have been fined over $80,000 to date after all.
But we shouldn’t jump to conclusions that they are breaching the conditions of consent or that council is doing nothing about it just because we see a few lollipop ladies and forklifts moving around.
Whether the conditions of consent should be broadened to cover lollipops and forklifts is a separate point of debate, but those are not the conditions of consent for this particular site.
And if you do see anything that you suspect is actually illegal, please let us know straight away.
The Ku ring gai Art Society is currently hosting its 57th Annual Art Awards Exhibition at St Ives Shopping Village . The exhibition is open from now through to 4th August 2024 and displays works (for sale) from many of our local artists.
As a sponsor, Ku-ring-gai Council has the opportunity to award the ‘Silver Jubilee’ prize so earlier this week, I asked my assistant to come along and help with the selection process.
At our May Public Forum, a young resident came and spoke about the dangerous pedestrian pathway connecting Wambool Street and Jersey Street, Turramurra.
Fortunately in his case, Council already had plans to fix this pedestrian pathway and two months later you can see that it is much more pleasant to use, saving pedestrians a few minutes of their time to and from the train station and shops.
I know that a few weeks ago, I posted something similar on social media and what arose was about 30 requests for footpath / road maintenance throughout the LGA. I’ve passed the list of 30 issues onto Council staff and they will systematically prioritise and work through it while considering other competing priorities. It is unlikely, however, that they will all be resolved within two months. These things take considerable planning and time.
This month, residents had the opportunity to hear from and meet Benjamin Law, an Australian author who shared about his experiences with growing up as an immigrant in regional Queensland and then later coming out as gay. His book The Family Law was also adapted to TV for SBS.
The event also doubled up as Council’s official launch of the ‘Welcome Here’ Project, where stickers are used at some of our community buildings to remind members of the LGBTIQ community that they are welcome in our community. The initiative was driven by local resident Alex Free and our local Councillor Alec Taylor as it is a matter that close to both of their heart.
I’ve personally been reflecting on what it means for Australia to be a multicultural, diverse and tolerant society which as councillors we represent. One thing that isn’t often said is that while we are learning to become more supportive of specific minority groups as part of this journey, it’s also important to be equally respectful of the views of others who are not part of these defined minorities. To do otherwise would set a double standard, and it’s unfortunate that respect or tolerance is not always reciprocated.
At the July 2024 council meeting we resolved to:
๐๏ธ Identify suitable planning controls for dual occupancies, which are to be introduced by the State Government in Ku-ring-gai on 01 July 2025. [Councils without existing planning controls like minimum lot size have been given a one year to establish controls whereas most councils commenced this month.]
๐ Work towards delivering upon the Planning Ministerโs Statement of Expectations for all Local Councils, including the improvement of DA turnaround times and the updating of strategic planning documents to reflect new short term housing targets and State Environmental Planning Policies.
๐ Request an interim heritage order on the 23 heritage conservation areas within our four TOD precincts, until planning for these precincts is finalised early next year. This is an unusual request that has been rightly raised by Council in the context of an even more unusual decision from the State Government with regard to 6-9 storey developments in federal and inter-war heritage conservation areas. In both of my meetings with the Planning Minister there was a clear unwillingness to honestly explain how 22m / FSR 2.5:1 can be achieved in such areas, so we now put the question to the Heritage Minister for consideration.
โก๏ธ๐ถ Investigate further updates to Councilโs planning controls and net zero initiatives to support growing demand for electrification, other energy efficiency initiatives, and allowing doggy daycares in town centres.
๐น Update the Code of Meeting Practice to support the live-streaming of the Councilโs monthly public forum. The updated Code will soon go out to public exhibition for public feedback before council votes on the final document.
๐ณ Allocate funding for the annual round of Environmental Levy Grants and Sponsorships.
๐โโ๏ธ Appoint members of the Status of Womenโs Advisory Committee.
๐ญ Note a report on the potential cost of reviving the Marian Street Theatre with minimum repairs, and asked for further detail on a pathway / timeline to expanding the theatre as per a previous development application (DA0144/20).
There were other items as well, which you can read about in the draft minutes. https://eservices.kmc.nsw.gov.au/Infocouncil.Web/Open/2024/07/OMC_16072024_MIN_WEB.htm
๐ฑ It appears that sometime on Sunday night or Monday morning, someone stole half of the war memorial honour roll that commemorates 67 Turramurra residents who served our country, seven of whom died in battle.
Anyone who has information about the theft is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Hornsby Police.
Earlier this month during NAIDOC Week I visited Southern Cross Care NSW & ACT in North Turramurra as they launched their Reflect stage Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
The RAP was advised by Brooke Prentis and we had a smoking ceremony and performances by Beatrice and family members. We also planted a Lemon Myrtle tree which (surprisingly) has a refreshing smell.
Through til Sunday we have Sydneyโs Biggest Book Fair, raising funds for Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury Sydney.
Itโs at the Great Hall at Knox Grammar School and there is nearby street parking as well as an under over overflow area.
Great to see so many people here for a good cause, and it wouldnโt have been possible without the help of our local volunteers at Lifeline.
Many of us grew up following the North Sydney Bears and it was a shame to see them fall off the top tier of competition in the late 90’s.
I recently met with North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker and Nathan Tilbury – Deputy Mayor Hornsby Shire Council to discuss the latest proposal to bring back the Bears in the form of a venture as the Perth Bears. If successful, this means that the logo and colours are retained, and that our Ku-ring-gai Cubs Rugby League Club have a development pathway to the competition, as well as the possibility of some games held at North Sydney Oval .
You can support the initiatives by becoming a member today (starting from $25 pa). https://www.northsydneybears.com.au
The NSW Government has committed to delivering 377,000 well-located homes over five years – and it expects Ku-ring-gai to deliver its share of 7,600 in the same period.
A critical element of delivering these targets is the government’s ‘Low- and Mid-Rise Housing’ (LMRH) Reforms. And over the weekend the government announced its approach by gradually updating parts of its website.
It appears that the LMRH is now split into two stages.
Stage 1 of LMRH, which commenced yesterday on 01 July 2024, allows for dual occupancies to be installed in any R2 low-density residential zone across NSW with the exception of certain sites that are affected by flood, bushfire, individually listed heritage items (but not heritage conservation areas), or other criteria.
Some residents will consider stage 1 of LMRH to be good news, as it makes it easier to enter the housing market and allow multi-generational families to live in proximity while having their separate space.
However at Ku-ring-gai we also recognise that if dual occupancies are implemented with the non-refusal parameters that the NSW Government had proposed in December 2023 (minimum lot size 450 sqm, floor space ratio 0.65:1), then it will have a detrimental impact on our urban tree canopy, biodiversity, climate resilience and heritage.
The problem that I have with the announcement over the weekend is that it is silent on the minimum lot size and floor space ratios for dual occupanices. And in the absence of these parameters, the impacts of these dual occupancies are unknown.
As a Council, we have previously proposed more appropriate parameters to the Department of Planning, and we will be following up to confirm its support to provide you as residents the certainty that you need.
Stage 2 of the LMRH involves additional density around train stations and town centres. Further details will be announced later in 2024 (I suspect after the Local Government elections to safeguard Labor candidates) with an implementation date set for the second half of 2ฬถ0ฬถ2ฬถ5ฬถ 2024 [Department website said second half of 2025 on 01 July but when I checked again this morning it said second half of 2024].
Tฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถsฬถeฬถcฬถoฬถnฬถdฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถlฬถfฬถ ฬถ2ฬถ0ฬถ2ฬถ5ฬถ ฬถiฬถmฬถpฬถlฬถeฬถmฬถeฬถnฬถtฬถaฬถtฬถiฬถoฬถnฬถ ฬถdฬถaฬถtฬถeฬถ ฬถiฬถsฬถ ฬถaฬถcฬถtฬถuฬถaฬถlฬถlฬถyฬถ ฬถgฬถoฬถoฬถdฬถ ฬถnฬถeฬถwฬถsฬถ ฬถbฬถeฬถcฬถaฬถuฬถsฬถeฬถ ฬถKฬถuฬถ-ฬถrฬถiฬถnฬถgฬถ-ฬถgฬถaฬถiฬถ ฬถaฬถsฬถ ฬถwฬถeฬถlฬถlฬถ ฬถaฬถsฬถ ฬถoฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถrฬถ ฬถcฬถoฬถuฬถnฬถcฬถiฬถlฬถsฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถvฬถeฬถ ฬถbฬถeฬถeฬถnฬถ ฬถaฬถsฬถkฬถiฬถnฬถgฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถDฬถeฬถpฬถaฬถrฬถtฬถmฬถeฬถnฬถtฬถ ฬถoฬถfฬถ ฬถPฬถlฬถaฬถnฬถnฬถiฬถnฬถgฬถ ฬถfฬถoฬถrฬถ ฬถmฬถoฬถrฬถeฬถ ฬถtฬถiฬถmฬถeฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถcฬถoฬถnฬถdฬถuฬถcฬถtฬถ ฬถlฬถoฬถcฬถaฬถlฬถ ฬถpฬถlฬถaฬถnฬถnฬถiฬถnฬถgฬถ ฬถfฬถoฬถrฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถLฬถMฬถRฬถHฬถ.ฬถ ฬถIฬถtฬถ’ฬถsฬถ ฬถgฬถrฬถeฬถaฬถtฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถhฬถeฬถaฬถrฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถaฬถtฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถDฬถeฬถpฬถaฬถrฬถtฬถmฬถeฬถnฬถtฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถsฬถ ฬถlฬถiฬถsฬถtฬถeฬถnฬถeฬถdฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถoฬถuฬถrฬถ ฬถfฬถeฬถeฬถdฬถbฬถaฬถcฬถkฬถ,ฬถ ฬถbฬถeฬถcฬถaฬถuฬถsฬถeฬถ ฬถiฬถtฬถ ฬถiฬถsฬถ ฬถcฬถoฬถuฬถnฬถcฬถiฬถlฬถsฬถ ฬถwฬถhฬถoฬถ ฬถaฬถrฬถeฬถ ฬถbฬถeฬถsฬถtฬถ ฬถpฬถlฬถaฬถcฬถeฬถdฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถdฬถeฬถtฬถeฬถrฬถmฬถiฬถnฬถeฬถ ฬถwฬถhฬถeฬถrฬถeฬถ ฬถdฬถeฬถnฬถsฬถiฬถtฬถyฬถ ฬถsฬถhฬถoฬถuฬถlฬถdฬถ ฬถgฬถoฬถ.ฬถ [Paragraph stricken out due to Department of Planning website update on morning of 02 July]
Having said that, we are still in disagreement with a separate set of reforms called ‘Transport Oriented Development’ (TOD). These reforms were imposed on a small radius around Gordon, Killara, Lindfield and Roseville earlier this year.
Despite multiple requests to have sufficient time to plan for the TOD, the NSW Government pushed ahead with their April timeframe. The financial impact on ratepayers is over ten million, and to recover the costs we have had no choice but to take the State Government to court.
I have spoken to the Minister on 02 May and subsequently written to him twice saying that the court action can be avoided if he were to be consistent and given Ku-ring-gai the same opportunity for local planning that he gave to 12 other councils for the TOD (and now 128 councils for the LMRH stage 2). All he has to do is lift the map for our four TOD precincts and set a deferred commencement date in 2025. But he has not been interested in backing down from his position, so the only way we can protect your ratepayer funds is to go through the courts.
In May, Council also resolved for staff to identify different density scenarios for each of the four TOD precincts and to commence a public consultation process towards the end of this year.
Nฬถoฬถwฬถ ฬถwฬถiฬถtฬถhฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถdฬถeฬถfฬถeฬถrฬถrฬถeฬถdฬถ ฬถcฬถoฬถmฬถmฬถeฬถnฬถcฬถeฬถmฬถeฬถnฬถtฬถ ฬถoฬถfฬถ ฬถLฬถMฬถRฬถHฬถ ฬถsฬถtฬถaฬถgฬถeฬถ ฬถ2ฬถ,ฬถ ฬถiฬถtฬถ ฬถmฬถeฬถaฬถnฬถsฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถaฬถtฬถ ฬถKฬถuฬถ-ฬถrฬถiฬถnฬถgฬถ-ฬถgฬถaฬถiฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถoฬถrฬถeฬถtฬถiฬถcฬถaฬถlฬถlฬถyฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถsฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถoฬถpฬถpฬถoฬถrฬถtฬถuฬถnฬถiฬถtฬถyฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถcฬถoฬถnฬถdฬถuฬถcฬถtฬถ ฬถpฬถlฬถaฬถnฬถnฬถiฬถnฬถgฬถ ฬถfฬถoฬถrฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถ8ฬถ0ฬถ0ฬถmฬถ ฬถwฬถaฬถlฬถkฬถiฬถnฬถgฬถ ฬถdฬถiฬถsฬถtฬถaฬถnฬถcฬถeฬถ ฬถaฬถrฬถoฬถuฬถnฬถdฬถ ฬถeฬถaฬถcฬถhฬถ ฬถtฬถrฬถaฬถiฬถnฬถ ฬถsฬถtฬถaฬถtฬถiฬถoฬถnฬถ ฬถaฬถnฬถdฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถSฬถtฬถ ฬถIฬถvฬถeฬถsฬถ ฬถsฬถhฬถoฬถpฬถsฬถ.ฬถ ฬถIฬถfฬถ ฬถwฬถeฬถ ฬถcฬถaฬถnฬถ ฬถgฬถeฬถtฬถ ฬถiฬถtฬถ ฬถdฬถoฬถnฬถeฬถ ฬถbฬถeฬถfฬถoฬถrฬถeฬถ ฬถmฬถiฬถdฬถ ฬถ2ฬถ0ฬถ2ฬถ5ฬถ ฬถwฬถeฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถvฬถeฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถpฬถoฬถtฬถeฬถnฬถtฬถiฬถaฬถlฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถpฬถrฬถoฬถtฬถeฬถcฬถtฬถ ฬถoฬถuฬถrฬถ ฬถuฬถrฬถbฬถaฬถnฬถ ฬถtฬถrฬถeฬถeฬถ ฬถcฬถaฬถnฬถoฬถpฬถyฬถ,ฬถ ฬถbฬถiฬถoฬถdฬถiฬถvฬถeฬถrฬถsฬถiฬถtฬถyฬถ,ฬถ ฬถcฬถlฬถiฬถmฬถaฬถtฬถeฬถ ฬถrฬถeฬถsฬถiฬถlฬถiฬถeฬถnฬถcฬถeฬถ ฬถaฬถnฬถdฬถ ฬถhฬถeฬถrฬถiฬถtฬถaฬถgฬถeฬถ ฬถcฬถoฬถnฬถsฬถeฬถrฬถvฬถaฬถtฬถiฬถoฬถnฬถ ฬถaฬถrฬถeฬถaฬถsฬถ.