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.