Category: Community Facilities

Chemical CleanOut is on again tomorrow at the St Ives Showgrounds. For more information, visit.

https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Community/Waste-and-recycling/Hazardous-and-problem-waste/Chemical-CleanOut

🌳🌳🌳 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.

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? Ku-ring-gai’s annual grants program is open for applications. Categories include: 🏡Heritage (closing 13 May) 🔋Net Zero (closing 17 May) 🌳Environmental Conservation (closing 17 May) 📅Events and festivals (closing 13 May) 🎭Arts and Culture (closing 7 June) 👩‍🏫Community Development (closing 7 June) 🏑Small Equipment (closing 7 June)

For more info visit https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Council/Grants-and-sponsorship

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 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 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 Australia’s 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 isn’t possible as Marian Street Theatre is not listed in Ku-ring-gai’s 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 hasn’t updated it for 14 years, it’s 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-gai’s 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 wouldn’t 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, that’s 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. Don’t think that by electing so-and-so, it will improve outcomes on this particualr issue. You’ll 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 ‘open the doors’ 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.

I caught the train to work from Turramurra yesterday and had a quick walk through Cameron Park.

Cameron Park was formed by acquiring four adjacent residential blocks to expand an existing council park. Its size is now over 5,400 sqm and it provides a range of recreation options for current and future residents who live in homes without a backyard.

With adequate planning and time to buildup funds, Council hopes to provide open space options to all Ku-ring-gai residents, however this has become more difficult in recent months with significantly increased land values under State Housing Policy. I’ve asked for funding to support the provision of amenities to support the policy, but to date we have not received a single cent.

When I want a pothole fixed, I usually email council staff and it’s done within days. But this time I tried reporting via the council website to see if ordinary requests get the same treatment, and I was pleasantly surprised by the result! I reported two holes (Killara and Roseville) on the weekend and both were fixed by Monday afternoon! 😊😊😊

The process of reporting via the website wasn’t completely smooth. It was a bit clunky and embarrassing to be honest and I think there’s scope to improve the user experience. I’ll pass the feedback onto the website team, and I’ll also share a video this afternoon to show you how easy (or hard) it was for me to do it from start to finish.

I’m keen to improve the user experience of Council’s systems, phonelines, and processes so if you ever have any constructive feedback feel free to reach out to me.

On 7 August 2023 I shared that Roseville Park Oval will be undergoing extensive irrigation and fencing upgrades over an eight month period.

Yesterday on 28 March 2024 I watched as our team removed the construction fencing to unveil the improved surface.

So it took just under 8 months and was within expectations. A real win for local recreation.

I might see you there for the Lindfield Fun Run on 19 May!

But it’s not always good news. The Norman Griffith Oval is facing delays due to ground conditions and inclement weather, and we are now expecting completion around July 2024 subject to favourable weather.

Earlier this month we received an email from a resident who was concerned about a really ugly electronic advertising sign that council had supposedly approved next to a heritage conservation area.

I went to look and yes, there was an advertising sign but it wasn’t a council approved one. It’s an EV charger installed on Transport for NSW land for the purpose of providing residents with “access to a free fast charging session every 24 hours”. And because it’s transport infrastructure on transport land, it bypasses all council approvals.

I decided to try it out today and learnt the following.

🤣They spent so much time trying to optimise the location of the advertising sign (charging unit) that they didn’t think about the user experience. The parking spot is difficult to get into, plus the cable is so short that it doesn’t reach the rear charging port for vehicles like my MG4 or Tesla Model 3. I hear that the charging provider has realised this issue and will be replacing the cable with a longer one in the coming weeks.

⚡️It’s meant to be free, and when I signed up to the app it says that the first 7kw is free. But when it came to actually trying to charge there was no free option selectable. It’s $0.49/kw and $1/min for idle fee.

I don’t think they will reverse the installation. But once they fix the teething issues, it might be worth considering if you want a mini top-up.

Nice to have a quiet space in the St Ives Library while waiting for family to do a few things. Nice array of Easter books on offer (though it’s more about eggs, bunnies and chickens rather than Jesus bringing new life).

At Ku-ring-gai Library you can borrow up to 50 items at a time, and with renewals you can hold most items for almost three months.

We returned 18 books last week. They were getting heavy!

We’ve recycled 123 containers per resident in the last six years through the return and earn scheme.

I remember when the scheme first started, I travelled to Marrickville to check out one of the machines but now we have five options in Ku-ring-gai ⚙️ St Ives Shopping Village ⚙️ Turramurra Coles Carpark ⚙️ Roseville Chase Shops 👩‍🍳 Gordon Fish & Chips 🍾 Porter’s Liquor Wahroonga

For more info, visit https://returnandearn.org.au/map/

Ku-ring-gai and Sydney Uni are trialing the use of rope bridges to allow wildlife such as ringtail and brushtail possums to cross Lady Game Drive. I look forward to seeing the outcome of this trial as well as the potential to apply these concepts in other parts of Ku-ring-gai.

🎄Christmas tree is up! For a list of Christmas events this month, visit https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Things-to-do/Events-and-festivals/Christmas-in-Ku-ring-gai

I attended a Planning Institute of Australia event earlier this month and was pleasantly surprised when Ku-ring-gai Council was awarded the ‘𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲’ Award for the Lindfield Village Green. Congrats to the entire Ku-ring-gai Council team involved.

Quoting the Planning Institute’s reasons for giving us the award, they said that…

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵, 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘈 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬, 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱, 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦-𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺; 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴.

𝘒𝘶-𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘨𝘢𝘪 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘕𝘚𝘞 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘜𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴. 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘐𝘵𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩-𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘦.

𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘒𝘶-𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘨𝘢𝘪 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.

I’m excited about our new library app as it allows you to:

🖥️Access our digital e-book, audio, and magazine catalogue. This includes accessing paywalled material such as The Australian Financial Review

🔍Check what books we have available by scanning the barcode

📘Reserve a book for pickup, and renew your existing bookings

💳Act as your digital library card, meaning one less card for you to carry

📆 Check out upcoming events and book meeting rooms

You can search for it in your App Store. In the coming year, we will explore the possibility of other apps to make your interactions with council smoother (e.g. information on waste collection, report a problem, discover upcoming events and recreational facilities, have your say, etc.)

It’s National Recycling Week and I’ve seen some pretty weird social media posts from politicians. I think it’s better to provide balance so here it is.

According to Office of Local Government data, the NSW Local Government Sector collected 4.0 Megatonnes of waste in the twelve months to 30 June 2022. Of this waste, 20% was dry recycling (paper, hard plastics, glass, tin), 21% was organics, and the remaining 58% went to landfill. Our “Diversion from Landfill” percentage was 41.8% while the NSW target is 80% by 2030.