ฬถ[Paragraph stricken out due to Department of Planning website update on morning of 02 July] ฬถ ฬถBฬถuฬถtฬถ ฬถCฬถoฬถuฬถnฬถcฬถiฬถlฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถsฬถ ฬถyฬถeฬถtฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถdฬถiฬถsฬถcฬถuฬถsฬถsฬถ ฬถoฬถrฬถ ฬถrฬถeฬถsฬถoฬถlฬถvฬถeฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถdฬถoฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถiฬถsฬถ ฬถfฬถoฬถrฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถLฬถMฬถRฬถHฬถ.ฬถ.ฬถ.ฬถ.ฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถlฬถaฬถsฬถtฬถ ฬถtฬถiฬถmฬถeฬถ ฬถwฬถeฬถ ฬถcฬถoฬถnฬถsฬถiฬถdฬถeฬถrฬถeฬถdฬถ ฬถsฬถoฬถmฬถeฬถtฬถhฬถiฬถnฬถgฬถ ฬถsฬถiฬถmฬถiฬถlฬถaฬถrฬถ,ฬถ ฬถiฬถtฬถ ฬถdฬถiฬถdฬถ ฬถnฬถoฬถtฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถvฬถeฬถ ฬถeฬถnฬถoฬถuฬถgฬถhฬถ ฬถsฬถuฬถpฬถpฬถoฬถrฬถtฬถ ฬถdฬถuฬถeฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถaฬถbฬถsฬถeฬถnฬถcฬถeฬถ ฬถoฬถfฬถ ฬถlฬถoฬถnฬถgฬถ-ฬถtฬถeฬถrฬถmฬถ ฬถtฬถaฬถrฬถgฬถeฬถtฬถsฬถ ฬถfฬถrฬถoฬถmฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถSฬถtฬถaฬถtฬถeฬถ.ฬถ ฬถAฬถnฬถdฬถ ฬถwฬถeฬถ ฬถsฬถtฬถiฬถlฬถlฬถ ฬถdฬถoฬถ ฬถnฬถoฬถtฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถvฬถeฬถ ฬถaฬถnฬถyฬถ ฬถlฬถoฬถnฬถgฬถ-ฬถtฬถeฬถrฬถmฬถ ฬถtฬถaฬถrฬถgฬถeฬถtฬถsฬถ.ฬถ ฬถQฬถLฬถDฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถsฬถ ฬถtฬถaฬถrฬถgฬถeฬถtฬถsฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถrฬถoฬถuฬถgฬถhฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถ2ฬถ0ฬถ4ฬถ6ฬถ,ฬถ ฬถVฬถIฬถCฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถsฬถ ฬถtฬถaฬถrฬถgฬถeฬถtฬถsฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถrฬถoฬถuฬถgฬถhฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถ2ฬถ0ฬถ5ฬถ1ฬถ,ฬถ ฬถbฬถuฬถtฬถ ฬถNฬถSฬถWฬถ ฬถoฬถnฬถlฬถyฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถsฬถ ฬถaฬถ ฬถfฬถiฬถvฬถeฬถ ฬถyฬถeฬถaฬถrฬถ ฬถtฬถaฬถrฬถgฬถeฬถtฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถrฬถoฬถuฬถgฬถhฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถ2ฬถ0ฬถ2ฬถ9ฬถ.ฬถ ฬถSฬถoฬถmฬถeฬถ ฬถcฬถoฬถuฬถnฬถcฬถiฬถlฬถlฬถoฬถrฬถsฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถvฬถeฬถ ฬถaฬถrฬถgฬถuฬถeฬถdฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถaฬถtฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถiฬถsฬถ ฬถdฬถoฬถeฬถsฬถ ฬถnฬถoฬถtฬถ ฬถpฬถrฬถoฬถvฬถiฬถdฬถeฬถ ฬถeฬถnฬถoฬถuฬถgฬถhฬถ ฬถcฬถlฬถaฬถrฬถiฬถtฬถyฬถ ฬถfฬถoฬถrฬถ ฬถKฬถuฬถ-ฬถrฬถiฬถnฬถgฬถ-ฬถgฬถaฬถiฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถeฬถsฬถtฬถaฬถbฬถlฬถiฬถsฬถhฬถ ฬถaฬถ ฬถlฬถoฬถnฬถgฬถ-ฬถtฬถeฬถrฬถmฬถ ฬถLฬถoฬถcฬถaฬถlฬถ ฬถEฬถnฬถvฬถiฬถrฬถoฬถnฬถmฬถeฬถnฬถtฬถ ฬถPฬถlฬถaฬถnฬถ.ฬถ[Paragraph stricken out due to Department of Planning website update on morning of 02 July] ฬถ ฬถAฬถnฬถyฬถwฬถaฬถyฬถ ฬถwฬถeฬถ’ฬถlฬถlฬถ ฬถsฬถeฬถeฬถ ฬถwฬถhฬถaฬถtฬถ ฬถhฬถaฬถpฬถpฬถeฬถnฬถsฬถ.ฬถ ฬถTฬถhฬถeฬถrฬถeฬถ’ฬถsฬถ ฬถsฬถtฬถiฬถlฬถlฬถ ฬถaฬถ ฬถlฬถoฬถtฬถ ฬถoฬถfฬถ ฬถaฬถmฬถbฬถiฬถgฬถuฬถiฬถtฬถyฬถ ฬถeฬถvฬถeฬถnฬถ ฬถwฬถiฬถtฬถhฬถ ฬถLฬถMฬถRฬถHฬถ ฬถSฬถtฬถaฬถgฬถeฬถ ฬถ1ฬถ,ฬถ ฬถaฬถnฬถdฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถrฬถeฬถ’ฬถsฬถ ฬถaฬถ ฬถfฬถeฬถwฬถ ฬถdฬถeฬถtฬถaฬถiฬถlฬถsฬถ ฬถfฬถoฬถrฬถ ฬถoฬถuฬถrฬถ ฬถsฬถtฬถaฬถfฬถfฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถcฬถlฬถaฬถrฬถiฬถfฬถyฬถ ฬถbฬถeฬถfฬถoฬถrฬถeฬถ ฬถwฬถeฬถ ฬถcฬถaฬถnฬถ ฬถfฬถoฬถrฬถmฬถ ฬถaฬถ ฬถpฬถoฬถsฬถiฬถtฬถiฬถoฬถnฬถ.ฬถ [It’s a bit ridiculous that I had to cross out a large chunk of this Facebook post…. The Department should check their material and their dates before publishing the details on the Internet.]
Link to 01 July 2024 webpage. https://web.archive.org/web/20240701140452/https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/policy-and-legislation/housing/diverse-and-well-located-homes
Link to 02 July 2024 webpage. https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/policy-and-legislation/housing/diverse-and-well-located-homes
Last night I was delighted to attend Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestraโs 40 year anniversary NSW Secondary Schools Concerto Competition Finals.
We have a lot of talented high school students and they each have promising careers ahead of them. I especially enjoyed the comraderie and support that they provided each other backstage.
