Parra News 30 November 2021
November 30 2021 edition of Parra News.
November 30 2021 edition of Parra News.
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End of an era as St George<br />
flames out at North Rocks<br />
NICOLA BARTON<br />
Another bank bites the dust at the<br />
North Rocks Shopping centre,<br />
adding to a list of others who<br />
have exited the centre over the years.<br />
St George Bank will close its North<br />
Rocks branch this Friday December 3,<br />
meaning the shopping centre will no<br />
longer have a bank.<br />
Customers in North Rocks can instead<br />
deposit cash and cheques, withdraw<br />
money and make balance enquiries at<br />
North Rocks Shopping Centre via Bank@<br />
Post at Australia Post.<br />
Alternatively, customers will have to<br />
travel to other St George branches at<br />
Carlingford Court, Baulkham Hills or<br />
Winston Hills.<br />
For locals it is a frustrating outcome<br />
and one that has occurred time and time<br />
again with a variety of different banking<br />
brands over the years.<br />
A St George spokesperson said the<br />
decision ultimately came down to usage<br />
demand.<br />
“When we close a branch, it is not a<br />
decision we take lightly,” the spokesperson<br />
said.<br />
“We take into consideration customer<br />
usage, location and proximity to other<br />
banking services.<br />
St George Bank at North Rocks.<br />
“We continue to follow our customers<br />
by investing in the ways they are choosing<br />
to bank.<br />
“This follows a significant shift toward<br />
digital and cashless banking, and declining<br />
foot traffic in bank branches.<br />
“To meet this changing customer<br />
demand, we have grown our 24/7 phone<br />
banking and virtual banking centres,<br />
as well as investing in digital banking<br />
services to help customers with managing<br />
their money online.”<br />
<strong>Parra</strong> <strong>News</strong> contacted North Rocks<br />
Shopping Centre to ask if another bank<br />
would move into the centre but management<br />
declined to comment.<br />
LOCAL NEWS<br />
Impassioned pleas help send<br />
draft bill to public inquiry<br />
NICOLA BARTON<br />
The controversial draft bill for the<br />
Greater Sydney Parklands Trust<br />
will be sent to a public inquiry,<br />
following a recent decision by the NSW<br />
Upper House.<br />
The Greater Sydney Parklands agency<br />
was created by the NSW Department of<br />
Planning and seeks to overhaul three<br />
existing Trusts to collectively oversee<br />
and manage Centennial Park and Moore<br />
Park, Callan Park, <strong>Parra</strong>matta Park,<br />
Western Sydney Parkland and Fernhill<br />
Estate.<br />
Critics believe this leaves the door wide<br />
open for commercialisation of our public<br />
spaces but the State Government assures<br />
the superagency will “better protect”<br />
green spaces.<br />
A number of MPs made impassioned<br />
speeches, including Granville MP Julia<br />
Finn, Auburn MP Lynda Voltz and Blacktown<br />
MP Stephen Bali, outlining their<br />
distrust in the bill, effectively sending the<br />
matter to public inquiry in 2022.<br />
North <strong>Parra</strong>matta Residents Action<br />
Group and Alliance for Public Parklands<br />
spokesperson, Suzette Meade welcomed<br />
the inquiry and said the bill is far more<br />
complex than meets the eye.<br />
“This is far more complex an issue than<br />
Suzette Meade.<br />
coffee carts at Callan Park, the proposed<br />
parklands legislation would have allowed<br />
for more of our historic <strong>Parra</strong>matta Park<br />
to be taken for hotels and private use,” she<br />
said.<br />
“We hope the upper house inquiry into<br />
the Greater Sydney Parklands Agency Bill<br />
will shine a light on so many unanswered<br />
questions about the governance of public<br />
parks and how and why the Greater<br />
Sydney Parklands has already had unilateral<br />
powers to remove existing trustee<br />
boards of Centennial and <strong>Parra</strong>matta<br />
Parks and replace them with a new one<br />
size fits all board out of the Department<br />
of Planning.”<br />
parra news » Tuesday, <strong>November</strong> <strong>30</strong>, <strong>2021</strong><br />
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