So is the 80% achievable? At this stage my guess is no, but it is theoretically possible if everything perfectly fell into place.

The NSW Government has mandated that all councils implement FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) collections by 2030, and in the unlikely event that the NSW organics industry is able to solve supply chain issues then we can see another 26% uplift to 68% diverted from landfill.

There is still a lot of paper, hard plastics, glass and metals that goes to landfill and if we are disciplined enough to recycle all of those then we can get up 91%. In reality though, some of that material may be contaminated so the realistic theoretical figure is somewhere in the 80’s.

On the Soft Plastics front we do have the supermarkets working together (with ACCC authorisation) to come up with a new solution by 2024 while the Australian Food and Grocery Council is undertaking trials in Victoria. At Ku-ring-gai we are trialling a service (RecycleSmart/APR) that has links to a local recycled with limited capacity, and other Councils up the coast are undertaking trials with Curby it. The entire industry is having a go and eventually we will reach commercial scale. However soft plastics is only a few % at most and I find that well meaning residents focus their efforts on this few percent rather than the 20%+ opportunities that exist for organics and other dry recyclables. Council only has limited funds so the effort needs to go to education and the initiatives with highest return rather than those that make residents feel happiest.

Earlier today, we also had representatives from Northern Sydney as well as Veolia meet with the State Government to discuss the future of the Woodlawn Bioreactor, which is where we currently dispose of our landfill. At the bioreactor, our landfill (including food organics) is stored and methane emissions captured to generate electricity. It was over a $100m investment and quite beneficial from an emissions perspective, but the FOGO by 2030 mandate means that the industry’s investment has an uncertain future as well as substantially higher future costs for ratepayers. Discussions are underway and I hope that there will be a sensible outcome.

Many of us know the phrase Reduce, Reuse and Recycle but when I look at the 2019 Federal and 2021 State Waste Action Plans, there is a lot of Reduction and Recycling but not so much on Reuse. I believe there are further opportunities for local government to promote the reuse of materials before they enter landfill, and I’ll be exploring some of these in the coming year.

As a former Killara resident, I was excited to be invited by Matt Cross – Member for Davidson to the official opening of the Killara Station lifts last week, along with our two Gordon Ward councillors Barbara Ward and Cr Simon Lennon.

With a brief 7 minute walk, Killara Station used to be our family’s go to for trips to the city or airport but if we needed to move prams or luggage then we would aim for Lindfield. Lifts at Roseville and Killara were a popular requests from residents young and old, and I made representations to our then-State MP Jonathan O’Dea. It was encouraging to see the initiative commence during the same term of government, and it was great to see our residents using these new facilities last week.

The ribbon was cut by Joy, a Killara resident and student of the local school.

Our council has 22 of these life-saving units scattered across the LGA but due to high incidence of theft and vandalism in other parts of Sydney, council usually installs them behind locked doors. Following multiple requests, council is trialing the relocation of one unit outdoors for a 12 month period. Whether this will lead to the relocation of units may depend on whether there is any sabotage of this particular unit. Unfortunately it is the bad behaviour of the few that sometimes disadvantages the many.

Footpath being installed as part of our annual $1.25m budget. Guess where it is.

Our Ku-ring-gai Library is starting a fantastic initiative where you can borrow board games to take home and play with family and friends. It’s a great way to try out some games before deciding to buy a copy for yourself.

To launch the initiative there is a board games afternoon next Sunday 29 October. More information in the link below. https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Things-to-do/Whats-on/Board-games-arvo-at-Gordon-Library

What’s your favourite board game? I’ve always liked Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride.

On this rare weekend with no official duties, we went to check out the Riverside Green Playground in Brisbane.

The mouse wheel in particular was pretty cool. We’d love to see one of those in Ku-ring-gai.

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 Our council is generally quite good with potholes. If you report a pothole, it will be patched up within two weeks (usually a few days).

Last month I started seeing these strange road markings pop up all over the place. At first I just assumed it was some new council protocol but a month later they haven’t been fixed.

Our theory right now is that there is a ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑛 going around graffitiing our roads in the hope that council will fix it. But the irony is that by marking the roads, they are making the general public think that the problem has already been reported to council when in fact council has no knowledge at all. So these potholes remain unfixed.

Everyone, if you see a pothole please report it via the council website or the following link.

https://t.ly/WssGM

𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿? If you notice anything like this, let our council know and we’ll get to work on it. In this particular case the stormwater blockage at Sydney Road was cleared within a day.

𝗔 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴! Guess where it is.

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗩 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴💚 Our family has had an EV for two years now so I’m always on the lookout for charging spots.

But to date, Ku-ring-gai is the only place where I’ve seen an EV charger dedicated to the disabled. I was really encouraged to see this when the Lindfield Village Green opened up last year.

𝗔𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗻. 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝘆𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 if you’re outdoors. Recently council was provided a grant to install ten new water fountains including this one at Roseville Park.

Last week I noticed that this one’s water pressure was low (making it unusable) so council staff did a great job of fixing it. If you have issues with any other water bubblers, please let me know.

Take care everyone. Stay safe and keep hydrated.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻, 𝗪𝗮𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗮 I visited The Glade twice in recent weeks to understand proposed incremental upgrades, the most controversial of which was the post-consultation inclusion of LED field lighting.

Although I’m open to the possibility of lights at this site, I think such decisions should only be made after thorough consultation with residents on matters such as lighting technologies and design, light spill, time of use, and natural screening. Some would argue that such details could be agreed 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 adopting a Masterplan, but others would argue that it should be part of the process.

I was keen to debate the matter last night but some councillors requested a staff-guided site inspection, and I was happy to support this request. We’ll be debating the matter later in the year and I’m open to hearing your thoughts in the interim.

Roseville Park Oval will be undergoing extensive irrigation / fencing upgrades over the next 8 months. The rest of Roseville Park will remain open for recreational needs, and there are a few ovals in East Lindfield and Killara if you are looking for the wide open space.

Come check out the playground upgrade and support our local shops Dukes Green Cafe Biga Artisan Bakery Topline Fruit East Lindfield East Lindfield Pharmacy.

We’re glad that council staff incorporated our feedback to make the playground 3x larger than its predecessor, giving it more space and a wider variety of structured and nature-based play for our children. Towards the evening, we had ~40 kids and adults enjoying the new playground.

💧𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝗯𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀! In October 2018 I moved a motion asking council to consider using bubblers with signage to encourage residents to reuse bottles and protect the environment. It took a long time for the changes to flow through policies and procurement, but I was so happy to see one of the bubblers here today at NTRA. There will also be enhanced versions of this design popping up in suburbs near you.

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 The Village Green short stay parking spaces are first two hours free, then paid thereafter. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆.