The competition results are available on their website, and photos will become available later once there is consent.
https://www.kpo.org.au/current/concertocomp
When I first became Mayor I asked the staff what were we going to do support our athletes during the Paris Olympics.
One of their ideas was Ku-ring-gai’s inaugural Kids Olympics, which we will be running these school holidays with other sporting groups.
Our kids will have the opportunity to try out different sports like triathlon, tennis, football, and table tennis. We wanted to do this to promote awareness of sporting opportunities in the leadup to Paris.
More information is available at krg.nsw.gov.au/kidsolympics
Glad to attend the Ku-ring-gai and Hills Police Area Command 2024 Awards Ceremony, where 37 police officers and members of the public were recognised for their contributions to the community.
This was my second time attending such a ceremony and it was encouraging to hear about the bravery of the officers and civilians who have served us.
Last night as part of our Arts and Cultural Festival I attended the opening of a two week exhibit of Ku-ring-gai Artists at the Grace Cossington Smith Gallery at Abbotsleigh.
On display are works by Eva Barry, Annarie Hildebrand and Alan Tracey. It was good to chat to each of them afterwards to understand what inspired their works.
These works are on display for the next two weeks and they are also on sale. For more information visit
https://www.abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au/grace-cossington-smith-gallery/current-exhibition/
As you know Ku-ring-gai aspires to reach Net Zero by 2040, and part of this involves encouraging residents to electrify their transport.
We will be introducing more EV chargers in the coming months, and we also want to encourage residents to consider making their next car electric.
The NRMA recently held an EV test drive and awareness event at the HART driving school in St Ives. I was joined by Councillor Martin Smith and Councillor Kim Wheatley and we saw a wide range of vehicles manufactured by BMW, BYD, Ford, GWM, Hyundai, Kia, LDV, Mercedes, MG, Renault, Tesla and Volvo. There was also a VW Buggy retrofitted as an EV.
It was a good opportunity to test drive a number of vehicles and at this stage I still say that my personal favourite is the Tesla Model 3. Tesla has had more time to refine their product and it stands above the rest.
As part of Refugee Week we listened to the stories of recent migrants as they shared about hardships in their homeland, their journeys to Australia, the challenges of getting refugee status, and their desire to be productive citizens in society.
The event was held at Gordon Baptist and organised by various organisations under the umbrella of the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Multicultural Network Interagency.
We found this video to be helpful in introducing some of the issues. https://youtu.be/25bwiSikRsI
Apparently it was Make Music Day today so we had a quartet from the Kuringai Youth Orchestra perform at the Lindfield Village Green from 3-4pm.
I only found out about it this week so we werenโt able to widely promote, and weโll make sure it has a greater profile next year.
Councillor Barbara Ward and I popped by to take a look and it ended up being a good opportunity to talk to local residentsโฆ topics that they asked about included the Transport Oriented Development, Heritage Items, and the Lindfield Village Hub.
This week I joined โHappy Helenโ to visit the South Turramurra Girl Guides . Helen helped the guides with a sewing lesson and I was there to talk about the role of government and civil service.
Some questions included:
What does council do? How big is Ku-ring-gai?
Favourite part of being a councillor / mayor?
What are those round things on your neck? Are they heavy?
How old are you? Did you plan to do this when growing up? [I didnโt plan on becoming a councillorโฆ I thought Iโd end up serving the community at a churchโฆ The scouts and guides tend to prepare their people for community service]
How come you chose to join scouts? (Instead of guides) [I grew up with a scout hall across the road so it was an easy choice]
I am at Bonjour Patisserie for the next two hours, working on Council emails. Feel free to reach out and chat.
๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บWe welcomed 65 or so new Australian Citizens last night.
Itโs great to have them join our wonderful country, and Iโm also glad that weโve finally worked through our Covid-backlog (previously been doing 160 citizens each month).
At last nightโs council meeting we resolved to:
๐ช๐ Develop a multicultural inclusion plan and fund a multicultural festival (think of our well-attended Lunar New Year festival, but bigger).
๐๐Make amendments to the Canoon Road Recreation Area Plan of Management to make the site safer to use for under 9โs and more accessible to all age groups.
๐โโ๏ธโโก๏ธ๐โโก๏ธReclassify the Roseville Chase Bowling Site to Community Land and develop a masterplan for future recreational use.
โฝ๏ธ๐Support Hornsby Council in lobbying for the retention of funding to develop Westleigh Park, which will provide critical infrastructure for residents in Northern Sydney.
๐๐Make further improvements to our Enterprise Risk Framework and Internal Audit Charter, in alignment with updated requirements from the Office of Local Government.
๐๐๏ธWe also discussed 345 Pacific Highway, however that is a complex issue and Iโd prefer to provide a more detailed post later this week after the recommendations of the Sydney North Planning Panel are also published. Itโs not helpful to talk about it in little chunks.
Following considerable public interest as well as some confusion about the range of different housing policies and targets out there, the Council is running a series of community information sessions on the NSW Governmentโs Low- and Mid-Rise Housing SEPP changes.
The first session was held last night at Council chambers and it was well attended. There are further sessions available both in person and online, and if interested you are free to register to attend whichever one is most convenient for you. The content will be almost exactly the same at each session as the policy change applies consistently across NSW.
To register, visit
https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Planning-and-development/Changes-to-NSW-Government-housing-policy/Community-Forums-on-NSW-Low-and-Mid-rise-Housing-Policy
As part of Ku-ring-gaiโs inaugural Net Zero Communities Grant (funded by our Environmental Levy) we sponsored EnergyZE to hold a community event where like-minded people shared tips on how reducing our carbon footprint.
Presentations were made by:
Dr Kate Wilson, a St Ives resident who previously worked as Executive Director for Climate Change and Sustainability under the former NSW Government; Kristen McDonald, a former Roseville Public School student (from my year) who now works as the Mobilisation and Engagement Manager at Rewiring Australia; and
Myself as the Mayor, sharing about Ku-ring-gaiโs sustainability initiatives.
Afterwards we answered questions as a panel.
I think Kate and Kristenโs presentations will become available later on the EnergyZE website, and mine is available in the link below.
https://t.ly/jZD6Q
#NetZeroKuringgai ๐ โกโ๏ธ๐ฉโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ
On Friday night we attended the opening of Judith Franklinโs โCountry Connectionโ exhibition at the Ku-ring-gai Art Centre.
Through Art, Judith expresses her culture and life experiences through a range of traditional and contemporary mediums. Her exhibit goes on through to 28 June on weekdays and some of her work is also up for sale. We are also looking into making the exhibit open to public next weekend as well.
For those interested, Judith is also hosting Aboriginal Dot Art Classes these next two Wednesdays. For more information, visit https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Things-to-do/Events-and-festivals/Gai-mariagal-Festival
Last year, the Australian Electoral Commission said that electoral boundaries had to be redrawn – with NSW losing one seat to WA – to ensure approximately equal representation across Australia (178,000 residents per electorate).
The upcoming โredistributionโ triggered really strange proposals from political parties and political aspirants. Each party looked to maximise their own chances of forming government by splitting the seats of their opposition, then assimilating the most favourable polling booths to strengthen their own position.
But these proposals were disappointing because they put their political ambitions before the needs of the people.
