The Weekly Times - 13th December, 2017

4 THE WEEKLY TIMES Wednesday 13 December, 2017
Council ‘facts’ on
Ann Thorn Park
Dear Sir,
I wish to point out a
number of inaccuracies
in your story published 6
December 2017 ‘Furious
Meadowbank residents
fight back as development
threatens park’.
It is important that residents
know the facts in a
matter of concern to all.
Firstly, at no time did
residents “yell” at Council
staff. Residents were
upset at the loss of a
small portion of the parkland,
which Council has
always opposed, but
they were not rude.
Construction works
between 30 November
2017 and Monday 4 December
2017 were undertaken
by contractors
Diona Pty Ltd on behalf
of the Holdmark Property
Group at Ann Thorn Park
to relocate a Sydney Water
Corporation owned
water main.
At that time, Council immediately
advised residents
by hand delivered
letter that work would
take place. The letter included
the history of the
development process
that dates back to 2013.
The statement that residents
were informed that
use of the parkland “is
currently before a State
Government Joint Regional
Planning Panel”
is incorrect. Residents
were advised that the
entire Holdmark development
was previously
approved by the State
Government’s Planning
Assessment Commission
and Joint Regional Planning
Panel.
I would like to restate
some other pertinent
facts relating to this de-
- 6 and 13 December 2017
Letters to the Editor
velopment:
The relocation of the
water main forms part of
preparation for essential
drainage and stormwater
works to alleviate flooding
in the area. It is the
responsibility of the contractor
to notify residents
of the works on behalf
of the utility provider.
When Council is advised
of these works, it always
endeavours to keep residents
informed in a timely
manner.
It is correct that State
Government authority
over major development
approval and utilities like
drainage and power supply
always takes precedence
over local government
Council controls.
Council has objected to
the size and scale of the
Holdmark development
from the start. Council
is not working “with” the
State Government on this
and supports the residents’
position.
Residents can be assured
that Council will do
everything in its power to
advocate on their behalf
for locally sensitive, wellconsidered
development
to meet the demands of
population growth that
will deliver sustainable,
well planned communities.
GEORGE DEDES
Acting General Manager
City of Ryde Council
Saving Ann
Thorn Park
Dear Sir,
I just wanted to thank
you for coming at such
short notice on Monday
and for writing up the
article so quickly on Ann
Thorn Park.
DAY DATE MONTH
Monday 12 February
Monday 26 February
Monday 12 March
Monday 26 March
Monday 9 April
Monday 14 May
Monday 28 May
Tuesday 12 June
Monday 25 June
Monday 23 July
Monday 13 August
Monday 27 August
Monday 10 September
Monday 24 September
Monday 22 October
Monday 12 November
Monday 26 November
Monday 10 December
LETTERS
Welcome
TWT welcomes letters
from our readers. Full
name, address and
telephone number
MUST be supplied, even
if not for publication.
Send to: TWT PO Box
123, Ryde 1680 or email:
contactus@weekly
times.com.au
It was depressing hearing
that, although council
supported and agreed
with us, little could be
done to stop Holdmark.
However, it was encouraging
to have people like
yourselves support us, so
thank you.
ELINOR FAULKNER
Meadowbankl
Parkland is a
precious amenity
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your
coverage of the Ann
Thorn Park in Meadowbank
last week
(TWT 06/12/17).
The fact that so many
residents braved the
heavy rain to voice their
concerns over the possible
destruction of the
park with a developerdriven
roadway is testament
to the depth of
their anger.
I am writing to assure
locals that the Greens
Councillors, Edwina
Clifton and myself, fully
support them in their
protest.
Parkland is precious
both of itself and as an
amenity; in that particular
area over-development
has annihilated
green space. I know
that Clr Purcell also
stands with us on this
matter.
Clr CHRISTOPHER GORDON
Deputy Mayor, City of
Ryde
Open space for
Meadowbank
Dear Sir,
I am writing in response
to the news
that, “Ann Thorn Park,
in Meadowbank, would
have its trees destroyed
and a road put through
it”, as told by an excavation
contractor in late
November to local residents.
Firstly, this is no way for
development news to be
brought to public attention.
There are policies and
procedures that must
be met to ensure proper
communication and
proper consultation.
Secondly, no such proposals
have been formally
brought before council
for consideration. As it
stands, there is a need
for works to ameliorate
traffic from the proposed
Bowden Street traffic
lights, but nothing has
been formally proposed
as of today.
Thirdly, how much do
residents of Meadowbank
have to put up with?
