Lane Cove Council April 2026 Meeting – Agenda Papers Wrap

The Lane Cove Council March Meeting will be held on Thursday, 23rd April 2026.

Residents can write to councillors about any agenda item or issue. If you use the email address – [email protected], your email will go to all councillors.

The public forum provides an opportunity to address only. It is not a forum for debate or response from Councillors.

Notices of Motion

Notice of Motion – Partnership with the National Heart Foundation – Community CPR & AED Training Initiative Recommendation

Concillors Greenwell and Southwood have tabled a notion of motion asking councillors to commit to participating in the Heart Foundation’s Shockingly Simple community-based cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training program.

The notice of motion notes:

“This initiative presents a valuable opportunity for Council to play a proactive role in improving community health outcomes and emergency preparedness. Increasing the number of residents trained in the use of CPR and AED directly contributes to a more resilient and capable community. In emergency situations, bystanders are often the first responders and equipping more people with life-saving skills can significantly improve survival rates and recovery outcomes.

GoodSAM partnered with the Greenwich Village Games in 2025 with outstanding success, training over 1,000 participants in the use of CPR and AEDs. The initiative significantly increased community awareness of cardiac arrest response and introduced attendees to the GoodSAM app, which alerts nearby trained responders when a cardiac emergency occurs.”

A few weeks ago a roving reporter contacted ITC to say that he had been contacted to provide assistance via the GoodSAM act for an incident at a local venue.  The ambulance had been contacted, but a GoodSAM may be closer.   The person who needed assistance was taken to North Shore Hospital via ambulance.

Notice of Motion – Enhancing Urban Biodiversity through Scalable Habitat Initiatives Recommendation    

Councillor Kennedy has tabled a notice of motion asking councillors to support her motion which is aimed at ensuring Council’s biodiversity initiatives deliver the greatest ecological benefit by identifying cost-effective, scalable, and community-supported approaches to habitat creation across the Lane Cove local government area.

The notice of motion requests requests that staff investigate and report back to Council on a cost-effective urban habitat program that encourages participation by residents and improves habitat availability for native reptiles and other small fauna.

Notice of Motion – Exemption for Existing Strata Developments under the Food Organics Mandate Recommendation    

Councillors Taylor and Bennison have tabled a notice of motion to discuss the impact of the Food Organics (FO) service on existing strata developments with insufficient space and recommends that Council advocates for an exemption from the NSW Government for the implementation of FO for these properties.

The NSW Government has legislated a statewide requirement for local councils to provide a Food Organics (FO) or Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection service to households by 1 July 2030.

Lane Cove Council has rolled out the FO bins for stand alone houses.

Councilors Taylor and Bennison note:

“Existing strata developments within Lane Cove were, in most cases, approved and constructed without allowance for additional waste streams or expanded bin storage, and already experience constrained capacity for existing red, yellow and green bins.

These costs are compulsory rather than discretionary, are borne individually by strata owners—including retirees and residents on fixed incomes—and occur during a period of high interest rates and significant cost‑of‑living pressures.”

Notice of Motion – Development of a Synthetic Turf in Public Spaces Policy Recommendation   

Councillors Greenwell, Flood and Southwood have tabled a notice of motion asking councillors to approve a request that Lane Cove Council staff develop a policy on the installation, use, and end of life recycling of synthetic turf within the municipality, with a focus on ensuring synthetic turf is used as a last resort.

The notice of motion notes:

“Increasingly, councils are moving to ban or significantly reduce their reliance on synthetic fields. Dr Safiullah, a senior lecturer at RMIT has urged councils to ban the use of synthetic fields where possible – citing concerns with heat island effects and loss of biodiversity. This applies to both playing fields and public spaces, as well as lawns in new developments.

Adelaide City Council has banned synthetic grass on verges. The City of Marion and Tea Tree Gully have also taken action to curb the use of synthetic turf. Just this year, Queanbeyan-Palerang has put forward a proposal to ban artificial turf in new developments. Similar restrictions have been placed on new developments in parts of the Gold Coast. There’s a clear precedent to support councils taking stronger action to address the negative impact of synthetic turf.”