In my own submission, I suggested that it made sense for each Local Government Area to be represented by ONE Member of Parliament, rather than for an LGA to be split apart like rags among two or three members. The problem with having multiple MPs for an LGA is that their constituents never get a good dealโฆ they end up with MPs whose attention is divided and who do not have the opportunity to give them the attention they deserve.
So I was very pleased to see the independent committeeโs proposed redistribution boundaries when they became publicly available yesterday. The boundaries have been adjusted to now mostly follow LGA boundary lines, and it provides certainty and improved service for (most of) the residents of our eight Northern Sydney Councils.
1๏ธโฃ All Hornsby Council residents are now proposed for the federal seat of Berowra.
2๏ธโฃ The entirety of Ku-ring-gai Council plus the vast majority of Willoughby Council are now proposed for the federal seat of Bradfield.
3๏ธโฃ The entirety of Ryde, Hunters Hill and Lane Cove Council as well as a small sliver of Willoughby are now proposed for the federal seat of Bennelong.
4๏ธโฃ The entirety of North Sydney and Mosman Council are now proposed for the federal seat of Warringah.
Of course, itโs also sad to see that NSWโs slower population growth has led to the loss of one seat (North Sydney) but I am of the view that with population growth we will get it back again next decade.
Boundaries and MPs will continue to change with the seasons, but itโs important to recognise the contribution of each of our local MPs. I have a great deal of respect for each of the incumbents regardless of Liberal, Labor or Teal.
I havenโt been active on social media this week because we have multiple sick family members. What started as a restful long weekend up the coast (my first break since January) ended up being a trip to and long wait at Gosford Hospital ED for the little one, and Iโve had to be more hands on with the kids this week.
I understand that half our councillors have been sick this fortnight as well!
As for whatโs been happening, we had a well-attended public forum on Tuesday night where we had 16 registered speeches.
On Wednesday I attended the 70th Anniversary and changeover for the Ku-ring-gai Lions as well as the initiation of the Leo Club of Ku-ring-gai. It was encouraging to see so many people prepared to serve their community.
On Thursday I had a meeting with the NSW Local Government Grants Commission where they shared about the process and outcomes of their latest distribution of federal grants across each LGA. Iโll share more about this in a separate post. We also had our quarterly Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee.
Today I briefly presented at a briefing for the Sydney North Planning Panel and tonight we have the opening of Judith Franklinโs Country Connections solo exhibition at the Ku-ring-gai Art Centre, 5:30-7:30pm. This is part of the Gai-mariagal Festival, celebrating the culture and heritage of First Nations people across this month.
I’ve been trying to keep up with the emails but there’s a bit of a backlog right now. Hoping to sort it out in the coming week.
Last month my wife and I had a quiet morning at Pure Brew Co. Gordon. It’s a great place to stop for a drink or a meal, or to study. They even had the UNSW and USYD academic timetables posted on the wall… I’m glad that I’m finished with all that study!
We are in the process of fixing up some of our asphalt carparks and laneways.
If there are any standouts, just let us know and I’ll pass the information onto our staff for their consideration / prioritisation.
On 16 June, we are scheduled to plant trees at the West Pymble Village Green as part of a scientific and educational initiative on climate adaptation. This Tiny Forest will cover 5% of the site, and towards the edge. More information is available on Council’s website.
https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/tinyforest
Reflecting on the overall comms leading up to 16 June, I think things could have been better.
We had fenced off almost half the site for related works / equipment movements, causing some residents to wonder whether half the site would be planted when in fact it is a much smaller area affected.
Council did consult nearby properties as part of the process and that should be commended, but with these plus our traffic developments, I think that in addition to household letters we can also provide more information on the website upfront and seek online submissions from the wider neighbourhood.
We will be revising Council’s Community Participation Plan in the coming months to improve the resident experience.
p.s. Photo was taken soon after my flu vaccination, hence the lollypop.
I’m glad that last night’s council meeting didn’t go too long. I was able to make it home for storytime.
Popped by Northside Radio 99.3 to speak to Richard Bell. I enjoyed the relaxed pace of the program.
There are three separate State-led housing reforms that will lead to Ku-ring-gai’s population doubling within a few decades.
But we currently have residents out there (unintentionally or intentionally) mixing up the names of the reforms, mixing up suburb names, and mixing up the targets and durations so as to achieve their own political goals.
So just to be clear I will provide links to each of the reforms here.
NSW is seeking to deliver 377,000 new homes within 5 years under the National Housing Accord. Of the 377,000, Ku-ring-gai’s share is 7,600. https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/policy-and-legislation/housing/housing-targets
As part of delivering the target, there are three separate reforms being applied by the State to Ku-ring-gai.
In December 2023 they introduced in-fill affordable housing provisions. https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-12/in-fill-affordable-housing-practice-note.pdf
In April 2024 they introduced Transport Oriented Development Part 2 provisions. https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-12/transport-oriented-development-program.pdf
This month they will be introducing Low- and Mid-Rise Housing reforms. https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-12/eie-changes-to-create-low-and-mid-rise-housing.pdf
Two months ago I was talking about how this state gov advertising sign that double up as an EV Charger was limited in use due to the charging cable being too short.
Well the provider (Jolt) has fixed that now and as you can see, the cable is long enough to plug in.
It charged at 12.3kwh and the first 7kw is free.
Elsewhere in Ku-ring-gai, local council has 15 free chargers at the Lindfield Village Green and there are more council-owned ones coming to North Turramurra, Turramurra and West Pymble.
Great to have Dr Zeny Edwards OAM as guest speaker earlier this week at an event hosted by Council and the Ku-ring-gai Historical Society.
Zeny Edwards was previously the president of the National Trust and a Chair of the UN Women NSW Chapter. She has made various contributions to heritage, peacekeeping, and other social cohesion initiatives so it was good to have her with us.
Thanks also to Cr Barbara Ward who played a part in pulling this together.
Always glad to have friends become Australian Citizens. ๐ฆ๐บ
This month we also had special contributions from the SES, East Lindfield Guides, as well as Cr Ward and Lennon.
My daughter’s at the point now where she loves to read storybooks, but I’m hoping to broaden her knowledge with non-fiction as well.
I borrowed a few books from the Gordon Library last night and although I had forgotten to bring my physical library card, I was fortunate to login to the library app and use my virtual card.
The kids were keen to dig into the books but I told them it was bedtime and theyโd have to wait til the morning.
As part of the street tree planting initiative in Roseville, Council held an event on the weekend where we discussed the importance of trees and shared ideas on how to keep Ku-ring-gai Green. I was joined by Councillor Alec Taylor and Councillor Barbara Ward.
Council was also giving away tree saplings, and I was invited by Paul and Sue to visit their home afterwards to plant two of them.
We joined other LGNSW councils this morning in meeting with the Minister for Housing and the Minister for Planning. Most of the questions were around the delivery of social and affordable housing.
They said that today, the Premier will be announcing each LGA’s share of the five-year 377,000 housing target. I can’t comment on it until I see the numbers, so we just sit and wait. ๐ฟ As for longer term targets for each LGA (which would help us with setting up a new LEP), there is currently no information.
The NSW Government has just released its housing targets for each council to strive for in the coming 5 year period. For Ku-ring-gai it means 7,600 homes in the 5 years to 30 June 2029.
https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/policy-and-legislation/housing/housing-targets
Under the stateโs transport oriented and low- and mid-rise housing provisions, Ku-ring-gai can theoretically meet those targets. The supply is theoretically there. But my concern is whether there are enough construction workers to deliver on this theoretical target.