The state planning bodies,
under the direction of
state MPs, have made a
mockery of local planning
laws, and as a result, we
have a less than optimum
result in Meadowbank -
with little thought given
to infrastructure, public
amenity or open spaces.
It is everything wrong
with this state’s planning
policies and it just cannot
continue.
Ryde’s Labor councillors
will be fully behind
Meadowbank residents
in finding the best solution
to hang onto their little
bit of green space that
HUNTER’S HILL COUNCIL
HUNTER’S HILL COUNCIL
is the historic Ann Thorn
HOURS OF OPERATION
HUNTER’S
-CHRISTMAS
HILL COUNCIL
NEW YEAR PERIOD
Park.
HOURS OF OPERATION -CHRISTMAS NEW YEAR PERIOD
Clr BERNARD PURCELL
istration The Administration Centre will Centre be closed will be from closed 12.00pm from 12.00pm Friday 22 Friday December 22 December 2017 2017 to to
Central Ward
anuary Monday 2018 1 January inclusive. 2018 inclusive. Normal business Normal business hours apply hours on apply Tuesday on Tuesday 2 January 2 2018. Ryde City Council
January 2018.
requiring passes for New Year’s Eve are reminded that they are only available from
ervices Residents until requiring 12.00pm passes on for 22 New December Year’s Eve 2016. are reminded that they are only Campaign behavior
queried
available from Customer Services until 12.00pm on 22 December 2017.
uty
A Council
Officer
Duty
is available
Officer is
for
available
emergencies
for emergencies
only and
only
can
and
be
can
contacted
be contacted
on 0408
on
461 996.
0408 461 996.
Dear Sir,
ollection days will be as normal collection days, beginning at 4.00 a.m. Urgent requests
garbage Garbage and Collection recycling days should will be as be normal directed collection to the Council days, beginning Contractor, at 4.00 United a.m. Resource I am shocked to see
nt Urgent (URM) requests on 1300 concerning 136 460. garbage and recycling should be directed to the Council
how little Kristina Keneally
knows about our
Contractor, United Resource Management (URM) on 1300 136 460.
area, and appalled at the
il and staff wish everyone a joyous and safe holiday season.
way her volunteers have
The Council and staff wish everyone a joyous and safe holiday season.
been behaving throughout
the campaign.
ORDINARY
ORDINARY
MEETINGS
MEETINGS OF
OF
COUNCIL
COUNCIL
FOR
FOR
2018
2018
All meetings All meetings commence commence at at 7.30pm and are are held held at at the the Council Council Chambers, Chambers,
22 22 Alexandra Street, Hunters Hill. Hill.
When Kristina was interviewed
recently she
didn’t have a clue about
Bennelong, and actually
thought that Rydalmere
and Dundas were suburbs
in Ryde!
For someone who
claims to support
schools in our area (despite
cutting education
funding by $318 million
when she was Premier)
Kristina Keneally couldn’t
even name the School
with the Pool.
She knows nothing
about us, and to make
matters worse, Keneally’s
Labor and Union volunteers
have been nothing
short of bullies – littering
our streets with their
posters and flyers, blocking
footpaths with their
corflutes, and yelling at
people who dare speak
out against Labor’s candidate.
And our Mayor is
Barry running Smiththis campaign…?
Barry GENERAL Smith MANAGER
GENERAL MANAGER
E MARTIN
West Ryde
Hunters Hill Guest Column
Hunters Hill under attack
again - local Planning Panels
UNDER RECENT
changes to the Environmental
Planning
and Assessment Act
1979, rushed through
Parliament, Local
Planning Panels (also
known as IHAPs) will
become mandatory for
councils in the Greater
Sydney Region and for
Wollongong City Council,
including Hunters
Hill from March 1, 2018.
This outrageous action
by the NSW Government
will see elected councillors
have no say in determining
development applications
in the communities in which
they live.
This ill-conceived legislation
is justified by Minister
Roberts as to address the
risk of corruption?
Or is it just another attempt
by the State to circumvent
local democracy
so as to put development
before community?
This will create a serious
challenge as to how
we continue to protect the
unique built and natural environmental
heritage, character
and sense of place of
our municipality.
The state government has
failed to consult or to make
a case for mandating these
panels.
Most councils including
Hunters Hill already have
in place robust systems to
assess Development Applications
in an effective and
transparent manner.
* * *
COUNCILS THAT current-
To The POINT
With
ROSS WILLIAMS
ly have voluntary IHAPs are
shocked by the interference
in what should be a locally
determined process being
taken over by the state and
out of the hands of local
communities.
