Over the last couple of months, we have been conducting a survey about the Lane Cove Council Elections.  We wanted to know how much our readers knew about local politics and what issues were important to local voters.  The results are below.

Election Date – 4th December 2021

Not all residents knew that a local government election was being held or the date of the election.

Lane Cove Council Wards

Nearly a third of Lane Cove Voters did not know which ward they were in.  See our article on how to find out your ward here.

Do You Know the Name of our Current Mayor

Around 40% of voters did not know the name of our current Mayor Pam Palmer.  Pam Palmer is not standing for re-election.

Do You Know the Name of the Current Councillors (other than the Mayor)

From most known to least known, the order was as follows:

Andrew Zbik
Daniel Strassberg
Scott Bennison
David Brook Horn
Frances Vissel
Karola Brent
Katherine Morris

Andrew Zbik’s recognition rate was by far the highest, with 219 people able to name him, and the next highest was Daniel Strassberg, with 122 people able to name him.

What Issues Concern You the Most About Living in Lane Cove

The following are the top issues mentioned by locals:

Overdevelopment
Local Environment Issues (better parks, protect birds and loss of green space)
Lane Cove Council ( lack of transparency, failure to respond to complaints)
Traffic
Bob Campbell Oval – no artificial turf
Parking
Safety
Climate Change

What Could Lane Cove Council Do Better?

The number one thing residents thought that Lane Cove Council could do better is the development process.  The State Government lays the groundwork for development and housing targets, but residents feel that the current council is not pushing back hard enough to ensure sustainable development.  They need to push back harder on the State Government and put a stronger case.

A good example of this is the St. Leonards Master Plan (also known as East Greenwich).  Community groups worked hard at raising the issues and asking the council to push for reducing the number of approved apartments.

The Independent Planning Commission  (“Planning Commission”) released a report which found the Lane Cove Council’s Plan will result in overdevelopment. You can read the full report to Planning Minister Rob Stokes here.

The Planning Commission also found no rezoning of the site was required to meet the Greater Sydney Commission’s current housing targets under its Northern District Plan. The housing targets are currently likely to be exceeded without the proposed delivery of a further 2,400 dwellings.  It was later reduced to 1 900 after pressure from residents and community groups was applied.

The Planning Commission also stated that there was the potential for a monolithic street wall effect along the east-west pedestrian walkways if the rezoning is to proceed.

The critical Lane Cove Council Meeting was in May 2020.  The resolution included, among other things:

“Formally acknowledge the hard work of the General Manager, his executive and nonexecutive staff and in particular Michael Mason and his staff in delivering a plan for St Leonard’s South precinct that will deliver a significant portion of our 2021-2036 housing targets and provide the people of the area with more open space, community infrastructure and other amenities.”

Councillors Palmer, Bennison, Brook-Horn, and Strassberg voted to progress the Planning Proposal and submit it to the Minister for Planning.  Councillors Vissel, Zbik and Morris voted against the resolution.  Further information is here.

The other issues were:

Listen to Residents/Don’t Dismiss Comments Made during Community Consultation/Effective Community Consultation
Respond to Emails/Answer Phones/Provide Status Updates on Issues Raised
Communicate better with Residents
Performing Arts Centre
Footpath Maintenance and wider footer paths
Have a better website (one that is mobile optimised) and better use of social media
Manage Boat Parking Better
Better Street Lighting

If you raised an issue or problem with Lane Cove Council, how did they go about resolving it?

Only 30% of the respondents were either satisfied or very satisfied with the way Lane Cove Council handled an issue.

The countdown to the election is on.  Find out how to vote, see the Candidates Zoom Forum and more here.

 

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