𝗧𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 1️⃣ Input your vehicle rego 2️⃣ Select your duration of stay (2 hour park, or pay for longer) 3️⃣ Collect your ticket and display it on your dashboard

𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 (𝗶.𝗲. 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲).

𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲? In the last five years there’s been an increase in short stay and commuter parking spaces to support patronage of local businesses and residences. ✅ 136 short stay spaces at the Lindfield Village Green, which is the same number as prior to construction. ✅ 105 new commuter parking spaces at the Village Green, intended for commuters. ✅ 112 street parking spaces on Tryon, Milray, and Havilah have been converted from time unrestricted to 2 hour park (or less) to encourage people to visit the shops. Prior to the change, these spaces were typically parked out by commuters. ✅ 64 visitor parking spaces under IGA. ✅ 43 visitor parking spaces under Harris Farm. (But yeah, I know those parking spaces are tight!!!)

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸? Entry is via Millay Street.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸? The 105 commuter carpark section will be controlled by a different system that hasn’t been installed by the state gov yet. For more information on the system, visit this link

https://transportnsw.info/travel-info/ways-to-get-around/drive/parking/transport-parkride-car-parks

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗞𝘂-𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗴𝗮𝗶 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀? We’ve asked this a number of times. Apparently the costs involved to operate a licence recognition and boom gate system could not be justified by council staff. There were also complexities with operating one carpark that has two separate parking systems (with the State Government-run commuter carpark yet to have its system installed).

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀? There’s been multiple reasons, with the main one (I’m told) being linkages to the delays from State Gov end. We also asked staff to consider installing 2P signage as a temporary measure before the meters became functional, but it was ultimately not implemented.

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹 I had planned for today’s post to be a positive one. Earlier on an elderly resident contacted me to ask if the fence at Stockland Ave can be extended to assist her in walking down the steep hill. Our council staff delivered on this request quite promptly but apparently a truck didn’t take kindly to their kind. We’ll have another go next year.

Credit for yesterday’s photo goes to Bec FitzGerald.

We went to visit Shoalhaven City Council on the long weekend and saw what’s probably the best outdoor gym in Australia at Plantation Point. 14 pieces of outdoor gym equipment next to the children’s playground, and it was popular with both adults and children.

Would you want to see more of this in Ku-ring-gai?

It’s been 15 months since I purchased an Electric Vehicle (EV) with generous State Government Incentives. This month I’ve driven ~2,800km and have the following observations.

⚡️ 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹. It’s free at the Lindfield Village Green Carpark. It’s cheap at home. Even when I use the Supercharger network for country travel it’s still cheaper than petrol. I’ve been averaging $5.40 per 100km whereas petrol would be $20 per 100km.

⚠️ 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. Some of the NRMA chargers and Willoughby Council chargers are free but unreliable / faulty. It’s really annoying and a massive time waster.

😃 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱. We have 14 normal charging spaces and 1 handicapped charging space at the Lindfield Village Green. They are all free, they use 100% renewable energy, and they all (currently) work.

🚗 There’s lots of sluggish EVs in the market but a base model Tesla is faster and cheaper than a Golf GTI. 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

💰 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿. Sure it’s within reach for many living in our LGA and it’s easy to enjoy the environmental and performance benefits, but most ordinary Australians aren’t in a position to buy one. The State Gov incentives have helped shave off ~$5,000 so that has made a big difference. The Federal Gov recently introduced incentives as well but given the narrow / targeted nature of salary packaging it isn’t as accessible. Over the next decade more options will become available but we first need to get over the global (pandemic induced) manufacturing shortage.

For the last four years I’ve been asking for a footpath on Babbage Road from Malga Avenue down to Echo Point Park. This is a frequently used route by residents and visitors and it’s located on a narrow winding road. The situation is so bad that in many parts, residents have no choice but to risk walking on the road. And while we were previously able to introduce other safety measures such as traffic calming devices, it is the footpath that makes the biggest difference to pedestrian safety.

We have now implemented the first (easiest) section, which is a footpath along the 290m stretch from Malga Avenue to the Roseville Bridge Walkway, and it was encouraging to see residents using the footpath today. The next section through to Echo Point Park is technically much more difficult (and expensive) so I’m not sure when it can/will be delivered.

Council has a limited budget for footpath works so it’s about spending money where it matters the most. (As an operational matter, the criteria are determined by council staff.)

Back in June, residents were pleased to see the introduction of a footpath along a small stretch of Frances Street Lindfield, near the town centre. This was previously a rocky / uneven surface so the introduction of a footpath came as a pleasant surprise.

This financial year (2022/23) my understanding is that there may be footpath upgrades at Babbage Road from Ormonde to the Roseville Bridge Walkway, Bradfield Road from Charles to Carramar, and possibly also a small section of Ontario Avenue. Council also seeks to ensure that there will be at least one footpath on each street (so long as residents support the introduction of the footpath), and this naturally means that a greater portion of spend will be given to the Northern suburbs in the coming years (as there has historically been more development and footpaths in the southern end).

If you are keen to have a footpath introduced to your street, please let me know. I know Babbage Road south of Carramar has been keen for a number of years, and my role is to raise the issue with council staff and monitor progress. (I can’t actually change their prioritisation.)

🍀𝗗𝘂𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗽𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 The construction fencing is up. East Lindfield residents and patrons should soon have a larger and more accessible playground.

After this we expect the upgrade of Ibbitson Park (Lindfield Town Centre) to commence in 2023.

𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 In 2023-24, Council plans to upgrade the streets in the Roseville Town Centre. Key changes proposed by council staff include visual revamp, 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀, addition of 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 and floral arrangements where it’s currently no parking, a 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻/𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 in laneways, and improvements to the Roseville Memorial Park.

Beyond the two year period, council may also be exploring the concept of a 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 behind the Roseville shops, similar to what we have in Lindfield. Parking moved underground with public open space on top. This concept likely won’t happen til next decade.

Council is seeking your feedback on these plans with 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟮 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮. For more information visit the link below.

https://krg.engagementhub.com.au/rosevillepdp

Like many Roseville Ward residents, Woolworths Chatswood East is now one of my closest supermarket options. I observed the following last night: ⚡️ It’s great to see that they provided six free 𝗘𝗩 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀. They’re the standard chargers that give you a minor topup while you shop so it’s nothing to get too excited about, but it’s still better than what the new Pymble Bunnings has to offer (nothing). ♻️The 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 ‘𝗯𝗶𝗻’ was more like a mountain. I hope they fix that soon. ❌ 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀… I deliberately checked the website to see that what I wanted was in stock at Chatswood, but I came out empty handed.

𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 (𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯) Council has responded to your earlier feedback by 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝘄𝗼-𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 and 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗔𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀.