The target is also too short term. QLD has targets through to 2046, which allows councils to properly plan and deliver infrastructure for future generations. We believe that each council should receive a 20-year target to aspire to, and that councils are best placed to determine where the housing densities should go.
If Ku-ring-gai had the opportunity to deliver long term planning, it may result in the protection of heritage conservation areas and urban tree canopy in some places while other parts of each suburb may have greater density that improves the financial viability and timing of housing delivery.
Itโs all well and good to offer councils a financial incentive for meeting these housing targets, but the main constraint here isnโt councils but is rather the availability of construction workers.
It’s International Burger Day so I visited Happi Burger Lindfield for their lunch special. Even at 11am it had good patronage from the Coles construction workers across the road. The burger was quite intense! Worth checking out if that’s your kind of thing, though I’d also say take it in moderation along with regular diet and exercise.
Earlier this month I attended the St Ives Agricultural Show with Councillor Martin Smith and Councillor Kim Wheatley .
We looked at the winning entries for this year’s competition. In particular we enjoyed Ethan’s junior entry for novelty cake.
It was a well attended event with plenty of rides and food stalls. The St Ives show runs each year on the third weekend of May so we’ll see you there again 17-18 May 2025.
As part of the annual Gai-mariagal Festival, we had Aboriginal elder and artist Walangari Karntawarra create a traditional sand painting at the Lindfield Village Green. He shared about his culture and local kids got involved with creating the artwork, which continues to be on display and apparently lasts until it rains.
I was joined by Councillors Simon Lennon, Barbara Ward, Alec Taylor, and Christine Kay (from left to right in picture).
Ku-ring-gai will also be hold other events as part of the Gai-mariagal Festival.
Gordon Library is offering a free screening of the film Lionel Rose on 5 June about the extraordinary rise and fall of Australia’s first indigenous boxing world champion.
The Country Connections exhibition at Ku-ring-gai Art Centre between 14 and 28 June features the work of Darkinjung artist Judith Franklin, who will also host two dot painting workshops at the Centre.
Mudgee-based Indigiearth catering company presents a unique dining experience on 15 June with owner and Ngemba Weilwan woman Sharon Winsor. Along with Australian native food prepared with modern techniques and traditional methods you can enjoy authentic entertainment, musical and cultural storytelling.
For more information visit https://www.gai-mariagal-festival.com.au/events-2024.html
Meet Dylan from Lendecon. He has identified a problem where we tend to buy equipment and use it once or twice while it sits inactive over 99% of the time. How good would it be if instead of owning the equipment (and committing to the embodied energy / resource used), we can search a directory and borrow from one another?
He has setup a platform to enable this and you can find it at https://www.lendecon.com.au
Earlier this week I visited the 2nd/3rd Lindfield Cub Scouts where they asked about Local Government, my role as Mayor, and about my own time as a Cub Scout in the 90’s. Some questions include: – What does Council do? – Which day does the garbage get collected? – Favourite part as Mayor? – Least favourite part as Mayor? – Do I enjoy flying? – Favourite activity as a Cub Scout? – What is Damper? – Did I have a woggle? – How can the scouts serve the community?
Yesterday, Councillor Simon Lennon and I presented wreaths on behalf of the community at Living Hope Anglican (St Martin’s Killara). It was also good to see the memorial created for Killara residents who gave their lives for our freedom, and hear from the personal experience of residents who had been affected by war.
This morning I will be attending services at Roseville, Wahroonga and Turramurra.
This week, Council held a free movie screening of Fall Guy at the Roseville Cinemas for all of our volunteers who give up their time to support the community, whether it be to respond to extreme weather events, provide care for our elderly and youth, look after our financially or domestically vulnerable, or care for our environment.
While in Roseville I also stopped by at my favourite bakery for a Steak, Chilli Mexican Pie.
Yesterday I was invited to visit Parliament House to deliver an opening statement then answer questions at the Transport Oriented Development Parliamentary Inquiry. Although it was not a perfect process, it was encouraging to see this aspect of democracy at work and Iโm glad that we had the opportunity to share our experience of recent events.
๐ณ๐ณ๐ณ At Council we recognise the role that trees play in keeping our suburbs cool and fresh while also providing a home for our wildlife.
On my way to work, I met these sub-contractors who have been planting trees the last few days. They said that the trees were generally well received by the majority of residents they met.
Last week I visited the Menโs Kitchen, where their aim is to teach men how to cook.
A typical session involves 10 men and 3 instructors. The men choose what they want to cook from a recipe book and purchase the ingredients beforehand. The instructors provide guidance on the day and then they sit together afterwards to enjoy what theyโve cooked.
Itโs a great way for the men to become independent or to provide for loved ones, while also building up a sense of community.
At Ku-ring-gai they meet on Thursdays in Lindfield and Fridays in Turramurra. For more information, contact info.kg@menskitchen.org.au
Earlier this year, the Menโs Kitchen were the recipients of the Mayorโs Award for an Outstanding Contribution by a Community Group.
I want to make it clear that I have no problem with 6 storey buildings. People gotta live somewhere and I welcome them.
But what I have a problem with is the state government claiming that heritage controls will be respected, because in practice they cannot.
In the Transport Oriented Development (TOD) program documentation it says that “heritage controls will apply to the extent they are not inconsistent with the new standards”.
In the SEPP it says that the consent authority cannot apply more onerous standards than the maximum height and floor space ratio set within the TOD provisions.
I’ve asked the Planning Minister multiple times in person and in writing how it is possible that we do FSR 3:1 in an HCA (later revised to FSR 2.5:1, matching what’s in this image) while still following the Apartment Design Guide for amenity. He told me the usual spiel about how councils have the ability to assess against heritage.
This is a problem not just for Sydney’s North, but also for the Ashfield, Dulwich Hill, and Marrickville. But for the Inner West they’ve kicked the can down to December and it’s currently radio silence.
The government just needs to say it as it is. The Heritage Conservation Areas within a TOD precinct will be a thing of the past.
Once again I need to make it clear that I have no problem with 6 storey buildings. My problem is the message that HCAs are compatible with the TOD.
And at Ku-ring-gai we are exploring ways to save these HCAs while still providing great infrastructure outcomes for future residents.
Happy Mothers Day! Check out our Mothers Day portraits from students at Lindfield Public, Holy Family Primary, and Reddam. The competition is organised by the Lindfield Chamber of Commerce and the portraits hosted by…
Cafรฉ Lyon Lindfield Chem Pro Chemist Ciao Down DiJones Lindfield Gelatiamo Jeeves Dry Cleaners Lindfield Print @lindfield_specialty_butcher My Sewing Supplies Ogalo Lindfield Stone Real Estate Swimart Lindfield
๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป? Ku-ring-gaiโs annual grants program is open for applications. Categories include: ๐กHeritage (closing 13 May) ๐Net Zero (closing 17 May) ๐ณEnvironmental Conservation (closing 17 May) ๐ Events and festivals (closing 13 May) ๐ญArts and Culture (closing 7 June) ๐ฉโ๐ซCommunity Development (closing 7 June) ๐Small Equipment (closing 7 June)
For more info visit https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Council/Grants-and-sponsorship
I had four radio, two newspaper, and two television interviews yesterday.
The way it usually works is they ask a bunch of questions and then you only get quoted for a few seconds (TV) or a few sentences (print). So the full message never goes out unless there’s a really smart pre-prepared soundbite.