The Notice of motion refers toresearch conducted by Dr Sebastian Pfautsch, Associate Professor in Urban Management and Planning at Western Sydney University suggests that the ground temperatures on synthetic playing fields are often double those on fields with natural turf and that the ‘Synthetic Turf in Public Spaces’ assessment (2022) prepared by the Office of Sport Chief Scientist and Engineer, found that when daytime temperatures rise above 27 degrees, synthetic fields can inflict serious skin burns on users.

An Australian-first microplastic assessment reviewed 120 coastal waterways in NSW to evaluate levels of microplastics present in these environments. Tested areas were rated on a scale A to E with an A rating recording Very Low contamination levels and E recording Very High contamination levels.

It found the Cooks River, Dee Why Lagoon, Muddy Creek and upper Parramatta River are NSW’s most contaminated coastal waterways all scoring an E.

Lane Cove River scored a D and was one of the waterways that was identified as having artificial turf fragments in the water. Blackman Park, which has an artificial oval, is located near the Lane Cove River.

The report noted:

“In the current study, artificial turf fragments were present in 17% of the waterways surveyed and comprised 5% of all microplastics. This supports growing evidence that artificial turf contributes significantly to plastic pollution in the environment, in addition to its other known environmental impacts such as chemical leaching, climate change implications, and biodiversity loss (de Haan et al., 2023)”

The report only includes data up to Jan 2024. In March 2024, Lane Cove Council started replacing the artificial turf. At the time, the Lane Cove Council noted:

“The existing surface will be sent for recycling while the new surface will include an organic fill rather than the current rubber fill.”

More information on the EPA report scope and findings here.

Officer Reports

 Post Exhibition – Draft Planning Agreement for 2-4 Pacific Highway, St Leonards Recommendation

At the meeting of 18 September 2025 Council considered an Offer to Enter into a Planning Agreement submitted to Council by the proponent for 2-4 Pacific Highway, St Leonards and resolved to place the draft Planning Agreement on public exhibition.

The Planning Agreement comprises a monetary contribution for local works or projects at Council’s discretion and, a share of advertising time on the sign, at no charge to Council.

Council staff have determined that the annually indexed monetary contribution shall be deployed to the maintenance of Wadanggari Park, St Leonards for a term of 10 years.

A development application (24/2026) for the removal of existing backlit signs and the installation of a new western facing digital sign has been submitted to Council and recently exhibited. The DA is yet to be determined.

The draft Planning Agreement, including Explanatory Note, and Offer to Enter into a Planning Agreement was placed on public exhibition between 11 March 2026 and 10 April 2026.

No submissions have been received.

This Report recommends that Council delegate authority to the General Manager to execute all necessary documentation required to finalise the Planning Agreement for 2-4 Pacific Highway, St Leonards.

 Public Exhibition – Draft 2026/27 Budget, 2026/27 Fees and Charges, 2026/27 Delivery Program and Draft Operational Plan, Resourcing Strategy and associated Resource Plans Recommendation  

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 2026/27 Draft 2026/27 Budget, Draft 2026/27 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 2026/27 and provides information on key income and expenditure. The officer’s report recommends that the Draft Budget papers be endorsed for public exhibition purposes.

There was a 3.9% rate rise in 2025/2026, however at the time the 2025/2026 budget was published Lane Cove Council noted there could be a significant rate rise in 2026/2027.

The NSW Government, through the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) caps the total general income that may be raised from levying rates on property. IPART has determined that general income from rates in 2026/27 may increase by a maximum of 4.7%. This is the basis of the draft 2026/27 budget, so it is not the significant rate rise forecasted.

However if you read the Long Term Financial Plan – Lane Cove Council are strongly signalling that a Special Rate Variation request will need to be to Ipart – read our article here.

The Domestic Waste Management (DMW) Service is provided to all residential properties. Council must make and levy an annual charge for the service and income must not exceed the reasonable cost of providing the services (section 496 and 504). The draft 2026/27 Budget provides for the levying of a Domestic Waste Management Charge (under S.496 of the Act) of $637.65 for each 80 litre MGB and recycling service on all rateable and non-rateable residential properties. The DWM is expected to raise $11.1M in revenue.  Some NSW councils have forecasted that their DMW will need to increase due to the increase in fuel costs due to the Iran War.  This charge is the same charge as last financial year.

