Lane Cove Council April 2023 Meeting

The Lane Cove Council April 2023 Meeting will be held on Thursday, 20 April 2023.

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].

Mayoral Minutes

Notice of Motion – Idling of Motor Vehicles Causing Excessive Air Pollution Recommendation

ITC recently published an article about Lane Cove local Paul Cleary’s campaign to stop idling around School Zones and Car Parks.  Read more here.

Mayor Andrew Zbik has noted:

“It has been brought to my attention from a Lane Cove resident that Council Rangers are not permitted under delegated authority from State Legislation and State Regulations to issue an infringement where a motor vehicle is idling, causing excessive air pollution in unwarranted circumstances.

Upon further research, it is only possible for Council Rangers to issue an infringement where a motor vehicle is idling with a driver present, causing excessive noise.

Therefore, motor vehicles can idle, emitting air pollution in confined public spaces (Such as underground carparks). Council Rangers have no means of enforcement to stop unwarranted idling of a motor vehicle if there is no excessive noise generated.

The purpose of this motion is to advocate to Local Government NSW and the NSW State Government to enable enforcement of unwarranted idling of a motor vehicle where air pollution is generated.

Sources:

Protection of the Environment Operations (Noise Control) Regulation 2017

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/questions/noise-from-idling-vehicle

The following resolution has been recommended:

That Lane Cove Council:-

1.   Lodge a motion for the next Local Government NSW Conference as follows: “Lane Cove Council calls on LGNSW to advocate to the NSW State Government for the inclusion in relevant State Legislation and Regulations a traffic offence for idling of a motor vehicle that causes air pollution”; and

2.   Write a Letter to the NSW Minister for Roads calling for the State Government to create in relevant State Legislation and Regulations a traffic offence for idling of a motor vehicle that causes air pollution.

Notices of Motion

Notice of Motion – 2023 IPCC Report and Climate Action in Lane Cove Recommendation

Councillors Kennedy and Flood have tabled a Notice of Motion following on from the release of the Synthesis Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Councillors Kennedy and Flood noted:

“The United Nations Secretary General labelled the report “a survival guide for humanity”, making it clear that while it is still “possible” for us to limit warming to 1.5 it will take a “quantum leap in climate action”. Our current rate of climate change mitigation is too slow to keep us within the targets agreed under the Paris Agreement.  While the IPCC report provides a comprehensive analysis of the latest scientific evidence, there are several key findings which are of particular significance when considering the need for more rapid action on emissions, from all levels of Government.”

“While Lane Cove Council signed a climate emergency declaration in 2019 to reduce LGA greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2024 and 80% by 2036, and shortly after introduced a Climate Action Plan, early reports on progress towards our targets reveal that while Council’s emissions have been significantly reduced, whole LGA emissions have only been lowered by approximately 3%.[1] At this rate of reduction, the targets in councils Climate Action Plan will be difficult to meet. In light of the IPCC reports latest dire warnings, we should be in a position where we are aiming to exceed our initial targets for the Lane Cove LGA. We do not want to be in a position where it looks like we may fall short of our less than ambitious targets.”

They have tabled the following recommendations:

That Lane Cove Council:-

1. Note the findings of the IPCC report and affirm the need for urgent and significantly increased action to reduce emissions within our LGA, to help mitigate climate change.
2. Note that since signing a Climate Emergency Declaration whole LGA emissions have only been lowered by approximately 3%.
3. Produce a report reviewing the emission reduction targets set within our Climate Action Plan, and identifying how these targets could be increased or brought forward, in light of the clear need for urgent action. The report should include elements such as, proposed programs, incentivisation schemes, costs (including staffing) and other processes to increase the rate of reduction of greenhouse gases in our LGA. This report should come back to Council no later than October 2023.
4. Review Council’s investment portfolio and provide a report back to Council on our current investment exposure within the coal and gas sectors, and outline a plan for divestment.
5. Write to the Hon. Penny Sharpe, newly elected Minister for Climate Change, Energy and the Environment to call for urgent climate action in light of the IPCC report, including:
6. Reviving the abandoned Design and Place State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP), which included requirements for energy efficiency and electrification targets, presenting a unique opportunity to reduce emissions from new builds.
7. Reviewing support available for households to transition away from gas
8. Write to the Hon. Tanya Plibersek, Minister for the Environment and Water, calling on the Federal Government to implement a moratorium on all new coal and gas projects, in light of the unambiguous evidence in the IPCC Synthesis report.

