Pittwater Life June 2023 Issue

More documents

Recommendations

Info

News Tree fines: ‘Increase the hurt’ Pittwater-based community group Canopy Keepers is urging Northern Beaches Council to increase the financial penalty for the illegal removal of trees. The group also want Council to advertise tree removal applications and permits onsite, with signage as per current Development Application displays. Their calls follow a decision in Manly Court on May 9 where a developer was convicted of the removal of 14 trees from a construction site at North Narrabeen in 2021. The defendant was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 plus professional legal costs, with the court judgment describing the offence as a “serious breach”. Canopy Keepers spokeswoman Deborah Collins said although the group welcomed the successful prosecution, the penalty was insufficient deterrent. “Unfortunately, we need to increase the hurt,” Ms Collins said. Council was first alerted to the issue in September 2021 after receiving a complaint about the removal of a tree at a construction site in North Narrabeen. On inspection, Council found that 14 trees had been removed in contravention of a development consent. Northern Beaches Council Interim CEO Louise Kerr said the case served as an important reminder of the need to comply with development consents. WATERED DOWN DETERRENT: Canopy Keepers’ Deborah Collins wants financial penalties for the illegal removal of trees increased. “Northern Beaches Council is committed to protecting and maintaining trees and bushland, especially threatened species and trees with heritage significance,” Ms Kerr said. “Council has zero tolerance to these types of offences and takes these matters seriously. “While these 14 trees have sadly been removed, we hope that this will serve as an important reminder to others in the community to comply with conditions of their development consent and not remove trees without Council permission.” Canopy Keepers’ Ms Collins told Pittwater Life: “We support Council’s stand of Zero Tolerance with breaches of this kind… residents have a high expectation that Council is able to act in such circumstances and yet more often than not our canopy and our wildlife suffer an irreversible loss with limited reparation. “The NSW Department of Planning says it gives Councils extensive powers to investigate incidents and penalise offenders, yet we believe many at Council would agree that there is much in the legislation that requires reviewing and improving – including an easier way to bring about convictions.” She pointed to Ku-ring-gai Council as leading the way to have illegal tree removal fines increased. Ms Collins urged Northern Beaches Council to join with other councils to ensure fines were increased, as well as amend the ‘burden of proof’ legislation. “We call on the Council to advertise tree removal applications and permits onsite – just as they do DAs. “This allows residents to know in advance what is happening to their community of trees and why it is happening – and this alone could avert many illegal removals.” She noted that in the North Narrabeen case, the developer received a $10,000 fine 18 months after the offence. “That’s $700 per tree for possibly 70-100 years of growth – such a fine is not a deterrent to a developer or a wealthy home buyer, it simply is part of the development cost and seen as such,” Ms Collins said. She added that planting replacement tree stock, that took decades to mature, did not replace habitat or canopy, and with often a low compliance, this solution was flawed. Ms Collins said another layer of deterrent could be added if tree loppers were made accountable after carrying out illegal services for their clients. “In this instance was the tree lopper also fined? If a tree lopper was at risk of being listed on the NBC website or newsletter as disreputable, might that deter them?” she posed. Ms Collins said the vigilance of residents was essential in deterring illegal tree felling. “Follow the sound of the chainsaw, take photos of the tree felling, call Council, check the NBC website for approvals, talk to neighbours,” she said. – Nigel Wall *What do you think? Tell us at readers@pittwaterlife.com. au; also visit canopykeepers. org.au 22 JUNE 2023 The Local Voice Since 1991
