Welcome to our week in review.

More Tree Vandalism on Lower North Shore

You may recall that last year, one of the worst cases of tree vandalism in the history of Lane Cove took place in Northwood – read our story here.

To date, locals have not received an update from Lane Cove Council on their search to find the perpetrators. A legal investigation is in process, but locals would like to know if Lane Cove Council is any closer to launching a prosecution.

On Friday, our friends at Mosman Collective (the ITC equivalent in Mosman and North Sydney) reported that some of the beautiful Port Jackson Figs that line the Balmoral Esplanade were poisioned.  Read the full story here.

The North Shore Times reported on Thursday last week that Willoughby City Council is close to court action in relation to the tree vandalism in Castle Cove that saw over 200 trees killed.

Read the story here. (note it is paywalled)

Lane Cove Council’s February Meeting – Held Over Two Nights

Lane Cove Council held its February 2024 meeting on Thursday 22 February 2024.  It was a packed agenda and at 11.15 pm a motion to extend the meeting until 11.45 pm was lost. The Councillors voting against the extension of time were concerned about the impact of extending the meeting on Councillor Flood, who was attending the meeting via Zoom due to ill health.   An extraordinary general meeting was held on Monday 26 February 2024 to discuss the following issues:

• Councillor and Staff Interaction Policy Update, Managing Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace Procedure Information and Proposed Amendments to the Code of Meeting Practice

Referred Reports

• 2023/24 Budget – Second Quarter Review
• Council Policies Review – Part 3
• Delivery Program and Operational Plan – 2023/24 Second Quarter Review.
• Local Planning Panel – Expiration of Term
• Councillor Conference Attendance Request – NSW ALGWA Conference 2024
• Council Snapshot – December 2023 & January 2024

Meeting 22 February 2024

Twenty-Four people spoke at the public forum, and 27 written submissions were received.  The following agenda items were raised by the public in the public forum:

Bob Campbell Oval – Masterplan – Inclusion of a Dog Park

Lane Cove Council called tenders in accordance with Council’s Tender and Quotation Procedure for the construction and installation of the natural turf field and surrounding park infrastructure at Bob Campbell Oval. The Request for Tenders to procure this work was made via Vendor Panel on 13 November 2023 and closed on 15 January 2024. Council received eight tenders, five were complete and conforming.  The Tender Panel has determined that Landscape Solutions P/L is the preferred contractor to undertake the Bob Campbell Oval upgrade works.

All tenders exceed the available funds for this project by circa $3M. The project cost includes a substantial cost increase for the amenities building and the inclusion of two playgrounds. A Lane Cove Council officer’s report recommended the Lane Cove Council not accept any tender and that the General Manager be given delegated authority to negotiate with the preferred tenderer to reduce the project costs and modify the design in relation to the amenities building and provision of an off-leash dog facility at the northern end of the reserve in lieu of a playground.

It is not uncommon for the General Manager to be appointed to negotiate a contract with a preferred tenderer when a project exceeds budget.  However, what is interesting in this agenda item is that the council proposes to include an off-lead dog park instead of a playground.  The Bob Campbell Oval working committee did not propose an off-lead dog park.

The Officer’s report notes:

“There are potential savings to be achieved in the new amenities and storage building. There are also savings in rationalising the two playgrounds within the plans. Specifically, it is proposed to modify the design to replace the playground at the northern end with an off-leash dog facility. This change will also require the modification of the southern playground area to cater for all age groups.

A specific off-leash dog facility is recommended, given the standard of turf field being constructed. The costs submitted for the natural turf sportsfield component are over $1M. In comparison, the Council spent $500k to upgrade two turf sportsfields at Blackman Park (B3 and B4) using a similar turf variety proposed and inclusive of drainage and irrigation.

Council has continued to receive correspondence from sporting clubs about the deteriorating turf sportsfields where dogs have dug holes, defecated on the fields, and left sticks.  This is an ongoing issue that sporting clubs and the community are struggling to resolve. Maintaining the natural turf sportsfield to the highest standard consummate with the money that has been invested, whilst dogs are allowed off-leash on the field, will not be possible.  In turn, Council will not be able to achieve the level of use required to meet the community’s demand for sportsfields, which was the primary goal of the project.”

Numerous Speakers were concerned that the inclusion of a dog park would mean that dogs would be banned from Bob Campbel Oval at all times (not just when organised sport was being played).    Speakers also mentioned they could not understand how it was possible to reduce costs by including a newly built structure.  Cost savings would be achieved by not developing any of the land earmarked for a dog park.

The General Manager advised that the intent was not to ban dogs from the oval.

Public Forum Moved to Another Night

The Lane Cove Council at its Meeting on Monday 25th February 2024 debated moving the public forum to another night.