Officer Reports for Determination

LEP Amendment No 41 Subdivision of Existing dual Occupancy Dwellings Recommendation

This amendment has been tabled to assist owners of 29 Dual Occupancy Buildings in the Lane Cove Council area.  These buildings have an outdated title system (i.e five company-title and 24 undivided dual occupancies).   There is a prohibition on double occupancy in an R2 zone.  This means owners cannot seek to convert their properties to a strata plan as, technically, dual occupancies are not permitted in the R2 area.

Sport and Recreation Facility – April 2023 Progress Report Recommendation

This report provides an update on the Sport and Recreation Facility project since March 2023.  There are two parts to this report.  The issue of tender documents and a discussion on how the Golf Course will operate while construction occurs.

ITC has been at every meeting where the Sports and Recreational Facility has been discussed. At one time or another, each current councillor has confirmed the need for a sports and recreational facility (in particular for Netball and Basketball courts).  What has been debated in detail are the location options.  Options that have been discussed include a facility in Lane Cove West Business Park or approaching Willoughby Council about a joint venture facility located at Gore Hill Oval.

The Council resolved that the Sport and Recreation Facility will be built at 180 River Road Northwood (where the Lane Cove Golf Club and River Road Tennis Centre are currently located).

There are two parts to this progress report:

•  Tender documents
•  Golf Course Operation during the construction stage of the Sport and Recreational   Facility

Tender Documents

Lane Cove Councillors are being asked to reconfirm their 23 March 2023 resolution (carried 4/4 with Mayor Zbik using his casting vote) to proceed to tender for Stage 2 Construction Contractor (Major Works), with 80% design documentation.  ADCO Constructions, AW Edwards, Grindley Construction, Prime Constructions, and Richard Crookes Constructions are being invited to tender.

ADCO built The Canopy – so Lane Cove Council has a good working relationship with ADCO.  The Canopy was a design and construct contract which gives you wriggle room to change the design.  During construction, modifications that required amendments to the DA had to be approved by the Sydney North Planning Panel. (for example, read more here)

Richard Crookes built the Quartet Apartments situated next to the Canopy.

Icon Co, which rebuilt the Lane Cove Pool and the grandstand is not one of the five listed as being invited to tender.

The Sport and Recreational facility is partially funded by a $5 Million NSW Office of Sport Grant.  The grant stipulates that Lane Cove Council commence construction before the end of June 2023.

Lane Cove Council intends to start demolition and earthworks before June 2023 and immediately after the Stage 2 tenders have closed, subject to the tender bids being within the $75 million total budget (which includes fees paid to consultants, architects etc.).

The officer’s report notes:

“Prior to doing so, Council will achieve 80% design to include in the tender documents. To enable this to proceed, Council is required to nominate the five contractors to tender for the works, as outlined in the report.

It is noted an 80% design presentation will be presented at a Councillor workshop in May, and any changes proposed will be submitted to the next Council Meeting for consideration, and if adopted, issued as addendums to the tender documents.”

Will the North Sydney Council Pool Budget Blow Out Concern Councillors?

It will be interesting to see how councillors vote on this resolution.  Since their last meeting North Sydney Council has released the results of a Price Waterhouse Coopers report on the significant cost overruns associated with the North Sydney Pool Redevelopment Project.  Mayor Zoe Baker wrote an open letter to residents which you can read here.

Part of her open letter included the following:

“Consultation was undertaken in the early stages of the project planning, resulting in a decision to adopt what was called Option 2, an upgrade of the existing centre. However, as identified by PwC, the previous Council’s decision to increase the scope of works from Option 2, a $28 million project to Option 2b, a $63.9 million project did not fully align with the feedback from community consultation. Rather than undertake additional consultation, Council relied on the standard formal exhibition requirements of the Development Application.