Govt delivers Council a $3m blow Northern Beaches Council has slammed the Minns State Government for withdrawing crucial Environmental Services Levy insurance subsidies it pays NSW Councils, which will leave our Council with a $3.1 operating budget deficit heading into the new financial year. Newly elected Mayor Sue Heins labelled the move a “cost-shifting exercise”, while Pittwater State MP Rory Amon warned Labor’s move would likely force Council to raise its rates, further impacting the hip pockets of ratepayers during the current cost-of-living crisis. Mayor Heins said Labor had dumped a highly damaging increase in the Emergency Services Levy (ESL) on all NSW councils without warning heading into the 2023-’24 financial year. She said the sharp rise in the ESL through a 19.5 per cent increase and the removal of the existing subsidy paid by the NSW Government to offset levy increases in recent years would result in a $3.1 million spike (50 per cent increase) in its costs in 2023-’24. “This sudden announcement by the NSW Government came after we had finalised our draft 2023-’24 budget and started consulting our community on a plan we can no longer afford to fully fund,” she said. “This means we will now have to look at cutting costs elsewhere to meet this sharp increase in the levy. “It impacts our community because we may not be able to provide all the programs and services we had planned to.” Mayor Heins explained the NSW Government had paid an ESL subsidy to Councils since 2019-’20. The subsidy covered the large increase in the ESL in recent years due to increasing costs following bushfires and floods, along with funding reforms to workers’ compensation for firefighters with work-related cancers. “Now NSW Councils are being asked to fund significant rises in emergency services budgets,” Mayor Heins said. In the 2023-’24 financial year, Northern Beaches Council’s ESL will increase by $3.1 PHOTO: NSW RFS million, comprising a $1.5 million (19.5 per cent) increase in the levy to $9.3 million, and $1.6 million through the removal of the levy subsidy. The ESL is paid by councils and insurance companies to support NSW emergency services including Fire & Rescue, State Emergency Service and Rural Fire Service. Insurers of property in NSW fund almost 74 per cent of the costs. They collect an Emergency Services Levy from their customers as part of insurance premiums, which is passed onto the NSW Government. All NSW Councils fund 11.7 per cent of the costs of emergency services. Unlike the insurance industry, councils are not permitted to pass this levy directly onto customers through rates notices. Pittwater MP Rory Amon, a former Pittwater Ward councillor, said the new Labor Government had “ripped the carpet out from underneath our local Council”. “They have told them to fund the levy increase themselves, leaving us $3.1 million worse off this year alone,” he said. “This hike threatens the Council cancellation core services or projects, such as the delivery of new footpaths or surf club upgrades. This is unacceptable. “Labor’s decision demonstrates how out BUSHFIRES: The Northern Beaches remain a high-risk of natural disaster area. of touch they are with local communities, and they need to wake up to the enormous challenges being faced in communities across the state. “This decision of Labor will only further hurt families because Council will likely need to yet again increase rates to make up the $3.1 million difference, or by cutting key services or projects.” Mr Amon said local community services had long been funded through a costsharing arrangement between insurers, Councils and the NSW Government. “The former Liberal Government understood that local councils simply couldn’t afford any increase to their contribution as a result of COVID-19, natural disasters and other economic challenges,” he said. “I am proud of the former Government’s commitment to communities by delivering millions of dollars to local Councils to cover the cost of levy increases, so that Council could focus on core community services and projects.” Mayor Heins said Council rejected the move outright and had resolved to call on the NSW Government to reinstate the ESL subsidy. – Nigel Wall *What do you think? Tell us at readers@ pittwaterlife.com.au News The Local Voice Since 1991 JUNE 2023 23
Page 1: The Local Voice Since 1991 JUNE 202
Page 6: FREE LOCAL MONTHLY INDEPENDENT DIST
Page 9 and 10: huge helicopters to transport us to
Page 12 and 13: Bec and call of the beach News For
Page 14 and 15: An Avalon camper’s crazy Coronati
Page 16 and 17: News McCarrs Creek cyclists’ push
Page 18 and 19: News ‘My first year on Mackellar
Page 20 and 21: News No-take proposal polarises loc
Page 24: News Helping youth stage their iden
Page 28 and 29: News Pittwater News Local Probus Cl
Page 30 and 31: News Pittwater News Continued from
Page 32 and 33: News Pittwater News Continued from
Page 36 and 37: John and Pam Ward never set out to
Page 38: Life Stories Continued from page 37
Page 41 and 42: Hot Property Where home is where th
Page 43 and 44: mesh. Mesh is generally made of pol
Page 45 and 46: Be prepared to stay well as colds h
Page 47 and 48: Hair & Beauty with Sue Carroll Look
Page 49 and 50: contributions, or simply donates ou
Page 51 and 52: eflection and usually is reviewed m
Page 53 and 54: vegetable gardens and waterfront sp
Page 55 and 56: the rain. Sales, service & installa
Page 57 and 58: Pittwater Puzzler Compiled by David
Page 59 and 60: For more recipes go to janellebloom
Page 62 and 63: Garden Life with Gabrielle Bryant G
Page 64 and 65: Garden Life June Jobs this Month Ga
Page 66: Travel Life Travel Life Tauck sprin

Pittwater Life June 2023 Issue

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?