The officer’s report stated:

“Move the Public Forum segment to another evening, separate from the Council Meeting (recommended to be the Monday evening before the Ordinary Council Meeting), to allow Council sufficient time for Council to transact business as outlined in the published agenda. In recent council meetings there has been considerable time dedicated to the public forum and the debate generally which had seen meetings finishing after the 11:00pm mandated finish time. In most cases this included the bulk adoption of items which is not ideal in terms of Council wishing to adequately consider each matter. By separating the meeting and forum, adequate time will be available for both the Public Forum and the Council Meeting. Ku-ring-gai Council conduct their Council Meeting Public Forum on a separate day from their actual Ordinary Council Meeting.”

At the start of each new council term, the councillors must resolve to adopt a Code of Meeting Practice.  The Lane Cove Council Code Of Meeting Practice was adopted in April 2022 and provided for the public forum to be held as part of the monthly Council Meeting.

When Andrew Zbik was Mayor, he said the following before every public forum held during a council meeting:

“The public forum is one of the best aspects of the Local Government where residents can address all nine councillors as part of the formal part of the meeting on any subject.”

Removing the public forum to another night means it is not subject to the Council’s formal Code of Meeting procedure, which means Councillors are not required to attend the public forum.

Lane Cove Councillors resolved to move the public forum to another night for a trial period. (Vote was 5 in favour and 4 against).

Bus Industry Taskforce

Another NSW Bus Industry Taskforce Interim Report was released on 22 February 2024. If you have a few hours, you can read the 204-page report. There is a summary here.

As a result of the interim report, Transport for NSW has agreed to:

• Develop a Medium-Term Bus Plan in response to the Taskforce’s recommendation for a focus on 10 high-quality rapid routes, 27 frequent routes and other improvements to local services. BUS ROUTE 288 is included in the frequent routes list.
• Developing proposals to address more immediate gaps in the network, with a view to improving local or school services and supporting the supply of housing.
• The NSW Government is rebalancing its investment in Zero Emission Buses to deliver more buses more quickly into western Sydney while also giving greater certainty to the local manufacturing industry.

The report also noted that local councils should be more involved in public transport and that Transport for NSW should provide more resources and training to Local Traffic Committee members to ensure a high level of skills and awareness, particularly in public transport planning, walking and cycling, road safety policy, and urban design.

Chair of the Bus Industry Taskforce John Lee said:

“The lack of investment in bus services or the forgotten mode of public transport is shameful.”

“Buses are the largest public transport mode in the State, and it needs well thought through plans to be implemented to fix this neglect.”

“We have recommended a strong, detailed and scalable plan for the Government to consider.”

“That means more money for services, bus stops, road priority and smart people delivering the plan.”

Business Alert

Fully Flavoured Indian Restaurant is open above NiBu Cafe in the Lane Cove Village Shops across from Harris Farm.

To book call them on 8054 5660. It is on level one so just go up the stairs.

You can never ever have enough Butter Chicken in your life. Did you know there is a court case at the moment where two restaurants in India are fighting over who invented Butter Chicken – read about the case here.

Lane Cove Council Submission on Housing Reforms

Lane Cove Council’s submission to the NSW Government on the proposed housing reforms was formally adopted at the Lane Cove Council meeting on 22 February 2024.

The submission raises a number of issues of concern impacting the local community, in particular, the impact on the Lane Cove Town Centre and Dual Occupancy lot sizes.

You can view a copy of the Lane Cove Council’s Submission to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure (DPHI) here.

Submissions were due on 23 February 2024.  DPHI closed off the submissions at 4.00 pm – this is unusual as most submissions close either at COB or at midnight.

Longueville Tennis Club Wins the Right to Install Lighting on Two Tennis Courts

Lighting will be installed at the Longueville Tennis Clb on two courts.

Last week, Lane Cove’s Local Planning Panel approved the installation of lights on two courts, permitting the facilities to be used until 9 pm.

Sydney Water Burst Water Main

On Sunday, 25 February 2024, there was a burst water main on Burns Bay Road (across the road from Jack & Co on Burns Bay Road).  Lane Cove West residents experienced a drop in water pressure.  Water pressure resumed for most residents on Sunday morning. However, about 31 residents were without water until late on Sunday night.  Sydney Water then worked in the area for the next few days.  A local resident was advised by Sydney Water that the works were only a temporary fix and that a tree would need to be removed and some pipes still needed fixing.

Lane Cove Events

March 2024 is Senior’s Festival Month

The festival’s theme, ‘Reach Beyond’, means there are plenty of events and activities to learn something new whilst connecting with the local community.

Events are listed in Lane Cove’s Seniors Festival Guide, which is a collaboration between local service providers and groups coming together to celebrate seniors.

Links to event bookings can be found in the guide, but if you need extra help or information, please email: [email protected]