Lane Cove Council August 2022 Meeting

    The Lane Cove Council August 2022 Meeting will be held on Thursday, 18 August 2022.

    Listed below are the agenda items for the meeting.

    Have Your Say – Be Part of the Process

    Residents can write to Councillors on any agenda item or issue. The email address that will reach all Councillors is: [email protected]

    Public members are invited to attend the public forum of the meeting in-person or online, commencing at 7:00 pm.
    If you would like to speak at the Council meeting (in-person or online), register via this online form no later than midnight on 17 August 2022.

    A Zoom meeting link will be emailed to the provided email address.

    A time limit of three (3) minutes per public forum address applies.

    Council meetings are live-streamed and viewable via the webcast on this website.

    Notices of Motion

    Councillors Flood and Kennedy have proposed a notice of motion that seeks to expand the number of councillors on the General Manager Review Committee from three (the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor and one other councillor selected by the Mayor) to all councillors.

    As per the LGNSW Guidelines, each council must perform yearly performance reviews of the General Manager.

    In recent years, Lane Cove has had three councillors sit on the GM review committee (the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor and one other councillor selected by the Mayor).

    However, under LGNSW, there are no limits placed on the number of councillors able to participate in the review process. They recommend four. However, several councils have moved to increase the representation on their committee.

    Councils that have expanded the number of representatives on the GM review committee include Tweed Council and Bellingen Council, which have opened the committee to include all sitting councillors. They have similarly sized councils to Lane Cove.

    Other councils such as Woollahra have extended the number of councillors to five to allow for a broader diversity of views and better representation of the council.  In many cases, these councils also appoint independent facilitators to assist with the process.

    There are benefits to expanding the number of councillors on the Review Committee.

    It ensures a broader diversity of views representative of the council body. In a council that operates in a collegiate manner, it is a reasonable step to propose. It would also ensure the diversity of views was adequately represented in the review process.

    In 2021 the NSW Government launched a consultation paper on General Manager’s remuneration.

    The NSW Government is considering legislative changes requiring an independent body to set the remuneration of local council General Managers.

    In a statement, the Office of Local Government said the move followed community concern that some in the role were getting paid more than the Prime Minister, Premier of NSW and President of the United States.

    Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said:

    “The comprehensive consultation paper examines general manager salaries to address community concerns they are too high with a large disparity across the state, an increasing gap compared to salaries of other workers, and financial pressures facing some NSW councils.”

    “Currently, individual councils determine the remuneration package whilst independent arbitrators set the remuneration of NSW senior public servants, ministers and members of parliament, as well as mayors and councillors.

    “Therefore, the NSW Government is strongly considering mandating that salaries of general managers are set by an independent body, not by elected councillors.”

    You can read more about the consultation paper and how much the Lane Cove General Manager is paid here.

    Officers’ Reports

    Final Report – Provision of a Sport and Recreation Facility

    Post the May report, the following options were shortlisted as most suitable and warranted further consideration.

    In March 2022, the Lane Cove Council withdrew DA 64/2021 for the Lane Cove Sport and Recreation Facility located at the Lane Cove Golf Course.  The Councillors wanted to ensure all options had been thoroughly investigated and there was a business case supporting a Sport and Recreation Facility.

    The following options have now been reviewed by Lane Cove Council staff.

    Option 1:         Revised Facility with a new entrance at River Rd site with 5 Indoor / 4 Outdoor Courts

    Option 2:         Revised Facility with a new entrance at River Rd site with 4 Indoor / 4 Outdoor Courts

    Option 3a:       Acquire property in Lane Cove West Business Park and adapt to 4 Indoor Courts

    Option 3b:       At River Rd site, rebuild existing outdoor courts converting them to 4 multi-courts & construct a new Golf Club House.

    Option 3c:       Combine 3a. + 3b.

    The Officer’s report notes the following:

    If Council wishes to proceed with Option 1 or Option 2, the following resolution is recommended,

    That Council:-

    1. Adopt the concept design for the provision of a Sport and Recreation Facility at the 180 River Road, Northwood location;
    2. Prepare a revised Development Application based on the updated concept design of a 9 Court Facility as prepared by Allen Jack and Cottier;
    3. Before lodgment of a Development Application, Council:-
    4. Undertake a further round of consultation in relation to the concept design to ‘fine tune’ the design as outlined in the report.; and
    5. Receive a report on the results of the consultation to the October 2022 meeting to finalise the design and authorise submission of the Development Application.
    6. Adopt the funding strategy outlined in the report for the project and the revised Long Term Financial Plan attached to the report for the purposes of exhibition and proceed with community consultation on the revised Long Term Financial Plan as outlined in the report;
    7. Council determine a minimum Level of Sustainability / Greenstar Rating and aspirational level and the determined level be stated in the Development Application;
    8. The future construction procurement strategy obtain pricing for both Option 1, a five Indoor / four outdoor courts facility and Option 2, a four indoor / 4 outdoor court facility, as amended;
    9. Adopt the Business Case for the project, subject to it being updated to reflect the change in Project Costs and the reduction in Debt funding;
    10. Council lodge an application under the NSW Government’s Multi-Sport Community Facility Fund for $5M funding towards the project;
    11. Council lodge a Capital Expenditure Review with the Office of Local Government for the project; and
    12. Delegate authority to the General Manager to enter into a fixed loan agreement for $10 million over ten years with TCorp utlising the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment interest rate subsidy under the Low-Cost Loans Initiative.

