Pittwater Council Annual Report - Pittwater Council - NSW ...

Integrating our Built EnvironmentAward-winning Warriewood Valley land releaseThe Council was recognised in 2008 with a national award for itssustainable approach to the land release in the Warriewood Valley area.The Council’s planning controls for the local area have been specificallydesigned to reduce vehicle use and encourage retention of wildlifecorridors.Newport retail centre upgradeBetween 2008 and 2010, the Council is spending $4 million onupgrading the retail centre at Newport. The first stage of the projectimproved pedestrian access and traffic flow, created a landscapedmedian strip and pathways. Stage 2 will focus on landscaping, wideningfootpaths and improving parking. The agreement with Woolworths tosell a portion of publicly-owned land will create a public car park of up to 300 spaces, asupermarket and boutique shops in the next 2-3 years.Warriewood Valley road networkBetween 2008 and 2009 a total of $1.45 million was spent on roadnetworks in Warriewood Valley. $390,000 was spent on culverts,pedestrian access and cycleways in Ponderosa Parade and McPhersonStreet; $680,000 was spent on culverts in Garden Sreet at Fern Creekand $380,000 spent on installing traffic lights at the intersection ofFoley Street and Mona Vale Road.Beachside Councils Accord & Liquor PolicyAlong with five other Sydney beachside councils, Pittwater signedan agreement in May 2009 on combatting anti-social behaviour. Thecouncils agreed to lobby the state government to close legal loopholeson the policing of drinking at beaches. The Council also reviewed itsliquor policy in early 2009 to encourage applications from small barproprietors in retail areas and strengthen controls on licenses in residential areas.Security at Avalon and Mona ValeThe Council has worked with the police, business owners and residents to developa strategy to combat anti-social behaviour in Avalon and Mona Vale. This includes aroll-out of CCTV and lighting in Avalon and Mona Vale’s retail centres between 2008and 2009.Currawong site saved from developmentThe Council and the local community fought an 18-month campaign between 2007and 2009 to save the historic Currawong site from inappropriate development. Thisculminated in the announcement in June 2009 by the NSW Planning Minister that aproposed development on the site would not proceed.North Narrabeen Masterplan and access improvementsDuring 2008 the Council prepared a draft masterplan for the North Narrabeenshopping precinct to improve access and parking. Between May and June 2009,Council worked with the RTA to develop a traffic management scheme for NorthNarrabeen, creating a bus lane from Pittwater Road to Wakehurst Parkway andimproving access for commuters and pedestrians in adjoining local streets.Geotechnical risk management policyIn 2007 Council launched a revised landslide risk management policy to reflect newguidelines issued by the national body for landslide risk management. The policyintroduced new requirements for development applications in the low-risk categoryfor landslide. The policy was subsequently peer-reviewed during 2009 and as aresult, the Council removed the requirements for low-risk properties.Secondary dwelling policy adoptedThe Council recognised the need for more affordable housing options in Pittwaterby developing and adopting a secondary dwelling policy in 2008. The policy allowsattached or separate small dwellings to be built on the site of existing homes, subjectto certain criteria.64