The following draft documents are the complete set of budget papers.

 

AT‑1 View	DRAFT 2026-27 Budget Summary
AT‑2 View	DRAFT Delivery Program & 2026-27 Operational Plan
AT‑3 View	DRAFT Resourcing Strategy
AT‑4 View	DRAFT Long term Financial Plan
AT‑5 View	DRAFT Strategic Asset Management Plan
AT‑6 View	DRAFT Workforce Management Plan

 

Public Exhibition – Draft Restricted Cash (Reserves) Policy Recommendation

The annual statutory financial statements of Council include a summary of the funds held in the external and internal financial reserves. These reserves have been established over time.

To date there has been no Council Policy that applies to the establishment and management of all Council financial reserves, which sets out the agreed direction and controls as well as a target balance to be held in each reserve.

Both externally and internally restricted financial reserves are established and managed to meet a range of objectives. Externally restricted financial reserves are established to meet legislative requirements, primarily unspent developer contribution funds and unspent grants received by Council. These unspent funds are set aside as externally restricted assets in financial reserve as they can only be expended for that purpose.

Internally restricted financial reserves are established at the discretion of Council and are used to meet a variety of circumstances, generally focused on a specific activity or service of Council. These unspent funds are set aside as internally restricted assets in the internal financial reserves.

A draft Restricted Cash (Reserves) Policy has been prepared to document the future management and utilisation of Reserves to ensure that Council meets best practice governance and audit controls.

Council Policies Review Recommendation    

The purpose of this report is to seek the re-adoption of three (3) current policies: Financial Hardship Policy, Investment Policy and Sister City Policy  in accordance with Council’s ‘Council Policy Framework’

 2026-2027 Community Assistance Grants Program – Funding Recommendations

Under Section 356 of the Local Government Act 1993, Council may grant financial assistance to community organisations.

Council’s draft 2026-2027 budget includes funding under the Community Grants Program. The program comprises 2 grant streams ‘Community Assistance Grants’ and ‘Cultural Venue Hire Subsidy Grants’ as well as recurring commitments.

The funding priorities align with the Community Strategic Plan – Liveable Lane Cove 2035 and funding of $591,000 has been allocated to the program in the 2026/27 financial year.

Applications for Community Assistance Grants and Cultural Venue Hire Subsidy Grants were open for 11 weeks from 15 December 2025 to 2 March 2026.

A total of 26 applications were received from 20 organisations for Community Assistance Grants and Cultural Venue Hire Subsidy Grants. Recurring commitments remain unchanged.

Planning Proposal 48 – 1 Austin Crescent Lane Cove (Heritage de-listing) Recommendation

The Planning Proposal (PP) was prepared by Urbanism Pty Ltd and includes a Heritage Assessment prepared by Three+One Heritage, which concludes that the property no longer demonstrates historic significance at either the local or state level.

Council engaged an independent heritage consultant in November 2025 to review the Planning Proposal for 3 Austin Crescent (the property adjacent to 1 Austin Crescent), following a previous proposal submitted to Council seeking to remove the property from the LEP heritage listing. Overall, the advisor is of the opinion (AT-3) that the “proposal to remove the heritage listing from No.3 Austin Crescent is supported, and it is recommended that the item, and the adjacent house at No.1 Austen Crescent, be removed from Schedule 5”.

Subsequent to the lodgement of Planning Proposal 48, it was reported (AT-5) to the Lane Cove Local Planning Panel (LPP), for advice on 10 March 2026.

The LPP advice was that Planning Proposal 48 (AT-6) be supported as it satisfies both the strategic and site-specific merit tests.

The Panel also recommended that while the measure and criteria for listing or de-listing heritage items should be on heritage criteria alone, the Planning Proposal (like all Planning Proposals) should include information about the planning implications of delisting upon future development, including development potential that would arise from the ‘Low and Mid Rise Housing’ development criteria within Part 6 of State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021.