Governance is critical to a project of this size, yet the PwC review found the Steering Committee established by the previous Council did not include an experienced technical expert. The business case prepared did not include all the information necessary to assess the viability of the project over its whole life. The business model for the facility wasn’t decided prior to construction. In addition, the risk assessment did not identify some risks and some of the mitigation strategies that had been identified were not implemented.

Upon approval of the Development Application, the Council moved ahead with construction tenders and negotiations of contracts at pace. The review findings noted the expedited nature of negotiations substantially increased Council’s risk exposure. The time allowed for each stage of the planning phase was simply not sufficient. The construction contract was signed on 31 December 2020 although finished designs were not available until February 2021.

Taking into consideration all the findings of the PwC review, it was clear the budget for the project was not sufficient in the first place, considering the risks that had been accepted.

PwC noted that a primary driver of decisions during the planning phase was the desire to control the project budget. This resulted in decisions creating false economies such as removing the external project managers, deciding to proceed with separate design and construct contracts, and not allowing a contingency that took into consideration the risks relevant to the project. Costs such as the fit out of the gym and creche, required repairs to the Aqua Dining building and eastern stair tower were not included in the project, nor was sufficient funding for internal project management costs and consultancy.

Despite concerns regarding the decision to undertake in house project management, PwC did not recommend contracting out project management at this stage. PwC expressed a confidence in the current project team’s significant knowledge and skill regarding the project, best placing them to finalise the work with the added support of the new Steering Committee.”

North Sydney Council’s next meeting will discuss deferring funding for around $11 million of community projects and expenditure reductions on local roads, stormwater maintenance, streetscape lighting and kerb and gutter work to fund the pool project.

A spokesperson for the Longueville Residents Associaton commented on the North Sydney Pool Report:

“In the Lane Cove Council’s haste to develop the Sports and Recreation Facility at Lane Cove Golf Course I fear the issues and cost overruns that have befallen the North Sydney Swimming Pool development will be replicated and the ratepayers of Lane Cove will be asked to pick up the tab through higher rates and poor services”.

A spokesperson for the Northwood Action Group commented:

“There are a number of similarities between the Sports and Recreation Facility and the North Sydney Pool developments and we ask Council to review the independent findings of the PWC report into North Sydney Pool development and implement changes to the Sports and Recreation Facility development in relation to project governance, risk management, operating model and the perceived requirement to commence construction by 1 July.”

The Sport and Recreational Risk Report has not been released to the public.

Lane Cove Councillors would no doubt be aware of the difficulties in the construction industry, as evidenced by the collapse of the Lloyd Group.  Projects throughout NSW and Victoria have been halted – a few of those projects were sports and recreation centres and the Lane Cove Public School hall – read more here.

The tender documents are being released before the Sydney North Planning Panel holds their meeting to determine the Development Application and to give the official green light to the Sport and Recreation project.  As we previously reported, access to the centre has not been signed off with Transport for NSW.  Transport For NSW has given its in-principle support, and the Lane Cove Council is discussing the traffic light design.

Lane Cove Golf Course Operation While Construction is Taking Place

Parking

The following Parking options have been reviewed:

The following expenditure models have been reviewed.

Lane Cove Councillors must decide on the operation model.

[ITC Note – there is still doubt about the amount of revenue raised from public golfers (referred to above as social golfers).  This week ITC spoke to one Lane Cove resident and one non-Lane Cove resident who mentioned in passing that the pro shop is not always open when they play golf, so they cannot pay for their rounds. The Scone Golf Course has a ticket system like a park n-pay where you take a ticket. During your round, officials tour the golf course to check you have paid – so if you have started your round before the pro shop opens or walked on to the course and started after the first tee, it is easier to check if you have paid.]

Blackman Park Skate Park – Final Concept Design Recommendation 

Lane Cove Councillors will vote on whether to proceed to Phase 3 of this project – detailed design.

Lane Cove Council’s consultant – CONVIC, has carried out Phase 2, concept design, of the investigation into the Blackman Park Skate Park upgrade. The third phase is the detailed construction design. Lane Cove Council has budgeted for the construction of this project to be undertaken in the 2023 – 2024 financial year.