The media was keen on discussing the unanimous vote on legal action. But on hindsight, I think I should have drawn more attention to our other unanimous vote to explore alternate scenarios for each of the TOD precincts. I did talk about it in most interviews, but I guess that’s not what the media is interested in portraying (with wordcount).
My first thoughts on this eight week eBike trial.
1. It makes the hills easy to climb. I would struggle with Tryon, Nelson and Culworth on my push bike but the e-bike makes it effortless.
2. I wish it had indicator signals. Using arms to signal left and right turn is a pain.
3. Still very conscious of sharing the road with cars, and overall safety. Because Iโm not moving quickly, I sometimes pull over to let cars pass.
4. Our roads are great for cars but some are not so good for cyclists. Need good wheels and suspension.
5. It takes a lot longer to get to places, but if you have the time itโs a great way to check out the neighbourhood.
The Planning Proposal for 345 Pacific Highway will be decided by the Ku-ring-gai Local Planning Panel on Monday 20 May, 12:30pm.
I havenโt had time to read through the reports but on page 35 the recommendation appears to suggest a reduced height of 12 storeys and FSR of 3.5:1. My own concern regarding Pacific Highway road widening appears to also have been covered, although I have yet to look into the detail.
https://eservices.kmc.nsw.gov.au/Infocouncil.Web/Open/2024/05/KLPP_20052024_AGN.PDF
Ku-ring-gai Councillors have no influence over what this independent planning panel does. The independent panel also has no obligation to follow the recommendations of the assessing officer.
With normal development applications, the meeting is open to the public but for an item like this, it’s closed off from public for some reason (I think that’s weird). I’ll ask council staff if there is a way for the public to make submissions.
So council just met and voted unanimously to proceed with legal action as well as to explore different density scenarios for our four Transport Oriented Development precincts.
I understand that there are some residents concerned about the cost of legal action but let me assure you, the benefits far outweigh the cost. In the last six months alone, Ku-ring-gai has already lost tens of millions in lost infrastructure opportunities as a result of a State Government that has shown no interest in talking to us prior to making detrimental decisions.
The value destruction is extensive.
They expect us to deliver the housing – and I am certainly up for the challenge – but to cripple both infrastructure expenses and funding before imposing a SEPP is just poor form.
13 councils have been willing to engage with the State to get the best possible outcomes, but the State was only genuinely interested in working with 12.
Wishing my good friend a speedy recovery. He has been a great representative for our people, and before his time in parliament I have enjoyed my chats with him at the blood donation clinic.
In the interim, any State queries are covered by other MPs who are familiar with our local area.
Meet Zac from the team at West Pymble Pharmacy and Pymble Pharmacy . They provide walk-in flu vaccinations on most weekdays, just call up in advance to confirm his availability.
It cost me $25 but for residents over 65 it is free.
For those familiar with ‘The Trolley Problem’ then this is my summary of the dilemma that faces all councillors tomorrow night. We do it one way and get criticised. We do it another way and also get criticised. Critics from both sides don’t understand the complexity of the situation. As for how the trolley got to where it is right now, that is a frustrating thing as well… I wish the State Government was more genuine in its intent to collaborate with Local Government. And my perspective on the matter is covered in yesterday morning’s post (photo taken in the city).
๐ก๐ผ ๐โ๐บ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐จ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. Iโve been researching electric cargo bikes with the intention of taking my kids on school runs and doing other fun stuff. Bikes give you some exercise, take up a lot less space than a car, and are cheaper to run.
But theyโre not THAT cheap.
This one here is a Tern GSD S10. If purchased upfront with a whole bunch of accessories itโs about $9,000. Who has that kind of money for a hobby?
Iโve actually been considering something similar at half the price. The Aventon Abound with accessories is about $4,000. Iโve seen the reviews and I reckon itโs just as good if not even better. But thereโs one slight problemโฆ itโs not street legal! It has a 750W motor but NSW legislation only allows for 500W / 25kmh motors. And even if you put a speed limiting device on the bike, the power means that it is still breaking the law. [Though I doubt a police officer would ever know your e-bikeโs motor output.]
Anyway Iโve been agonizing over it. So many options to buy, all of them so overpriced or illegal, that the decision is too hard to make and I end up doing nothing. Iโd rather save the money for a family holiday, or leave it in the mortgage offset account.
If I did get one, perhaps Iโd earn the money back through some deliveries.
On a more serious note, I do believe that eBikes will become more common in our TOD precincts when families only have one parking spot and no ability to street park. When I walk around places like Crows Nest I already see bikes everywhere, and itโs going to be similar if we end up with 20,000 new dwellings around four train stations.
As Mayor, Iโd therefore want to try one out for an extended period and understand the infrastructure implications (similar to how I was the first councillor to get an EV).
If you search for โelectric bike hireโ thereโs a few options to get a bike for the short term. One such provider is Lug+Carrie which is currently doing a half price eBike โtrialโ in Ku-ring-gai so Iโll probably end up with them. But Iโd encourage anyone interested to do the research and figure out which provider gives the best value for your personal circumstances.
Of the Killara residents I met yesterday, NSW Housing Policy was the main topic but Marian Street Theatre was mentioned as well.
Council currently has an approved Development Application to renew and expand the theatre. The 2018 community-led price estimate was $10m, but an experienced quantity sureyor has priced it at $24m. This is for a 249 seat theatre, as site constraints cannot support more than that without triggering other issues.
Council currently does not have $24m of ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ค๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ funds sitting around so residents have been keen to explore alternate funding solutions.
One idea has been to borrow money. This was a popular idea in 2021 but Australiaโs cash rate has since gone up from 0.10% to a 10-year high of 4.35%. Most bank loans are 5-7%. So if council had borrowed money to build the theatre, it would have been over a million of interest alone, plus principal repayments and operating costs taking it to $2m per year.
Another idea has been to use developer contributions. This currently isnโt possible as Marian Street Theatre is not listed in Ku-ring-gaiโs 2010 Contributions Plan, though the contributions plan will eventually have to be updated to reflect the dramatic changes anticipated from NSW Housing Policy. As for why Council hasnโt updated it for 14 years, itโs because the Contributions Plan was developed under a legacy system where contributions were not capped. However the modern system imposes caps to the size of each contribution, which has made it extremely difficult for other councils to raise funds to deliver much-needed infrastructure. NSW councils have been complaining about this issue for years! But Ku-ring-gai is fortunate to have established a development contributions plan just before the change in the system, and so has held onto the old plan to maximise the infrastructure we deliver for you.
The increased population will not only increase the volume of development contributions (for upfront construction costs), but also an increase in rates and fees (for covering ongoing operational costs). This may improve the viability of the theatre in the coming years.
Before the announcement of all these housing policy changes, another funding option floated has been a once off increase in rates (special rates variation) similar to what Hornsby and Willoughby have done in the last two years. In Ku-ring-gaiโs case, we have had a 40% increase in operating costs in the last decade while the rates that we collect (which are pegged by the State Government) have only increased by 28%. Council can continue to identify cost efficiencies but at some point, there will be no more to squeeze out.
Yet another idea has been to sell community land to fund the theatre. But in an LGA where we are expecting the population to double, selling off community recreation space is a bit short-sighted.
There was also the option of using proceeds from the sale of the old Lindfield library site to fund the build of the new theatre – and this is an idea that I still support to this day. But with the new library delayed in its current form, it means the sale of the old library is delayed and there is a chain reaction to the timing of Marian Street Theatre.