Planning Proposal 46 – 94 Northwood Road, Northwood (Heritage de-listing) Recommendation    

The Planning Proposal to remove the property from Schedule 5 of the LEP was originally included in the LEP Review in July 2025, however the Local Planning Panel did not support the removal of the heritage listing as the assessment did not adequately address the impact that de-listing would have on the heritage significance of the group of properties located between 88 and 96 Northwood Road.

Following the Panel’s advice the Proposal was returned to the applicant for revision in order to address the Panel’s comments.

A revised Planning Proposal was submitted to another Local Planning Panel meeting in November 2025, accompanied by an independent heritage review. The LPP recommended a further independent review.

The separate review was received and reported back to the LPP in March 2026.

The LPP did not support the de-listing and recommended that Council consider whether a Heritage Conservation Area for Northwood is appropriate.

Greenwich (in Lane Cove Council) is not designated as one suburb-wide Heritage Conservation Area. Instead:

Heritage controls are applied selectively

They usually cover specific streets, precincts, or sites, not the entire suburb

Adoption – Draft Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Policy Recommendation   

The draft Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Policy (the Policy) guides the establishment of publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure (EVCI) to encourage electric vehicle adoption in Lane Cove whilst maintaining local amenity and services.

The draft Policy outlines the key site selection and design criteria guidelines that will ensure installations meet safety, accessibility, environmental, and community requirements.

The draft Policy has been developed with the intention of supporting the delivery of EVCI on public land so that it integrates effectively with the local context and provides guidance to providers of EVCI on the selection of locations and associated requirements.

The draft Policy was exhibited from 26 February 2026 to 30 March 2026. A total of 43 ‘feedback surveys’ were completed, with largely positive feedback received.

11 responses expressed concerns with the draft Policy, and some minor adjustments to the Policy have been made to address feedback received. The amendments include:

•  reference for technology to be compatible with a wide range of makes and models
•  more specific wording around consideration for areas with high density housing
•  reference to the need for adherence to fire safety standards
•  the avoidance of ‘Rear to Kerb’ or ‘Nose to Kerb’ spaces where possible
• consideration of the type and capacity of charger

 Adoption – Sustainability Action Plan 2026 – 2030 and Outcomes Report for the Sustainability Action Plan 2022 – 2025 Recommendation    

Council adopted the first Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) in 2005 and received approval from IPART in 2007 to introduce a Sustainability Levy to support the implementation of this Plan. The Sustainability Levy remains in place and has continued to support the implementation of projects to deliver against the goals and actions in Councils subsequent Sustainability Plans.

To mark the end of the 2022-2025 SAP, an Outcomes Report was prepared to report back on the activities delivered under the 2022-2025 SAP, and a new SAP has been developed to guide the delivery of initiatives and the allocation of Sustainability Levy Funding through 2026 to 2030.

The Outcomes Report for the Sustainability Action Plan 2022–2025 (AT-1) and Draft Sustainability Action Plan for 2026-2030 were reported to Council at the February 2026 Council meeting and were exhibited for 30 days from 27 February 2026 to 29 March 2026.

Four submissions were received during this period, with three (3) from the online survey, and one written submission received from the Bushland Advisory Committee (BMAC) (AT-2).

After consideration of these submissions, a number of minor amendments were made to the Sustainability Action Plan 2026–2030 (AT-3). The amendments include:

•  reference to the Plan of Management for Bushland in Lane Cove (pg12)
•  reference to the Parks and Open Spaces team against indicator d) (pg17)
• inclusion of an indicator to report on the number of endemic plants produced by Councils Nursery (pg17)
• inclusion of an indicator to report on the number of stormwater outlets that are improved such that stormwater damage to bushland is reduced or prevented (pg17)
•  adjustment of the wording of action 1.05 to specifically reference stormwater runoff into bushland and to prevent rather than minimise erosion (pg18)
•  inclusion of wording under Goal 4 that ‘this goal links to actions contained in goal 1, with the celebration of the natural environment playing a key role in the delivery of both goals’ (pg24)
• adjustment to the wording of action 4.08 to specify ‘in appropriate locations’ (pg25)

The amended Sustainability Action Plan 2026-2030 and Outcomes Report for the 2022-2025 Sustainability Action Plan are recommended for adoption.