    If Council wishes to proceed with Option 3a, 3b or 3c, the following resolution is recommended.

    That Council:-

    1. Delegate authority to the General Manager to undertake further due diligence and to negotiate to obtain affirm price in respect of the identified property in the Lane Cove West Business Park, and prior to acceptance, report back to Council;
    2. Commence a consultation with stakeholders at the Lane Cove Golf Course site for the development of a plan for the site to accommodate both multi courts and a new Golf Course Clubhouse concept and associated recreation space with additional parking;
    3. Call Tenders for consultants for the design of the facilities; and
    4. Develop a funding strategy for Option 3c.
    5. Determine a minimum Level of Sustainability / Greenstar Rating and aspirational level and the determined level be targeted in future design work.

    At this meeting, Lane Cove Council must decide if they want to proceed with the  Sport and Recreation Facility and if they do, they must decide which option to proceed with.

    Draft Lane Cove Sports and Recreation Centre Revised Concept Design

    Finalisation of the Sustainability Action Plan 2022-2025

    At the June 2022 Lane Cove Council meeting, it was resolved to place the Draft Sustainability Action Plan 2022-2025 (SAP) on public exhibition for six (6) weeks. A report is prepared for a Council meeting following this process.

    The Draft SAP was placed on public exhibition from 27 June to 7 August 2022; five (5) survey responses and four (4) separate submissions were received. The responses were supportive of the SAP, although some respondents requested an increased emphasis on the natural environment and economic sustainability.

    Regarding the responses, amendments have been made to the Draft SAP to incorporate these suggestions where appropriate. A revised Draft SAP has been suggested and is recommended to be adopted by Council.

    It is recommended the plan be reviewed again in 2025, and a progress report is published in Lane Cove Council’s Annual Report.

    DCP Amendment No 20 – Part Storeys – Post-Exhibition Report

    This agenda item aims to outline the results of community consultation for a proposed amendment to the Lane Cove Development Control Plan (DCP) to clarify the definition of “Part storeys” in DCP Part C – Residential Localities – Locality 8 St Leonards South Precinct.

    The proposed resolution is as follows:

    “That Council:

    1. proceed with the proposed DCP Amendment No 20 in relation to Part Storeys with the following amendments:-
    2. replace the existing control with “A part storey will not count as a storey“,
    3. Add the following definition to the Dictionary section of the DCP –

    part storey means a storey where the floor level is partly more than 1 metre below ground level (existing) and where 50% of the space within the storey is used as non-habitable space (such as for car parking, vehicular access, plant rooms, mechanical services, loading areas, waste storage or the like) that is ancillary to the main purpose for which the building is used.”

    1. Include a new Section A.1.6A as follows;

    The provisions of this DCP as amended by Lane Cove Development Control Plan 2009 (Amendment No. 20) apply to development applications made both before and after Lane Cove Development Control Plan 2009 (Amendment No. 20) came into effect, despite any other provision of this DCP.”

    1. Not proceed to limit the maximum number of part storeys allowed.
    2. Prepare a draft Development Control Plan amendment to address the E-W pedestrian link setbacks as follows; the provisions relating to Building setback F should be changed as follows:-
    3. to read “6m at level 1 to level 4 and 9m at level 5 and above”; and
    4. to add “To pathway reservation as shown in Figure 5(b) for Areas 5, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 17″ to the Notes/Location column.”

    Community Consultation Review

    Council officers have prepared a report summarising the feedback received from residents and council officials concerning Lane Cove Council’s current community engagement practices and identifying opportunities to improve the process.

    It is recommended that the Council develop a Draft Action Plan, which will be referred to the Digital Transformation Reference Group for input and comment. A Councillor Workshop will be held before the final action plan’s formalisation, no later than November 2022.