Hunters Hill Council wrote
to the Minister requesting
the government repeal this
legislation and that he explain
these changes, but
Minister Roberts continues
to refuse to consult with
Hunters Hill Council.
He has not given any
justification for his government’s
actions nor to my
knowledge the courtesy of
a reply.
What this legislation does
is to prohibit our elected
representatives from taking
any part in Development
Applications and handing
the decision to an unelected
panel, comprising three
members appointed by the
Minister and one community
representative appointed
by the Council.
The panel will not be accountable
to the Hunters
Hill community but to the
state government.
* * *
THE SITUATION is made
worse by these government
appointees, such as
architects and town planners,
being drawn from the
development industry.
How can these so called
“technical experts” be considered
as impartial or independent?
The forced introduction of
Local Planning Panels will
create unnecessary additional
bureaucratic process
and will introduce additional
professional and administrative
costs on councils
and their rate payers.
By the Governments own
“Fact Sheet” these costs
could be $100,000 to local
communities (in Hunters
Hill it is estimated to be
$60,000).
This is money that could
otherwise be spent on local
community priorities.
At the last week’s Local
Government NSW Conference
involving all councils
from across the state, a
motion was overwhelmingly
passed “calling on the NSW
government to revoke the
legislation that mandates
IHAPS (Local Planning Panels)”.
Further the President of
LG NSW has written to
Ministers on behalf of NSW
councils expressing strident
opposition to Local Planning
Panels (IHAPs) and
denouncing the erosion of
local democracy with the
imposition of these Panels.
ROSS
Councillor
WILLIAMS
on Hunters
is a
Hill
Council.
Councillors vote to
scrap parking meters!
THE WEEKLY TIMES
has won the fight to
scrap the cash grab
parking meters at
Buffalo Creek Reserve.
The new Hunters Hill
Council voted on Tuesday
night to remove the
parking meters from July
1 next year, subject to
a feasibility report from
General Manager Barry
Smith.
Only Mayor Mark Bennett
voted against the
motion to remove the
parking meters – which
would see the loss of
around $40,000 per year
in income – when it was
proposed by Clr Zac
Miles, who supports The
Weekly Times’ campaign
to get rid of them.
“These meters were
installed as a revenue
measure and the park
has suffered a loss of
patronage, it is empty !”
Clr Miles said.
Deputy Mayor Ross
Williams spoke of the
strong support for their
removal from TWT readers.
“We had 700 people
pack the Town Hall, all
very much opposed to
parking meters in Hunters
Hill,” he said.
“It is a real issue and
I share the same view
about the parking meters
at Clarkes Point.”
General Manager
Barry Smith said Hunters
Hill could be sued for
breach of contract if the
meters are scrapped and
warned of the impact a
loss of revenue would
have on the council’s
HUNTERS HILL NEWS
budget.
“That position will be
worse, not only for this
year but for the entire
long term financial plan if
this motion is adopted,”
he said.
Councillor Elizabeth
Krassoi said other income
options could be
considered.
“By July we can find a
lot of No Stopping signs
we can make money out
of.”
* * *
RADIO ACTIVE Nelson
Parade will be discussed
by council staff,
residents and government
officials at a public
meeting.
Councillors voted
unanimously to host the
meeting early next year
at Hunters Hill Town in
response to a Mayoral
Minute and reports that
property values in and
around the contaminated
Hunters Hill site have
dropped by around $50
million.
The radio active and
other contaminated
waste has been known
to the council and governments
for at least
ten years but attempts
to remove it have failed
as an alternative, politically
acceptable, dumping
ground has not been
found.
“This is a political football,
not a technical issue
and we need to write
to Lane Cove MP Anthony
Roberts to accelerate
this, ” Deputy Mayor
Ross Williams said.
The council is expected
to invite representatives
from the Environmental
Protection
Authority and Planning
NSW to the meeting
alongside Mr Roberts
and the Nelson Parade
Action Group.
* * *
A PUBLIC MEETING
will be hosted by Hunters
Hill Council in February
to discuss any updates
on a proposed retail and
residential development
at the Gladesville Shopping
Village.
The meeting is expected
to provide details
on a planning proposal,
which will be considered
by the state government.
“At the moment it is
not even a concept,”
Deputy Mayor Ross Williams
said.
“The current situation
is difficult to understand
at a community level
and we could be looking
at a 20 storey building of
240 units.”
Councillors will consider
relocating the heritage
cottage on the site
at 10 Cowell Street and
proposed sites include
Heydon Park, Valentia
Street Reserve, Gladesville
Reserve and Boronia
Park.