We now have a revised plan and a final round of public consultation with 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝟭𝟯 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲. Key features include:

🚸𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 to make it safer and easier to move around Lindfield.

🚦𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 moved to the intersection of Lindfield Ave and Tryon Rd. This makes it safer for vehicles on Tryon turning onto Lindfield.

🌲𝗪𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀 and an increase in 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀. Power lines moved underground. More outdoor dining options.

🚗𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱 next to the Lindfield Village Green. Taxi ranks also relocated to Tryon Road, south side. [𝘔𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘈𝘷𝘦, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.]

Other changes west of the trainline will be delivered at a later stage, closer to the time of delivery of the Village Hub.

You can see the 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽-𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 at the Lindfield Village Green 4 June 10am – 1pm.

https://krg.engagementhub.com.au/lindfieldstreetscape

At the moment many Ku-ring-gai households are just chucking their food scraps in the red bin and believe it or not, that’s actually a good thing. Red bin waste is sent to Woodlawn where this mix of organic and non-organic material is used to generate electricity and re-habilitate an old mining site. And back in 2017, the EPA valued the Woodlawn concept so much that when I inquired about holding a separate composting trial for Ku-ring-gai, I was discouraged by the EPA as it would cause the Woodlawn bioreactor to cease working to spec.

Somehow things have changed and now in 2022, the EPA’s position is that all councils must implement FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) thrown into the green bin by 2030. Ku-ring-gai is not yet ready to implement this and while some people at other councils have been critical of the delay, I don’t think the criticism is well thought out or justified. There is currently very limited capacity in NSW to support FOGO; it requires facilities that have not yet been built, so Ku-ring-gai will join in when the market develops and the capacity is there. FOGO will likely come at an increased cost to ratepayers due to the complexity of dealing with food contamination in green waste, and in the interim our practice of capturing organic emissions to generate electricity is quite a reasonable one.

There will also be new practices that come along with FOGO, especially for apartment dwellers. At the moment it’s sufficient for many apartments to have red, yellow and blue bins. In the future we will have to add the additional green bin and the concentration of predominantly food organics (only) will be particularly smelly.

There’s been a lot of talk this month about the role of trees and the value that they provide to our residents.

Trees provide us with fresh air, shelter from the sun, and a home for our wildlife. During major storms, trees also play a role in mitigating the impacts of flooding as they reduce the amount that instantly hits the stormwater system.

At Ku-ring-gai, tree canopy covers 45% of our residential land though it’s a little bit lower in Roseville Ward. Sydney’s stats are lower at 23% with the state government is targeting 40% long term.

Apartment blocks have a reputation for reducing tree canopy but if it is done right, the impact is only temporary. In the attached image, we see a block of 31 apartments across the road from Lindfield Public School. At one point there was significant land clearing to establish these homes but we are now at a point where tree canopy has grown back to over 40%. I think most councillors are committed to policies which will help increase canopy over time while making us more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Larry and Leo are both domestic and extremely affectionate cats that have been looking for a new home since December.

I visited the Ku-ring-gai Pound today where Kristy, our Veterinary Nurse, showed me around and shared about Ku-ring-gai’s process of rehoming dogs and cats. Council drops off lost animals and do their best to contact owners who have up to 2 weeks to come and collect. After this period, the pets are up for adoption. (Some pets also come in because their owners are no longer able to look after them.)

If you know anyone who may be interested, please share this with them.

For more info and the list of available pets, please visit

https://www.thornleighvet.com.au/ku-ring-gai-pound/

I’m working in the city today so tried out the 105 commuter parking spots at the new Lindfield Village Green. Arrived at 8am and only three parking spots were in use, I think this is in part due to Covid and also the fact that not many are presently aware of this option.

It was also great to see a kid (and mum) enjoying the water play on the ground floor.

Ku-ring-gai Council is looking for up to 20 apartment buildings to take part in a composting trial. If you are interested, visit the link below.

https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Council/News-and-media/Latest-news/Unit-dwellers-invited-to-take-part-in-food-waste-composting-trial

As councillors we can learn a lot from what other councils do well. This evening we visited The Canopy at Lane Cove Council and it seems to have it all.

500 parking spaces
Green space with performance area / screen (currently playing Nadal vs Medvedev)
Children’s playground, sandpit, and shade
Street Dining
Two major supermarkets
Electric vehicle charging
Pedestrian Bridge

With the Lindfield Village Green completing next month, we will get a mini version of this although I know residents would like to explore making it even better (with shade and play equipment). We’ll explore the possibility late in the year.

The Lindfield Village Hub will provide us a greater opportunity to do this and as a start, Ku-ring-gai has poached the person responsible for delivering The Canopy in Lane Cove to also deliver the Hub in Lindfield.

It’s not a surprise to some that Ku-ring-gai is the slowest council in Northern Sydney when it comes to processing Development Applications, and as a councillor I get contacted a few times a year from residents who are disatisfied with the process. The usual story is either that they had submitted their DA a few months ago and haven’t heard from council since, or that after several months they finally are contacted by council only to be told that unanticipated additional reports (traffic, acoustic, geo, landscaping, etc.) are required, adding further to the delay.

In these situations there’s not much that we as councillors can do to directly influence the outcome because it is an operational matter under the authority of staff, however, if the majority of the governing body this council term is open to reviewing the process, setting appropriate performance measures instead of moving goalposts when things get too hard, and identifying improvements (e.g. re-engineering the process, triaging certain DA’s to earlier identify issues, improving the system to allow residents to track progress, or allocating greater budget) then we can be on the way to restoring Ku-ring-gai’s reputation in this space.

In the past I’ve asked these process improvement questions on an annual basis but the usual response has been no, not needed and not interested. Which is really weird and I hope the new council will be better.

Yes there is also the explanation of an increase in CDCs resulting in an increase in the complexity of DA cases, and you can see some limited evidence of that in the data below, however I don’t think it tells the full story and it doesn’t explain why the other councils are so much better than us. Anyway, this is one of the areas where I’ll be talking to councillors behind the scenes to test if there’s more appetite to explore doing it more efficiently without unnecessarily dropping standards.

At the start of each term, councils across NSW consult with the community to create a 10+ year ‘Community Strategic Plan’ (CSP) which frames and guides all decisions made at council.