Feasibility of Community E-Shuttle for Lane Cove Recommendation    

A study was done to see if a community electric shuttle service would work in Lane Cove.

The review found that bus services are generally good during peak times, but there are two main gaps:

• Travel from Lane Cove West Business Park
• Travel to Chatswood during peak hours

Based on these gaps, two possible shuttle routes were identified and looked at in more detail. The study examined costs for both a privately run service and one run by the Council, as well as possible funding and partnerships.

A private service would cost about $280,800 per year for both routes, including drivers and operations. A Council-run service would cost about $517,310 in the first year (including buying an electric bus), and about $167,310 per year after that, not including running and fuel costs.

The Council asked 16 local businesses about sponsorship, but none could contribute. Six aged care facilities were contacted; all supported the idea but could not provide funding or help run the service.

Out of four community bus companies contacted, only one could run a service five days a week.

Working with Willoughby Council is not an option, as they stopped their shuttle service in 2022 and do not plan to restart it.

Grant funding was also considered, but there are currently no suitable programs available.

Looking at other councils, many have stopped similar shuttle services because not enough people used them.

Because of the high setup and running costs, this report does not recommend starting a community shuttle bus service in Lane Cove at this time.

Public Exhibition – Draft Small Watercraft Storage Policy Recommendation

The officer’s report noted there has been a sustained growth in the ownership and improper storage of small watercraft in waterfront locations within the Lane Cove local government area in recent years, resulting in environmental and recreational impacts.

Council does not have an adopted Policy position on this issue, however at the December 2025 Council meeting council resolved to develop a LGA wide Watercraft Management Strategy.

A draft Small Watercraft Storage Policy has been prepared that aims to formalise and manage small watercraft storage at foreshore locations in the LGA. The Policy has been guided by policies of neighbouring councils, with the draft Policy prescribing designated storage areas and types for registered boat owners, including the introduction of a fee regime to ensure adequate ongoing management of facilities and minimise abandoned and improperly stored watercraft, especially in environmentally sensitive areas.

Areas within the LGA have been identified and mapped as suitable for storage immediately; some areas are identified for future storage opportunities and others noted as unsuitable (

Given that Council does not currently charge a registration fees for small watercraft on public land a fee structure for registration is proposed and aligns with fee structures of neighbouring Councils.

 Local Transport Forum – March 2026 Recommendation    

The Local Transport Forum considered the following:

St Vincent’s Road (south end) from Gore Street to Bob Campbell Oval, Greenwich – proposed shared user path

Dorritt Street from Little Street to Phoenix Street, Lane Cove – Proposed alteration of the existing speed cushions to speed humps

Chisholm Street (south end) at Greenwich Road, Greenwich – Proposed installation of ‘No Stopping’ zone

Longueville Road (west side) at Zeta Road, Lane Cove – Alter the part of the existing 37-meter ‘No Parking’ 8.00 – 9.30 am, 2.30 -4.00 pm to 17.0-meter ‘ 10 min parking’ 8.00 – 9.30 am, 2.30 – 4.00 pm

Merinda Street (west side) from Mindarie Street to Cul de sac, Lane Cove North – Alter the existing ‘No Parking’ zone, 9.00 am – 5.30 pm, Mon – Fri and 8.00 am – 12.00 pm, Saturday.

Alpha Road (north side), from Beta Road to Gamma Road, Lane Cove – Proposed ‘No Parking’ zone

Public Exhibition – Draft Infrastructure Asset Management Policy Recommendation    

The purpose of this agenda item is to seek Council endorsement to commence the public exhibition of the draft Infrastructure Asset Management Policy.

Council’s existing Infrastructure Asset Management Policy was first adopted in 2010 but has not undergone a review.

A new Policy has been prepared that establishes a framework for the sustainable management of Council’s Infrastructure Assets to reflect reasonable community expectations of time, quality and value for money.

The draft Policy sets guidelines for implementing consistent asset management framework for the management of existing and new assets throughout the Lane Cove Council area. The application of these principles will ensure our assets continue to provide the appropriate level of service to meet the community’s needs and expectations in a sustainable manner.

 Council Snapshot March 2026 Recommendation    

Lane Cove Council publishes a monthly snapshot, 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.

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