    Some of the feedback from residents on the current community consultation process, included:

    • Perceived general lack of communication – active listening, acknowledging input and explaining the process
    • Limited modes of engagement – less reliance on surveys and exploring new modes of engagement
    • Surveys – the style of questions does not always illicit genuine opinion
    • Feedback – there is a perception that feedback is not genuinely considered and accommodated in decision making
    • Timeframes – allow reasonable timeframes for the community to consider, research and respond to matters
    • Resources and Expertise – the availability of staff and councillors and the need for requisite expertise amongst staff and councillors in community engagement
    • Representation – there appears to be a lack of demographic representation in feedback, particularly amongst the younger generation.
    • Consistency – the ad-hoc execution of the Community Engagement Policy & Community Consultation Matrix

    Traffic Committee – July 2022

    Click the link to see the streets and issues discussed at the July 2022 Traffic Committee.

    Representative Nominations for the Community Dog and Sporting Club Advisory Committees and the Digital Transformation Reference Group

    Lane Cove Councillors are being asked to endorse the following nominations for three Council’s Advisory Committees:-

      Community Dog Advisory Committee:

    • Vanessa Walker as the local dog owner from the veterinary profession
    • Alan King as the representative from a local sporting club from the LCC area who is a dog owner
    • Gina Collins as the local dog owner from the local dog services industry
    • Daniel Strassberg as the dog owner from Central Ward
    • Lucy Macaulay as the dog owner from East Ward
    • Debra Anderson as the dog owner from West Ward
    • Roslynne Hunt as the non-dog owner

    Sporting Club Advisory Committee:

    • Amanda Burian – St Michaels Netball Club
    • Peter Luke – Lane Cove Football Club
    • Lara Wehby – Lane Cove Public School
    • Scott Martin – Lane Cove Rangers (note mistake in Agenda should be Chatswood Rangers)
    • Karmen Karamanian – Lane Cove Netball
    • Jonathan Hughes – St Michaels FC
    • Jenni Priestly – St Michaels Basketball
    • Adam Cloughton – Northern Suburbs Football Association
    • Matthew Smith – Norths Cricket
    • Scott Hinton – North Shore Junior Cricket
    • Graeme Priddy – Lane Cove Senior Rugby Union
    • Sally Tremlett – Lane Cove Junior Rugby Union
    • Mark Quealey – Lane Cove Tigers
    • Brendan Hood – Lane Cove Cricket Club
    • Daniel Hynes – Lane Cove Cats

    Digital Transformation Reference Group:

    • Greg Spencer – An expert in the area of digital transformation, ideally in a government setting;
    • Dion Weston – General community representative; Digital expert from areas such as content strategy, development, community engagement;
    • Glen Burns – Digital expert from areas such as content strategy, development, and community engagement; An expert in the area of digital transformation, ideally in a government setting;
    • Leisa Wahlin – Digital expert from areas such as content strategy, development, community engagement; and
    • Madeleine Huston – Digital expert from areas such as content strategy, development, and community engagement; An expert in the area of digital transformation, ideally in a government setting.

     

    Fourth Quarter Review – Delivery Program and Operational Plan 2021 – 22

    This report reviews the quarterly progress between April and June 2022 toward the goals and strategies adopted by Council in the 2021-22 Delivery Program and Operational Plan.

    The 2021-22 Delivery Program and Operational Plan was endorsed by Council on 21 June 2021.

    The quarterly review of the 2021-22 Operational Plan assists Council to measure performance in meeting the key areas of focus in the Council’s Delivery Program.

    The achievements in the financial year and during the Council term are reported against the aspirations of the community contained in the goals and objectives of the Community Strategic Plan, “Liveable Lane Cove: 2035”.

    The Fourth Quarter Review of the 2021–2022 Delivery Program and Operational Plan is attached to the agenda papers.

    Annual Financial Statements for 2021/22 – Referral for Audit

    Lane Cove Council is required to prepare Financial Statements and have them referred for audit as soon as practicable after 30 June each financial year. Councillors are asked to endorse Lane Cove Council’s release of the Council’s draft 2021/22 Financial Statements for external audit purposes. The audit is due to be completed by early October 2022.

    Officer’s Reports for Information

    Council Events Success

    Since 2015 Lane Cove Council staff have been keeping records of annual event attendance and associated trends to help identify areas of improvement from year to year.

    While COVID-19 has presented many challenges over the past two years, staff have been able to adapt event offerings to deliver a record number of events in the year 2021/22.

    The community has been given the opportunity to enjoy more than 400 events over the past year, 100 more than average.

    This has resulted in more than 48,000 participants, which is 10,000 more than the previous year and 15,000 more than when records first began. This has also been achieved without the more significant signature events such as Sustainability Lane at the Rotary Fair, Food and Wine by the River and the Lighting of the Christmas Tree event.

    In the Cove promotes all Lane Cove Council events free of charge to assist locals in engaging in local activities, many of the Lane Cove Council events are published on our Facebook page as Event of the Day.

    Council Snapshot July 2022

    Lane Cove Council publishes a snapshot every month which sets out what has been happening over the month from development applications, parking fines, waste and landfill reduction reports, and reports on upcoming footpath maintenance.

    Below are some of the stats of interest for July 2022.

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