I’ve had a look through Ku-ring-gai’s two most recent CSP’s and while they are above average compared to our peers in Northern Sydney, there’s still a lot that can be done to make it a more meaningful, effective and inclusive document.
Some of the early stage improvements include:

1. Considering whether we are focussing on the right objectives. Are some priorities not high enough (or absent) while others over-emphasised?
2. Incorporating a more inclusive community consultation process (similar to Willoughby) and ensuring that the objectives that we settle on represent the diverse needs of residents across the LGA.
3. Encouraging more active engagement and representation by the full governing body (similar to Hornsby) rather than just the Mayor.
4. Including a more direct link between specific objectives and the actions required to achieve this (Lane Cove does this, but there are even better ways of communicating it on a page).
5. Directly tying metrics, performance targets, actions and ownership to each objective (similar to the long-term strategic plans that I see in the corporate world).
6. Stating how the community can be involved in producing a better outcome (similar to Hornsby).

It’s going to be a quiet month and while we aren’t yet technically councillors until 11th Jan, I’ll be brainstorming more suggestions to make the CSP process better this time around. I would love to be in a position in June 2022 to say that out of all the 128 councils in NSW, Ku-ring-gai’s CSP is the best, and if we can get there then I think it’s something that Ku-ring-gai’s residents and council staff should be proud of.

After the CSP is finalised, the challenge is to then stick to the plan, monitor performance, and tweak the course if circumstances change.

At the last election, many residents asked for lifts at Roseville Station and I said that while it was a State Government matter, I would advocate on their behalf for both lifts AND increased frequency of train services at Roseville and Killara.

The Roseville Station lifts opened earlier this month and our residents enjoy the improved level of accessibility for the elderly, for those with prams, for those lugging suitcases, etc. Other upgrades include a safer train platform, better toilets, and a much more attractive garden setting. Train services were also increased significantly pre-covid, we thank the State Government for these upgrades, and Killara Station is next on the list.

With COVID Lockdowns and the Tokyo Olympics, kids have shown renewed interest in mountain biking and building their own ramps, berms, jumps and pump tracks. Unfortunately the activity is often unauthorised and sometimes conducted in environmentally sensitive or dangerous areas so council has historically gone in and put things to a halt, which is very discouraging for the kids involved.

A more recent trend with Councils across Sydney is that we are now actively engaging with the mountain biking community to build authorised tracks in an environmentally sensitive and safe manner. Earlier in the year our Council built a fantastic track at the back of Golden Jubilee Field in collaboration with the biking community, and yesterday our Council held a workshop with ~25 kids and their parents to explore what they would like to see happen at Little Soldiers Memorial Park Lindfield.

Mitch and I attended the event and were encouraged to see Council working consultatively with the biking community to work towards a design. Kids were given the opportunity to design their own tracks and present their ideas to the wider group. We also spoke about what it means for the mountain biking to be good neighbours to other users in the area (e.g. tennis, netball, cricket and bushwalkers), incorporating safety features in design, which areas were ecologically sensitive, and how to leave a positive legacy for future generations.

I spoke with organisers after the event to also confirm that discussions were actively being held with other user groups as part of the consultation process.

We would like to thank both the Council staff and community members from the Tryon Trail Crew for organising this workshop.

Did you know that our neighbouring councils all have public EV charging infrastructure plans in place? Willoughby partnered with ChargeFox and introduced theirs in 2015. Ryde partnered with Exploren and introduced infrastructure this year. Hornsby and Northern Beaches have also recently introduced plans.

But at Ku-ring-gai we have yet to adopt a plan, and that makes it difficult to encourage uptake for those who don’t have the luxury of charging at a home garage. Ku-ring-gai did recently change its Development Control Plans to require future apartments to provide charging conduits, but that doesn’t do anything to address the needs of existing apartment dwellers.

The only publicly accessible charger in Ku-ring-gai is in St Ives Shopping Centre so in September I went to check it out. It was pretty cool, the first hour of charge was free and it charged the car six times faster than charging at home when plugged into a regular wall socket. But we need much more of these to promote a serious level of uptake, not just at retail locations but also on public land.

If elected we will start the process of developing an Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Plan. We will also seek to put the charging infrastructure to tender, exploring whether or not any of the current suppliers are able to provide infrastructure at a price that is acceptable to us as ratepayers.

I was encouraged to see everyone hard at work to deliver this new park for our local residents. There have been some delays relating to COVID and also with our changes in the design (to support extra parking spaces and an extra lift) but it is what it is and our residents can look forward to using this space early next year.

I recently met with Ed Ferguson from Northern Suburbs Football Association to discuss the recreational needs of our residents as well as the role that Council plays in providing for these needs.

A challenge faced by all sporting codes is that playing surfaces wear out from regular use and extreme weather, and they do not last forever. In recent months council has invested in returfing or upgrading Wellington Oval, Tryon Oval, and Acron Oval for Football, Cricket and AFL. Council has also upgraded the Roseville Park Pavilion used mainly for Tennis, and the Roseville Park Oval will be returfed and upgraded in early 2022.

We also discussed Primula Oval in West Lindfield, and the prospects of upgrading to a hybrid surface which is 95% natural grass reinforced by a 5% artificial frame. Hybrid technologies can substantially increase the durability and playtime of pitch, however are expensive and council needs to assess the cost/benefit as well as the funding.

Council spends ~$4.3m on sporting facility improvements each year, with staff typically proposing a funding allocation that evenly spreads the benefits across the entire LGA and multiple sporting codes. Sometimes there is scope for councillors to prioritise one initiative over another, and staff recommend funding adjustments for the following year. However $4.3m doesn’t go very far so it’s difficult to promise everything straight away, and there is benefit in seeking State/Federal Government support as well as additional fundraising.

During this election season I also find it bizarre that some incumbent candidates are claiming that they delivered this and that project when most of it comes from standard operational staff recommendations for which councillors give final approval. I mean yes, we as councillors did approve the final plans so in a sense can claim credit, but unless we played a personal role in steering a particular outcome I’d feel uncomfortable leading residents to believe that we were responsible for it. Unfortunately most residents will not have the opportunity to do their research so will take these claims at face value.

I recently asked some friends and councillors in Willoughby about what they did with their bowling greens. Is selling off such land something that all councils do, or is Ku-ring-gai more of an exception

Artarmon Bowling was acquired by Willoughby Council in 2016 with a condition of purchase that it remains a community facility. There is a Parklands district including community garden, open space, outdoor exercise area, and children’s playground. The clubhouse itself is work in progress, and is set to become community rooms and family BBQ.

https://www.haveyoursaywilloughby.com.au/artarmonbcsite2019

Northbridge Bowling similarly is now a cafe site (though currently looking for a tenant) with community hall, garden, and open space.

By way of contrast, Roseville Chase Bowling was acquired by Ku-ring-gai in 1955 and Gordon Bowling was acquired by Ku-ring-gai in 1953. In the Declaration of Trust for each bowling site, it says that each site “shall and henceforth be held by Council as a public reserve“. But right now the staff recommendation is to prepare to sell off both sites for development.