2023/2024 Draft Budget, Fees and Charges, Delivery Program and Operational Plan, Resourcing Strategy and associated Resource Plans Recommendation. (aka 23/24 Budget Papers)

The Local Government Act 1993 requires Council to adopt its annual Operational Plan and Budget by 30 June, outlining the activities to be undertaken in the next financial year (i.e., from 1 July), as part of a Delivery Program. The Local Government Regulation 2005 requires the Operational Plan and Budget to include an annual Revenue Policy.

This report summarises the Draft Delivery Program and the Operational Plan 2023/24, Draft 2023/24 Budget, Draft 2023/24 Schedule of Fees and Charges as part of the Draft Revenue Policy, and the Draft Resourcing Strategy including associated Resource Plans. The budget establishes the anticipated operating result for 2023/24 and provides information on key income and expenditure. This report recommends that the Draft Budget 2023/24, Delivery Program and Operational Plan 2023/24 and Fees and Charges 2023/24 be endorsed for public exhibition purposes.

Rates Increase 

The Draft 2023/24 Budget officer’s report notes the following:

• The draft operating result for the 2023/24 financial year is budgeted to be a surplus of $78k (essentially a balanced budget), before capital grants and contributions.
• The Rates and Annual Charges for 2023/24 include a general rate increase of 3.7%, as determined by IPART. It is proposed to levy two (2) Ordinary Rates in 2023/24 in accordance with S.492 and S.497(a) of the Local Government Act.

1. 1. An Ordinary Residential Rate of  0.075639 cents in the dollar, on the Land Value of all Rateable Land categorised as Residential in accordance with S.516 of the Local Government Act, (with the exception of heritage properties which are rated on their heritage value), with a Minimum Rate of $984.70, to yield $23,285,775.
   2. An Ordinary Business Rate of 0.491169 cents in the dollar, on the Land Value of all Rateable Land categorised as Business in accordance with S.516 of the Local Government Act, with a Minimum Rate of $1,005.85 to yield $6,224,774.

Read the IPART report here if you would like to know how rate increases are calculated.

• It is proposed to levy a Car Parking Special Rate on Business premises in Lane Cove of 0.178247 cents in dollar with a minimum rate of $2 per assessment, to yield $186,667. This revenue will continue to offset the recent investment in carparking now available within the Village (eg The Canopy Car Park).
• Salary and Wages related expenditure totals $22.87m, which includes an estimated Local Government (State) Award increase of 4.0% and other employee related expenses such as Employee Leave Entitlements and Superannuation.

  

• A full schedule of the user fees and charges proposed for the year is included in the Draft Revenue Policy. The proposed fees have been set in accordance with the Council’s pricing policy, which requires consideration of a number of factors, including community service obligations, the cost of service provision, whether the goods or services are provided on a commercial basis, and the capacity of the user to pay.  [ITC note: this is  fees and charges that residents pay for items like hiring council facilities to how much you pay for a skip bin on your verge]
• The Draft 2023/24 Budget provides for the levying of a Domestic Waste Management Charge (under S.496 of the Act) of $498.00 for each 80 litre MGB and recycling service on all rateable and non-rateable residential properties. Charges for DWM services rendered to residential units above business premises, or extra DWM services rendered to other premises, are set out in the Schedule of Fees and Charges for 2023/24.
• It is proposed to levy a stormwater levy of $25 per residential or business property and $12.50 per residential strata unit.

Draft Delivery Program, including the 2023/24 Operational Plan (aka what the council is going to build or do)

A range of New Capital Initiatives is contained in the Draft Delivery Program and Operational Plan, including:

• Construction of a new Sport and Recreation Facility
• Bob Campbell Oval Masterplan Implementation Works
• New Multifunction Theatre Space
• New Skate Park at Blackman Park
• Lane Cove Aquatic Centre Energy Efficiency Improvement Program
• Village Streetscape Improvement Works (Stage 2) along Burns Bay Road
• Traffic signal works at Mowbray Road and Centennial Avenues
• Completion of new cycleway along Burns Bay Road, Linley Point
• Bus shelter upgrade works
• Amenities upgrade works at Pottery Green
• Playground upgrades at Nichols Reserve and Woodford Bay Reserve
• Drainage and irrigation works at Tantallon Oval

In addition, there is a range of New Operating Initiatives contained in the Draft Delivery Program and Operational Plan, including:

• Review of the Age Friendly Strategy
• Develop a Social Inclusion Strategy
• Implement a watercraft hire arrangement to support the expansion of kayaking on Lane Cove River
• Develop a Masterplan for Burns Bay Reserve and Stringybark Creek Reserve
• Introduce a Community Renewable Energy Program, including a Rebates Program
• Review and update the Lane Cove Development Control Plan to improve sustainability and incorporate provisions for the strategic rollout of EV charging infrastructure
• Continue the Renewable Energy Future Program in Lane Cove for community emissions
• Implement the Emissions Reduction Pathway Strategy for council emissions
• Develop an Affordable/Key Worker Housing Statement
• Introduce a ‘Car Free Sunday’ event
• Introduce a ‘Car Boot Community Market’
• Introduce a Problem Waste Collection Point within The Canopy Carpark
• Implement pilot ‘living seawalls’ at Tambourine Bay and Woodford Bay
• Implement bushland encroachment reduction strategy
• Support activation of the Village Streetscapes Improvements
• Full implementation of new Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee
• Implement a Council Resolution Tracker. 
• Review the Procurement Policy
• Commence planning for the refurbishment of the Civic Centre
• Introduce a dedicated Call Centre to improve customer experience
• Launch new Council Website and Engagement HQ
• Review the Workforce Management Plan
• Transition to cashless facilities and remove merchant fees for credit card transactions

Lane Cove Council Councillors are voting on releasing the Budget Papers for public comment – once the public comment has been received, they will come back to the council in June 2023 for final sign-off.

Bold means ITC readers requested/suggested the projects, or ITC advocated for/suggested the changes.

Resolution Tracker – Read the ITC campaign for this tracker here.
Website and Call Centre – Read our Survey Results here

To develop a Delivery Program and Operational Plan, Council must review its resources. The Resourcing Strategy articulates how three primary resource plans work together to underpin the services we provide to the community. The three primary resource plans are:

1. Long-Term Financial Plan
2. Asset Management Plan
3. Workforce Management Plan

Towards Net Zero – Sustainability Rebates Program Recommendation

In December 2022, Councillor Rochelle Flood tabled a notice of motion recommending Lane Cove Council investigate the feasibility, potential scope, and cost of developing a home energy and water makeover program for Lane Cove.  This involved investigating rebates and renewable programs by other councils and developing a program for the Lane Cove community.

A presentation was prepared for the Corporate Planning Weekend to discuss the benefits of various incentive opportunities, including rebates and bulk buys. It was agreed at this workshop that the Council would pursue a bulk buy initiative similar to the City of Mitcham and a rebate program with more substantial incentives for apartment complexes where the barriers to uptake are more challenging and incentives for the uptake of electric vehicle chargers.

The proposed Community Renewables Program outlined in the officer’s report includes both incentive models. However, the Sustainability Rebates program is the key focus of this report. The bulk buy offering will be brought to Council following an initial request for proposals once more details are available of the market offerings.

It is recommended that Council approve the proposed Sustainability Rebates Program to incentivise energy and water savings for Lane Cove residents as part of the broader Community Renewable Energy Program as outlined in the draft Delivery and Operational Plan for 2023/24, noting that increased incentives to overcome barriers can achieve the most significant carbon reduction potential, particularly with apartments and businesses.

The rebate program’s proposed structure, outlined in table 3 below, is to be funded using a portion of the Renewable Energy Future Budget for 2023/24.

Residents and businesses will apply through an Expression of Interest for pre-approval before installation to ensure Lane Cove Council’s budget is not overallocated. If the funding is exhausted before the end of a financial year, the program will temporarily close for the remainder of the financial year once the budget is allocated.

Table Proposed Rebates, including typical installations and indicative community investment

A complete set of terms and conditions have not been drafted, but they will include

• Rebates are only available for properties in the Lane Cove Local Government Area.
• Rooftop solar PV and solar batteries must be installed by a Clean Energy Council Accredited Installer.
• Rebates are not available for products required for BASIX compliance purposes.
• Rebates for EV charging must include an electric vehicle charger (excludes power socket installations) installed by a licenced electrician.
• Properties can claim multiple rebate types up to a maximum total rebate amount of $2,000 per house or individual unit, $6,000 per unit block, or $2,000 per business.
• On-site verification may be arranged to maintain the integrity of the rebates program.