In all of the sceanrios mentioned above, I wouldnโt expect Council to be able to fund the construction of the theatre until 2026/7. And for someone with a long-term view like myself, thatโs fine. But I also understand that for Killara residents, they would prefer a shorter (but unachievable) time horizon.
I also understand that with a local government election coming up, there is already electioneering on this topic. The reality though is that all Gordon ward candidates will likely want to build the theatre, and regardless of who the community elects, each councillor will be faced by the same constraints listed above. Donโt think that by electing so-and-so, it will improve outcomes on this particualr issue. Youโll need to decide who to vote for based on other criteria.
In February, our Gordon Ward councillors moved a motion to explore a lower cost โopen the doorsโ option for the Marian Street Theatre. That report will come out in June, and will inform us of whether there is a viable lower cost way of reviving the theatre.
Thanks Bunnings Pymble for inviting KYDS Youth Development Service to run the inaugural sausage sizzle. All proceeds went to supporting young people with mental health services. You can find out more at www.kyds.org.au
I first wrote to the Planning Minister in November requesting a meeting to discuss housing. This he arranged for mid-February and later postponed to end-February. It took over three months to get the meeting, but at least he’s more responsive than the Transport Minister (crickets).
At the February meeting I asked for 12 months to plan for our Transport Oriented Development (TOD) precincts and he said NO. He later gave other (Labor) councils extensions ranging from 9-15 months.
He also said that we’d meet again in March, but then cancelled on me.
We finally met a second time in May and once again on grounds of fairness, I asked for 12 months similar to what he had offered other councils. He said NO. I told him that some residents wanted Council to commence a legal challenge if there wasn’t time to do proper planning.
On grounds of fairness, I also asked for funding to support some of our most pressing amenity needs (public open space, which we need to secure now as it cannot be retrofit). I said if he can make it work, we’ll promote it as a win-win. But surprise surprise, he said NO.
I pointed to the TOD Part 1 (Accelerated Precincts) program which aims to provide 47,800 homes in 15 years within a 1,200m radius of eight centres such as Crows Nest, Hornsby and Macquarie Park. I said it was unfair that they were getting $520m of infrastructure funding (~$10,800 per dwelling, 6,000 dwellings per centre) when we were getting no funding for 5,000 dwellings within an area 1/9th the size. And four of these.
He stuck with the no infrastructure funding line, and told me that I was wrong… That it was 47,800 dwelling in five years, and that there would be many more homes to come. He did say, however, that if Ku-ring-gai wanted to establish an Accelerated Precinct with 1,200m of a train station, he’d be open to talking about funding.
Of course I didn’t commit to anything as that would require a decision of council. But I did tell him that he needs to update his website if the intent genuinely is 47,800 dwellings in five years, because since December it has been saying 15 years.
If Labor had been genuine in working with Ku-ring-gai, we would have had a different outcome.
๐ก๐ฆ๐ช ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐น๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ You may have read in the papers that ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐น ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐. This is not a decision that should be taken lightly, however, I believe that it is necessary in the interest of future and current residents.
The first reason is ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐. In my first meeting with the Planning Minister (over 3 months after I requested it), I asked for a 12 month extension to consult with the community and establish proper planning for the four Transport Oriented Development precincts and he said NO. Later on I find out that he has offered similar extensions to the majority of other councils, and is using Ku-ring-gai as the scapegoat. So whatโs with that? It seems like the only way to get an extension is to go to court.
The second reason is ๐ณ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด. These TOD precincts will generate over $200 million in Housing and Productivity Contributions for the State Government, but when I asked the Planning Minister to assist us with some of our most time-sensitive / critical infrastructure needs (i.e. open space, which cannot be retrofitted) he did not commit to giving us a single cent. ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐’๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐-๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด-๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ, ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐’๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ $๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐น๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐? Meanwhile, TOD Part 1 gets $520m of funding.
The third reason is out of respect for ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ. Now for those who have tracked my 6.5 years on council, I am not a heritage yes-man. On each occasion, whether it be a heritage conservation area or an individual heritage listing, I personally assess what’s proposed on its merits and I vote accordingly. Sometimes I vote in support of heritage listing. At other times I’ve been boo’d and scolded by residents during council meetings for voting against heritage protections on specific items that I didnโt believe met threshold. But what NSW Labor has legislated means the complete destruction of all heritage conservation areas. I do not believe it is possible to do floor space ratio 2.5:1 and height 22m while maintaining the integrity of a garden-style heritage conservation area. And many of Ku-ring-gai’s HCA’s are definitely worth fighting for.
Like the open letter before this, it is not a matter that should be taken lightly. Having said that, when there is so much at stake then I do believe it is worth taking a risk-based approach to decision making.
I do want Ku-ring-gai to provide more housing for the residents of tomorrow, but I also want it done on fair and just terms.
Iโm pleased to announce that Council has appointed our Acting General Manager David Marshall as Ku-ring-gaiโs next General Manager.
During his seven months in the acting role, he has led a range of process improvements.
We conducted a customer service audit which led to improvements to our training, procedures and systems that will lead to more timely response in the coming months.
For residents concerned about the ongoing loss of tree canopy and habitat destruction, Council’s response is limited by State law but we have introduced order provisions under the EP&A Act to require replacement planting of illegally removed trees, with regular follow-ups and fines if the order is breached.
With our asset infrastructure backlog, we have identified new methods which may significantly bring down the cost of maintaining our ageing stormwater infrastrucutreโฆ. expected savings of ~$100m over the lifetime of the assets.
We have introduced a library app and are investigating the provision of an app to cover borader council services.
We are now reviewing the Development Application process, seeing what we can do to streamline the process and improve the customer experience as a whole. Other service reviews will be announced in the coming months.
Internally, councillors are also getting better follow-up to their queries, regular activity updates, and a proactive response to regulatory change.
In particular, David has been responsive to each councillor’s concerns regarding the upcoming Transport Oriented Development and Low- and Mid-Rise Housing policy changes. His role is to proactively provide the councillors with information and options to consider, then to carry out whatever it is that Council resolves. It was also his proactivity that resulted in early resident notification in January when other councils had not yet grasped the implications.
There were other promising candidates in the selection process as well. I would have been happy to work with any of them, though was of the view that David would be the most appropriate for Ku-ring-gai at this point in time. Local Government plays a sepcial role in the community and I am encouraged at the talent that is contributing to the sector.
To celebrate the end of uni, the kids wanted Deep Fried Ice Cream so we went to SILK Dining at St Ives Shopping Village. The food is pretty amazing and generously portioned – much better than what you could get in Chatswood – and it was quite a peaceful experience on an early Monday night.
Bubs was fine with me carrying her again, so that was a bonus.
Morning all!
We have had some queries about the General Manager recruitment process so I can say the following.
A. We had the help of an independent, experienced and well-priced external recruitment firm.
B. We had a large number of job applications, including several strong candidates.
C. We had a first round of interviews last month and the final round interview will be later this week. [The candidates are all fantastic and I’d be happy to work with any of them.]
D. After the final interviews, the ten councillors will likely resolve to make an offer to one of the candidates (subject to final negotiations on duration, package, etc.).
E. We probably won’t be able to announce the new General Manager until next week. Please be patient.
The recruitment process has taken up some of my time in recent weeks, but I’ve spent a larger chunk of it on housing policy.