Neither site has been sold off yet and it remains as a decision of future councillors. But an important question to ask is that if our neighbours at Willoughby are doing just fine with retaining their bowling greens as community land, then why is Ku-ring-gai considering sale to property developers? Can’t Ku-ring-gai balance its books some other way? I have internally sought for a review of operational costs this term, but there has been limited appetite to look for different ways of doing things. There is also the question of whether Ku-ring-gai should be selling off land that under a Deed of Trust has been set aside as a public reserve.

Lindfield has a tiny 300sqm library. Now 300sqm is better than nothing at all but the reality is that many residents don’t even know that it exists and for those that do, many prefer to go to Chatswood Library or Gordon Library to get a range of books, find some space away from a crowded home to study, or hang out.

I was visiting another part of Sydney six months ago and absolutely loved their library. So spacious, modern, inviting and it even came with a good-sized theatre to the side. I told their mayor (Khal Asfour, Canterbury Bankstown) that I was jealous, and that I hoped that one day we can do something just as good in Lindfield.

What prompted their library project was a fire that had unfortunately destroyed the old building. Hopefully we don’t need anything that dramatic to get the Lindfield Village Hub’s 2400sqm library + community centre going, and there have been some signs that we can make meaningful progress in coming months.

One of our council’s strengths is responsiveness to requests that affect residents near our train stations.

Last week I received feedback that on Lindfield Avenue South of the train station there was significant overgrowth making it difficult for pedestrians to use the footpath. Sometimes it was so bad that they would have to do the limbo, and as we know the nature strip on the side isn’t too walker friendly either.

I passed the feedback onto council staff and within a day they were out there chopping off the overgrowth, making life much better for our residents.

The nature strip is another story… it’s well eroded at parts and it is going to be addressed as part of the Lindfield Town Centre Public Domain Plan that I expect will be approved by council early next year. Under that plan, a much nicer footpath will go where the nature strip currently is, so that residents can get straight onto a level footpath the moment they step out of the car.

Right now there are no pedestrian crossings across Lindfield and Werona Avenue between Lindfield and Killara Station, and this makes it difficult for less able-bodied people or parents pushing prams to get across the road. Fortunately our Federal Government under the safety-related Black Spot program has funded the conversion of these lights at Werona x Stanhope to support pedestrian crossing, making life much safer for our Lindfield and Killara residents. The pedestrian lights should be coming within the next seven months.

While my kids love our fantastic library at Gordon, what they love even more is the pedestrian bridge. It’s a safe way to cross the six lane highway while watching the cars, buses and cyclists pass by.

Back in 2018 we voted that a pedestrian bridge is highly desirable at Lindfield and subsequently the 2020 Local Strategic Planning Statement also implied (but not specifically called out) a bridge.

It wasn’t possible to include the bridge in the 2021 Lindfield Village Hub Planning Proposal as it could only cover council owned land, but at the October Ordinary Meeting of Council (which failed to meet four times) I was hoping to strengthen the wording so that any design for the Hub should interface with a future pedestrian bridge. This is coming back again for the November Ordinary Meeting of Council, which is scheduled for Tuesday 16 November.

11 days ago a resident contacted me after an incident where her son’s wheelchair got stuck on Pacific Highway due to a lip in the ramp. They were in a bit of a panic because of the six lanes of traffic but fortunately another resident was nearby to help.

Given that it is right in the middle of the town centre and next to the train station, this sort of accessibility issue wasn’t ideal. I raised the matter with council staff and it looks like they’ve fixed it on the station side with a gentler ramp and no lip. A similar fix appears to be underway on the shop side today.

You are looking at the happiest ward councillor in Roseville.

Back in August 2017 I received a phone call from a lady complaining about the footpath immediately outside Roseville Station. It was a high traffic area but paved with really crappy bitumen. Uneven, rocky, large pools of water in the rain, and very unsafe. She had spoken to both of the Roseville Ward councillors before my time (including the mayor) and neither of them were able to produce any outcome, so she hoped that I could make a difference.

I’ve been trying to get this fixed for the last four years and there were technical reasons for the delay, but to my pleasant surprise when I walked past this morning at 1:30am on the way to inspect another issue, I saw that work has been underway. No more crappy and dangerous bitumen, we now have the proper asphalt footpath that our residents deserve.

I recently visited The Glade at Wahroonga to check out its fantastic outdoor basketball facilities. All five hoops were in use with various groups walking from afar to catch up with their friends and stay physically and mentally fit.

Unfortunately we don’t have anything like this in the Roseville, Lindfield and Killara area. The closest is at Allan Small in Killara and even then it’s only two hoops so if the big kids occupy them then the little kids have no chance to play.

Tonight I am putting forward a motion to increase the number of hoops in the area from 5 to at least 12 and I’ve targeted some quick win options which should have a low impact on surrounding residents such as Tryon Road and Lindfield Library. The target is set but ultimately it is up to council staff to propose the final locations and report back to council by March 2022.

The vote will also cover the topic of provision of netball facilities in Lindfield. At the moment the options for netball training are limited and it’s not helped by council implementation of its booking system, where sometimes tennis bookings boot netball off the only courts they have access to when there are plenty of other under-utilised tennis courts in the area.

Today the NSW Government announced plans to invest up to $3b in the Green Hydrogen Industry. So what is Green Hydrogen and why is it important?

We currently rely on fossil fuels such as petrol and gas to power our transportation, domestic and industrial needs. Burning fossil fuels increases our carbon emissions as well as some carcinogens so it’s not that good. But if we burn pure hydrogen gas, the otuput is clean water as opposed to carbon dioxide and it’s much better for the environment.

So why aren’t we using hydrogen now instead of fossil fuels? That’s because the technology to create hydrogen has not yet reached significant commercial scale and it requires further investment.

Creating hydrogen involves the splitting of water molecules (H2O) to hydrogen and oxygen. Energy is required as part of the electrolysis process, so that’s where Renewable Energy (Green Hydrogen) or Fossil Fuels (Blue Hydrogen) come into play. Note that Hydrogen by itself isn’t necessarily that great; what we really want is the Green Hydrogen that comes from Renewable Energy.

There are some technical challenges to conquer before Green Hydrogen reaches commercial scale so it is very encouraging to see the (Liberal) State Government commit to this $3b investment. Some of the biggest questions remain such as whether we have sustainable water sources to create the hydrogen (a bit difficult during a drought unless we use seawater) and whether we have enough excess renewable energy during the daytime to produce the hydrogen.

Green Hydrogen is just one of the technologies which will help us achieve Net Zero as soon as possible.

I know the incredible frustration that members of the public feel when the council papers talk about the Lindfield Village Hub but the entire thing is marked as confidential. In fact sometimes in the past when I do not genuinely believe that the entire paper should be confidential, I have protest voted against the call for confidentiality.