NSROC Regional Waste Strategy – Endorsement Recommendation

The Northern Sydney Region of Councils works together to develop regional waste strategies, which are then adopted by each member council.

In 2021 the State Government announced the 20-year Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041 (WASM). The EPA required all Councils / regional groups to prepare new strategies in response to the WASM.

There have also been external factors (such as the ban on exporting plastic to China and the container deposit scheme) that have necessitated reviewing the strategy.

The Strategy includes a purpose and vision divided into the four WASM themes:

• Avoid and Reduce Waste
• Recover Resources
• Protecting the Environment
• Strategic Collaboration

NSROC has included an additional theme of Education and Engagement.

The officer’s report provides the following high-level summary:

1. Avoid and Reduce – reduce the waste generation and carbon emission per capita through actions such as education and decision making around future Council tenders.
2. Recover Resources – improve the resource recovery of waste by looking at organic and bulky waste processing and further research on plastic waste.
3. Protect the Environment – reduce local dumping and litter and identify options for CRC.
4. Strategic Collaboration – identify regional options for transfer stations and organic processing. It also looks to align procurement and improve the resilience of the area.
5. Education and Engagement – engage and educate as a region and utilise the scale of the organisation to advocate the State and Federal Governments.

For each theme, there are regional objectives which also reflect one or more of the three WASM priority areas:

1. reducing carbon emissions;
2. future infrastructure; and
3. service needs and protect the environment and human health.

The framework also identifies the WASM funding areas relevant to each theme.

The current Strategy remains a continuation of the two previous regional waste strategies but has some crucial differences:

• it is a high-level document with a focus on initiatives which NSROC can undertake for regional benefits;
• it reflects member councils’ priorities for regional action;
• it does not adopt the state or federal government targets, but states that local government will have a significant role in delivering them;
• it acknowledges the limited grant funding available for waste management; and.
• notes that the move to further emissions reduction and a circular economy will cause increases in the cost of waste management which will impact delivery timeframes and require a flexible approach across priorities to obtain the maximum benefit from potential funding streams.

Lane Cove Council, as part of NSROC, has been asked to:

• Formally adopt the Strategy individually as the regionally consistent approach to waste management; and
• Commit to supporting the delivery of regional waste management initiatives consistent with their individual local priorities.

The Strategy will be implemented through annual Action Plans. In 2022/23, with no further EPA funding currently available for NSROC, the Action Plan will focus on delivering the current waste projects.

Manns Point, Greendale Park and Holloway Reserve State Heritage Listing, Badangi Recommendation

For this reason, the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) has proposed the following Lane Cove reserves Manns Point, Greendale Park and Holloway Reserve be included as a part of the NSW State Heritage listing under the name Badangi (meaning Sydney rock oyster), this area will be one of several harbour foreshore reserves up for consideration.

The Lane Cove bushland reserves of Manns Point, Greendale Park and Holloway Reserve are rare examples of a natural place within a highly urban city. The area is of state significance as one of the remaining natural landscapes on Sydney Harbour that is mainly unmodified.

The proposal comprises a series of public reserves around  Greenwich Point and the Wollstonecraft peninsula. To the west, around Gore Cove, Manns Point, Holloway Park, Greendale Park, Smoothey Park and Gore Cove Reserve. To the east is Badangi Reserve, and to the south is Berry Island Reserve, connected to the mainland.

The waterways include Berry Creek, most of Gore Cove, most of Berrys Bay, and some Unincorporated Water of Sydney Harbour. The Heritage Council of NSW is seeking support from Lane Cove Council for the creation of Badangi.

The Officer’s Report recommends that this support be granted.

Talk about timing!!  This recommendation was published only a week after a significant diesel spill from the JQZ Development at St Leonard’s South resulted in diesel flowing through the stormwater system and polluting Berrys Creek.  We will be publishing an article on this incident soon.

New Expert Members and Community Representatives for the Lane Cove Local Planning Panel

The Department of Planning recently announced reforms to the Local Planning Panels. Effectively they require all councils to have a minimum of 15 experts and four community representatives in their pool of Panel members.

