Welcome to our week in review.
Lane Cove Council’s General Manager Resigns
Lane Cove Council General Manager Craig Wrightson has resigned. Craig has been with the council for over 20 years. He has been the GM for the last 12.5 years.
During his tenure as General Manager, the Lane Cove Council has delivered numerous infrastructure and community projects, including the transformation of the rundown Rosenthal Avenue Car Park into The Canopy, the development of Wadanggari Park above the St Leonards railway line, and significant improvements to sports facilities at Blackman Park.
Lane Cove In The News
Interest Rate Cut
The Sydney Morning Herald published an article on 18 February 2025 with the headline -‘Breathing room’: Rate cut means Sarah can ‘splurge’ on Easter eggs this year.
Sarah is a Lane Cove resident. You can read the article here. It is paywalled.
Discounted or Free Pool Fees
The Sydney Morning Herald published an article on 18 February 2025 with the headline – “$10 a dip or free? The battle to lower the entry price at Sydney’s public pools.”
The article noted:
“Greens and independent councillors on the City of Sydney, Lane Cove and Inner West councils will all move motions at meetings this week proposing a change to how pool access fees are determined, seeking to seize on the momentum of councils across the country that are lowering pool entry fees.”
You can read the article here. It is paywalled.
The Lane Cove Library’s Most Borrowed Books 2024
The Lane Cove Library has released its 2024 Most Borrowed list. How Many have you read?
No. 1 Adult Fiction Loan – Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel – Bonnie Garmus
No. 1 Adult Non-Fiction Loans – Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life – Anna Funder
No. 1 Junior Fiction Series – WeirDo – Anh Do
No. 1 Young Adult Series – The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
For the full top 10 lists see here.
Liveable Lane Cove 2035 Survey Now Live
Have you ever wondered how Lane Cove Council identifies the community’s main priorities and aspirations for the future …the answer is a Community Strategic Plan (CSP). Lane Cove’s CSP is called Liveable Lane Cove 2035.
A CSP is a community’s 10-year roadmap. It’s a big-picture document that directs efforts and resources toward a clearly defined vision. The CSP outlines the community’s objectives on a broader scale. It does not include individual actions and projects required to achieve those objectives. Those steps are set out in a four-year delivery program and annual operations plans.
Every council in NSW is required to develop a CSP.
Lane Cove Council’s role is to develop the plan on behalf of the community.
Once the CSP is drafted, the public can make comments and the final plan is presented to Lane Cove Council for adoption.
The CSP determines priorities until the next council election, when the plan will be reviewed again.
It’s now time to review Lane Cove’s CSP/ Liveable Lane Cove 2035 to ensure it is still relevant and reflects the aspirations of the Lane Cove community.
In 2023, research by Mark Chou, Rachel Busbridge, and Serrin Rutledge-Prior found that most Australians expect more from their local councils than roads, rates and rubbish, and they want them to discuss topics such as climate change. Read more here.
This is a good opportunity for locals to provide feedback to Lane Cove Council about the issues important to them and to help shape the long-term plan for Lane Cove, so get involved.
Everything Lane Cove Council does is linked to the Community Strategic Plan. Your feedback is crucial if you want something to happen in Lane Cove.
The public consultation period includes workshops, council stalls and surveys. Please read our article here on how you can have your say in determining council priorities for the next council term.
Infrastructure Priority Statement Released
The Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC) has released its Infrastructure Priority Statement for the next four years, outlining key projects to support the region’s growth and development. The priorities cover the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Hornsby, Hunter’s Hill, Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, Mosman, North Sydney, Ryde, and Willoughby.
The Statement emphasizes infrastructure needs in response to demographic changes, increased housing demand, and new opportunities tied to the State Government’s regional investments. It also anticipates the accelerated population growth expected by 2029, driven by housing reforms that bring forward projections previously expected by 2034.
The focus is on infrastructure across multiple sectors, including social and cultural, waste, sports and recreation, transport, education, and health. While significant projects are already in motion, the new priorities aim to address emerging needs to maintain and improve the region’s liveability, productivity, and sustainability.
Mayor Tanya Taylor, President of NSROC, highlighted the importance of collaboration between local councils, the State Government, and other stakeholders to meet these growing demands. “Infrastructure provision requires many years of preparation and places a substantial demand on council resources that they cannot meet alone,” Mayor Taylor said. “We have put together this Statement to signal our willingness to partner with the State Government and other providers and investors for the benefit of our communities.”
The Statement also reflects the need to adapt to changing community preferences and priorities, from sports facilities to flexible spaces and sustainable transportation modes. Taylor emphasized the importance of leveraging major city-shaping infrastructure projects, such as the Sydney Metro and the Warringah Freeway upgrade, to maximize their impact on the region.
Some key priorities outlined in the Statement include:
- Community performance facilities and libraries to enhance cultural infrastructure.
- Sporting fields – both new and upgraded facilities to accommodate growing participation.
- Active transport network – completing a contiguous network to promote walking and cycling.
- Transport upgrades – improving transport infrastructure around hubs to maximize the benefits of new projects, such as the Sydney Metro and the second harbour crossing.
- Education and health infrastructure – expanding schools and hospitals, areas which remain the primary responsibility of the State Government.