However on this particular occasion of the October Council Meeting, I wholeheartedly believe that the report should remain confidential. The report describes some of council’s negotiations with potential interested parties, offers some hope that the project can be viable, and reflects on how the recent downturn did have a short term impact on various parties’ willingness to participate. Some more information has been made available on the council website, which I will copy and paste below.

PURPOSE OF REPORT: To update Council on the outcomes of the ongoing LVH procurement negotiations and to outline next steps.

BACKGROUND: On 20 July 2021 Council considered a revised market engagement strategy for the LVH project. Having considered the strategy, Council resolved to continue negotiations.

COMMENTS: The initial stage of the negotiations has now been undertaken, with a number of proposals received. Analysis of the proposals suggests that a viable commercial outcome for the project may be possible. The results indicate a significant turnaround from the offers received during the 2020 tender and post tender negotiations.

RECOMMENDATION:
That Council:
A. Note the significant improvement in market conditions, sentiment and commercial responses since the 2020 tender and post tender negotiations.
B. Continue to progress negotiations.

For over forty years the residents of Roseville Chase have been asking for a footpath to be installed at Babbage Road and it’s not difficult to understand why. On one side we have a cliff face and on the other side we have a narrow ledge. This road is the only way in and out of the area and without even a nature strip, all residents (including our school children) have no choice but to walk on the road to access the shops and public transport.

Council’s annual spend on new footpath construction is approximately $1.0m pa however due to the technical complexity of building this particular footpath (involving relocation of critical infrastructure), the cost (of at least a quarter of a million), the relatively low volume of users, and its distance from shops, transport hubs, schools and aged care, this particular footpath upgrade has consistently been low in the footpath priority list. I have been lobbying internally each year for this footpath to be built but it is ultimately an operational decision that is usually outside the influence of councillors.

This area is also known to have high speed vehicles and residents genuinely fear that one day someone walking on the road (not by their own choice) will get hit. I raised the issue with council staff and asked surely, there must be something that we can do at reasonable cost. If not a footpath, then at least some speed cushions to encourage vehicles to slow down around the bend. Staff consulted with local residents on potential locations for speed cushions and based on their feedback, the location of three sets of cushions and concrete barriers was established to encourage people to drive with care.

It’s sad that we had to resort to this (instead of a footpath), but it’s what could be achieved at low cost for now. I will continue to lobby internally for a footpath but for the time being I know that our residents are just a bit safer.

Earlier in the week we were at the park at St Ives watching the tree workers and excavators build the future High Ropes installation. Once complete, it will be a great opportunity for visitors to develop their skills and stay healthy.

A summary of the progressive opening and key dates (by AFR).

Undoubtedly one of the best parks in Ku-ring-gai for children under 2, we revisited this place recently (observing social distancing) and saw it with new eyes.

The lawn and path is fantastic for bikes and scooters. The upper terrace is great for social groups and badminton. And the shelter above the picnic area even provided a private space for teens (though I’m not sure if they’re meant to be up there)!

The land for this park was originally purchased from private owners with developer contributions under our Open Spaces Acquisition Strategy, and our council staff have done a fantastic job of making full use of the site.

During this lockdown residents have discovered some of our hidden gems such as Echo Point Park, Roseville Beach and Swain Gardens.

With increased use also comes increased demand for bins. I’ve asked council staff whether we can increase the collection frequency and/or increase the number of bins available for use. So far they have agreed to increasing the frequency to Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

At Ku-ring-gai we officially have hundreds of developments each year. Most of these developments, whether they be a driveway or fencing upgrade, a building extension, or a knockdown and rebuild, are supported by the following processes.

1. Development Application (including DA’s, MOD’s and Reviews)
2. Council Certified Application (including Complying Development Certificates, Construction Certificates and Occupation Certificates)
3. Privately Certified Application (including Complying Development Certificates, Construction Certificates and Occupation Certificates)

Council’s DA Tracking website allows residents to search for records in relation to the above. However one common problem for residents has been the topic of unauthorised works and the absence of documentation that supports it.

Once allegations of unauthorised works are raised, council officers will investigate and if appropriate, serve the landowner with a notice of intention to stop, demolish or remove the works. At this point the landowner sometimes has the option of fixing up the structure to conform with the rules and receive retrospective approval in the form of a Building Information Certificate.

These Building Information Certificates for unauthorised works did not use to be available on Council’s DA Tracking Database but after several negative experiences by our residents, I politely asked council staff whether we could do anything to improve transparency on the matter. And as of last month, residents can now look up the DA Tracking Database to confirm the existence of recently issued Building Information Certificates.

Ku-ring-gai Council – eProperty – Production – DA Tracking Application Search (nsw.gov.au)

Please note however that while the database includes all of the supporting documents for Development Applications, the other processes (certified applications, building information certificates) are not readily available from the database. It was technically too difficult to achieve. If residents want to access the supporting documents for these then they will need to lodge a GIPA (Government Information Public Access) application. More information about GIPA applications is available here.

https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Council/Access-to-information/How-to-apply-for-access-to-information

Starting tomorrow, green bins will be collected weekly (previously fortnightly).

Red bins will remain weekly and the recycling bins will remain fortnightly.

Yesterday the State Government provided new guidance urging councils to keep playgrounds open where possible, and today our council staff made the decision that all playgrounds will reopen from this Saturday.

Please note that under public health orders, no more than 2 people should gather (excluding members of the same household) and that we should continue to observe social distancing, good health and hygiene practices.

Personally I’m still reluctant to send my children to playgrounds if I can at all keep them entertained in the home, in the yard, or at other local walks and ovals. Delta is easily transmittable. However the number of cases in Ku-ring-gai is relatively low and like many other things in life, it is up to each family to make their own risk-based decisions on the risks vs. mental and physical health benefits.

For more information refer to the following links.

https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/COVID-19-guidance-for-councils-on-FAQs-17-August-2021.pdf

https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Council/News-and-media/Latest-news/Important-information-about-COVID-19

Several residents have asked about the Lindfield Village Hub Planning Proposal which is currently on public exhibition until 27 August 2021. At 1,288 pages, residents have said that the material was difficult to understand and did not know whether the Planning Proposal should be a cause for concern.

The short answer to this is that the land for the future Lindfield Village Hub is currently zoned for seven storeys but in order to improve the economic viability (and success) of the project, council is proposing to rezone the land to support nine storeys. The increase of two storeys requires a Planning Proposal.