This reform is to provide more significant rotation of panel members to reduce predictability, ensure a level of randomization of panel make-ups, reduce the incentive to lobby members and ensure the ongoing integrity of members.

Mr. David Lloyd KC chairs the Lane Cove Local Planning Panel with alternate chairs Mr Mark Gifford and Ms Louise Byrne. The reforms do not propose any changes to the existing Panel members currently in place.

Lane Cove Council advertised for new expert members and community members.

Council received a total of 10 expressions of interest.

The Department of Planning sets out the criteria for the community representatives.

• A commitment to the Lane Cove area, its strategic vision, policies, and objectives.
• Commitment to procedural fairness in decision-making.
• The capacity to remain objective and consider all sides of an argument.
• Demonstrated ability to employ constructive approaches towards problem-solving.
• Understand effective teamwork.
• Act appropriately in situations which may involve a conflict of interest.

The following experts are supported for inclusion on the Lane Cove Local Planning Panel:

• Michael Ryan
• Kim Crestani
• Lisa Bella Esposito
• David Ryan
• Jason Perica
• Susan Hobley

After completing the interviews, the following community representatives are supported for inclusion on the Lane Cove Local Planning Panel.

• Melanie Naidoo
• Ian Longbottom
• David Risbey

Traffic Committee

The Traffic Committee discussed changes to the following streets:

Dorritt Street

It is proposed that the following changes are implemented:
• A 75mm high flat-top speed hump in the vicinity of 10 Dorritt Street. The speed calming device will be like the existing speed humps on Dorritt Street and bus service compliant.
• An at-grade marked pedestrian crossing on Dorritt Street at Phoenix Street, western approach. The pram ramps on both ends will match the new crossing.

Oxley and Nicholson Street St Leonards

It is proposed that the following changes are implemented:·

• ‘KEEP CLEAR’ pavement markings on Oxley Street, northbound lanes, at the intersection with Nicholson Street.
• Extend the double centre solid lines on Oxley Street for approximately 29 metres and up to the intersection with Nicholson Street.
• Install ‘GIVE WAY’ line markings and signage on Nicholson Street at Oxley Street intersection.
• Install double-centre solid lines on Nicholson Street for approximately 10 metres at the intersection with Oxley Street.

Murray Street Lane Cove North

It is proposed that the following change is implemented:·

A full-time ‘No Parking’ restriction on both sides of the cul-de-sac and on the north side of the bend along Murray Street.

Lane Cove Council representative discussed the possibility of restricting parking only during waste collection days and times.

Full-time parking restrictions will ensure that landscaping, removalists, deliveries, and emergency vehicles can safely access outside of waste collection hours.

Lane Cove Fun Run 2023

The Traffic Management Plan for the event was approved.  Get your running shoes on as the Fun Run is on 10th September 2023.

Regulatory Signposting and Line Marking Changes

New signposting and line-marking changes have been recently implemented.

Lane Cove and St Leonards Parking Report

The report recommends changes to parking around the Lane Cove Village and St Leonards.  Please read our article here about the information and then view the changes here.

Lane Cove Council has summarised the key findings as follows:

• On-street parking demand in the Lane Cove Village varies from street to street and differing users are served by each street.
• Opportunities to improve accessible parking in the Lane Cove Village and St Leonards
• Seniors’ parking is highly utilised in Lane Cove Village
• Car share has low use in Lane Cove Village and St Leonards
• The overall Loading Zone demand in the Lane Cove Village does not exceed the capacity

Following are some of the key recommendations for the Lane Cove Village and St Leonards.

• Changes to the parking restrictions on a street-by-street basis with a focus on streets that exceed 85% capacity at the time of the survey.
• Increase the number of accessible parking spaces in the Lane Cove Village and St Leonards.
• Implement 3-hour time restrictions for on-street accessible parking spaces in the Lane Cove Village.
• Ensure consistent seniors parking signage.
• Develop a Lane Cove Council LGA Electric Vehicle strategy, including consideration for on-street EV charging bays.
• Develop a Lane Cove Council LGA car share strategy

Officer Reports for Information

Council Snapshot March 2023 Recommendation