Whirl Recycling Saving Mobile Phones From Landfill & Supporting Women In Crisis
Whirl Recycling is a free collection and recycling service specialising in small electronics. Where possible, donated items are given a second life.
Mobile phones are often discarded well before they become obsolete. With that in mind, Whirl has partnered with ReLove, an organisation that gets donated goods to people in need as soon as possible. Many recipients of this support are women escaping domestic violence.
This joint mobile phone initiative gives phones to people in need. A phone can open up opportunities to seek employment, communicate safely and start rebuilding lives.
If you’ve got a phone to donate, book a collection with Whirl and mention it’s a ReLove phone.
Business Alert
S’Breadhouse by Phosam Noodle House will officially launch in early March. Last week they gave Lane Cove a taste test of what’s to come with their delicious banh mi menu. They have now closed again until their official opening.
The store is behind Pho Sam, facing the Canopy next to the back of the Lane Cove Newsagency (enter via the shared zone) – watch out for traffic when entering and exiting!
Help Clean Up Lane Cove
Clean Up Australia Day is on 2 March 2025 this year.
We have compiled a list of the events happening on Clean Up Australia Day this year. The biggest event is always the Stringybark Creek Residents Association at Batten Reserve. You can also join Lane Cove Rotary to pick up litter around Lane Cove Village.
Every Lane Cove resident can get involved and register to help in a Clean Up event.
If you can’t attend an organised event, grab a bag and some gloves and take the family for a walk along your street.
It is also not too late for your street to organise its event, and if you do, we would love you to send us photos we can feature on In the Cove. The 300ABC Burns Bay Road residents are cleaning up the beautiful Burns Bay Reserve.
Clean Up Australia Day is the perfect day to get you and the kids involved in an activity for the greater good.
Lane Cove has a proud tradition of participating in Clean Up Australia Day.
If/Then Production Opens in March
The Lane Cove Theatre Company’s first production of the year is If/Then at the NEW performance space at Pottery Lane. The season runs from 21 to 30 March 2025.
If/Then has unforgettable songs and a deeply moving story by the Pulitzer Prize – and Tony Award-winning team behind Next to Normal.
Choice and fate collide in this romantic, original story of a woman at the crossroads of her life. If/Then simultaneously follows one woman’s two possible life paths, painting a deeply moving portrait of the lives we lead and the lives we might have led.
Find out more here and make a booking asap.
Show Gallery Lane Cove Some Love
Gallery Lane Cove + Creative Studios aims to foster creativity and provide a platform for artists of all levels in the Lane Cove community.
To further enrich its offerings and ensure the arts remain accessible to all, Gallery Lane Cove has launched its inaugural fundraising campaign, “Show Us Your Love.”
Throughout February, the gallery aims to raise $20,000 to support various programs, including exhibitions, workshops, and other creative initiatives. These funds are crucial for sustaining and expanding the gallery’s mission to nurture contemporary artistic practices and promote cultural exchange within the Lane Cove Council area and on the north shore.
As part of the campaign, supporters can participate in a raffle featuring a luxurious prize: a one-night stay at The Capella Sydney, awarded Australian Hotel of the Year 2024 and Best Luxury Hotel in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific for 2024.
Local Sport
On Saturday, February 15, 2025, St Ignatius College Riverview hosted the 141st Gold Cup Regatta. More than 1505 competitors competed in 99 events. See our cover photo of crews preparing for their races.
This famous regatta is on the Lane Cove River, where rowers navigate the notorious “dogleg” course to compete for a highly coveted “silver oar” and the Gold Cups.
Sydney Rowing Club won the Men’s Gold Cup Eight and Sydney University won the Women’s title. The men’s final was one of the closest in years, with just five seconds between the top four crews – with the Saint Ignatius’ College 1st VIII finishing a commendable fourth.
Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview crews had a number of wins throughout the day:
GPS Squad: 1st VIII, 3rd VIII
Year 10 Eights: 10.1, 10.3, 10.4
Year 9 Quads: 9.2, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6, 9.7
Year 8 Quads: 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.5
Local Jobs
Crime Report
Business Break Ins Lower North Shore
As ITC reported in our latest week in review, three Lane Cove businesses were broken into in one week. The incidents had locals questioning whether it was time for increased security or Police presence in the Lane Cove Village.
It looks like Lane Cove is not the only Lower North Shore suburb being targeted. Our friends at Mosman Collective reported the following:
“Local shop keepers are being warned to ramp up security after a spate of break ins at Balmoral Beach.
Around 4:20am on Wednesday, thieves targeted Simple Simon’s Cafe and Pasture, both located on The Esplanade.
Mosman Collective has obtained exclusive CCTV footage of one break-in, showing a man wearing a black hoodie, dark tracksuit pants and a red cap place a crow bar on a wicker chair, before walking behind the counter and rifling through a drawer.
On Monday night, thieves broke into iconic local café The Boathouse around 11pm, entering through the front door and stealing approximately $200.
They then broke into premises next door, gaining access to the Balmoral Boatshed, where an undisclosed amount of money was stolen. ”
Read the full story here https://bit.ly/4gF2AG2
If you know someone who lives or works in Mosman tell them about Mosman Collective
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