I am personally comfortable with single-digit storey heights as it means the proposed buildings will be no taller than the buildings on the other side of the Pacific Highway. However what I am uncomfortable with as a councillor is that the Planning Proposal creates the possibility of a northern tower that encroaches land which was previously intended as green space under the 2015 Master Plan. The 2015 Master Plan provided for 3,000 sqm of ‘green open space’ however in more recent years the language has shifted to ‘plaza, park and open space’ to draw attention away from the anticipated reduction of green space.

In the future, Council will choose a delivery partner to design and construct the Lindfield Village Hub. It is my hope that we can choose a delivery partner who has the means to make the project happen with 3,000 sqm of green space to meet the recreational needs of our local residents.

In other news, the State Government announced last month that it had finalised negotiations with Council to deliver 135 commuter parking spaces for the Lindfield Village Hub. This announcement provides more certainty for Council as it seeks to progress with delivering the community facilities.

I have more to say about the Hub but will leave it for another post. In the meanwhile, if you want to check out the Planning Proposal you can do so via the following link.

https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Council/Your-say/Planning-Proposal-and-site-specific-DCP-for-Lindfield-Village-Hub-site

Last month Ku-ring-gai Council was one of only two councils in the Sydney metro area to close its playgrounds despite the absence of a public health order to do so. The decision by staff to do this was a conservative one made genuinely in the interest of our residents’ physical health, and in the context of ambiguous stay at home orders.

After some feedback from local residents, councillors and MPs, council staff have reassessed the situation and have decided that from this Friday (6 August), nine of Council’s playgrounds will be reopened to the public as part of a two week trial. These playgrounds will be cleaned and entry will require a QR code scan. Towards the end of the trial and depending on the situation with Delta at the time, council staff will then consider what to do next (e.g. open more playgrounds, leave as is, close the playgrounds again).

The nine playgrounds are:

• Queen Elizabeth Reserve – West Lindfield
• Dukes Green – East Lindfield
• Gordon Recreation Reserve – Gordon
• St Ives Showground – St Ives
• Putarri Avenue Reserve – St Ives
• Bicentennial Park – West Pymble
• Kissing Point Village – South Turramurra
• Cameron Park – Turramurra
• Wahroonga Park – Wahroonga

This news will be of great relief to some parents, especially those whose kids are stuck in apartments and going nuts. Having said all that, I’d like to remind everyone that we still have orders to remain 1.5m apart while exercising (if not in the same household). The Delta strain has also proven to be quite infectious and has a greater impact on young people than its predecessors so even as a parent, I’d be cautious about sending my children to these playgrounds. Keep an eye on the latest COVID sites, remember that there’s usually a week-or-so delay before the sites pop up on the case locations list, and make a risk-based decision as to whether or not you want your children to be out at these playgrounds (as opposed to running around an oval or walking around the neighbourhood).

Everyone, take care.

You can report issues through to council directly (kmc@kmc.nsw.gov.au / 9424 000) or reach out to one of your councillors.

When residents contact me, my usual approach is to go out to meet the resident, see the issue for myself, and discuss the likely options and outcomes. However during a lockdown it’s been more difficult and we limit the interactions to online.

In the picture provided, one of our residents reported last week that there was a slippery wooden bridge at Queen Elizabeth Reserve, West Lindfield, and that she had seen a few kids nearly slipping off their bikes and scooters.

I passed the details onto council staff and during the same week they went to the site, pressure washed the bridge, and sanded it to provide more grip.

Our resident then reported that it was much better and I passed the positive feedback back to our council staff.

I support Ku-ring-gai’s aim for Net Zero by 2040 and 100% renewable by 2030 (aiming for 2025) but why not aim for sooner? For electricity, it helps to look at real data to understand the challenges we need to overcome to get there.

This chart depicts yesterday’s power generation and demand for the National Electricity Market (NEM) which comprises all of Australia’s States and Territories except for WA and NT.

Australia is now at a point where ☀️ renewable energy is often cheaper to produce than fossil fuels, and and there’s going to be much more market-driven investment in renewables in the coming years. Yesterday we were at 40% renewable energy at noon when the sun was brightest.

However the sun doesn’t shine at night and the wind is not always available so we can’t rely on renewable tech along to get us to Net Zero. At midnight, renewables only contributed to 17% of our needs.

So how do we access electricity at the times when we can’t reliably generate enough from renewables? In the short and medium term this comes from fossil fuels, which provided nearly three quarters of our energy needs yesterday. And in the long term we hope to plug that gap through 🔋 energy storage; we hope to generate excess energy during the day then store up enough to last through the night. That’s a lot of energy storage!

Energy storage will come through a range of technology options which we have yet to fully master including lithium, green hydrogen and pumped hydro. There are various Australian firms innovating in this space and I’m sure Australia will get to Net Zero, though not within this decade.

Having said that, Ku-ring-gai Council will get to Net Zero earlier than the rest of Australia because we are already working on specific initiatives such as improving the efficiency of our assets, street lighting and fleet while also collectively sourcing renewable energy at reduced rates with other Sydney metro councils.

There’s a lot more that can be discussed on this matter so if you’re keen I’m happy to catch up sometime.

Council has closed the library, pool, and a range of other indoor community facilities in line with public health orders. Our sports ovals and customer call center remain open.

However at this stage Ku-ring-gai is the only council in the Sydney Metro region to have actively closed off our playgrounds. Some of our residents have found this strange, especially given the general support for outdoor exercise in small groups and also the school holidays, so yesterday I asked council staff to provide clarification on this matter.

At this stage I can say that there are some differences in interpretation of the public health order and our staff have reached out to the State Government for further clarification. In the meanwhile, staff have taken a precautionary approach by closing the playgrounds given the higher transmission rates of the Delta variant.

Personally I’m not informed enough to make a call on whether this is ‘right’, however I haven’t personally been encouraging my children to touch anything whilst out on the daily walk.

For the latest status on service & playground closures, refer to the link below.

https://www.krg.nsw.gov.au/Council/News-and-media/Latest-news/Important-information-about-COVID-19

🚽 Have you ever tried to use a public toilet and thought ‘eww this place is gross’? Each year Council upgrades some of its public facilities. Pictured below is an upgrade that happened earlier during the pandemic, where the prison-style toilets at Queen Elizabeth II Reserve were upgraded to something cleaner, brighter, with a functional mirror and energy/water efficient fixtures. It makes for a pleasant and safer experience for our residents at West Lindfield.

I met up with residents a few months ago to discuss safety issues on Lady Game Drive.

To improve visibility of vehicles at the roundabout, the feral hedge was trimmed back.

To make the entry to the roundabout a bit safer for pedestrians, speed cushions were added to slow the traffic (a request for a zebra crossing was declined).

Council also has State Government in principal support to install a wombat crossing (raised zebra crossing) at the school crossing on Lady Game Drive. Next steps with this is to find a source of funding the project, but I hope to see it in the near future.