Pittwater Life January 2024 Issue

Council given control over streets
The State Government will give Northern
Beaches Council the authority to
design and deliver pedestrian crossings,
bike lanes and parking changes without
referral to local Traffic Committees.
The major regulatory change, involving
all Councils across NSW, is aimed at
making streets more liveable and to better
support walking and cycling.
Also, Northern Beaches Council will
soon be able to temporarily close local
streets to vehicles to host more community
events and boost outdoor dining
experiences.
And the State Government has introduced
new legislation that will prevent
single complainants from shutting down
outdoor events featuring live music.
The Government’s $15 million Vibrant
Streets program will be available to
councils from early 2024. It says the
program will help reduce the cost and
complexity for communities to use the
streets they own.
“This package of initiatives creates
more opportunities to have fun outdoors
by making it cheaper to arrange events
and removing the often slow and complex
application processes involved in delivering
street activations,” said Transport for
NSW spokesperson Brooke Wharton.
STREET ACTIVATIONS: The NSW Government is
cutting red tape to make events easier to stage.
“These activations will help make
spaces feel safer and more welcoming
and support local employment and business.”
The Vibrant Streets program includes
two packages:
Open Streets – A grant funding program
for NSW councils to temporarily
close streets and open them for people to
use and enjoy. Applications for councils
opens in January 2024.
Permit/Plug/Play Pilot – A program
partnering with pilot councils to help
reduce the cost and complexity of delivering
street-based events through an innovative
“local problems, local solutions”
model to allow for global pre-approvals
for streets as event sites.
Also, the Government passed legislation
in November which backs live music,
encourages the creation of more local
entertainment zones, and will prevent
single complainants from shutting down
venues.
In addition to the Vibrant Street program
and the new legislation, Transport
for NSW has also introduced its own
initiatives to encourage more events and
activities on local streets.
The first is a change to the Roads Regulations
to make it easier for communities
to hold neighbourhood street events.
It gives councils the power to approve
road closures for neighbourhood gatherings
on minor roads – such as a community
party or holiday event – without
approval from Transport for NSW.
The second initiative, announced in
December, is the new Temporary Delegation
which gives council the authority to
design and deliver pedestrian crossings,
bike lanes, street trees and parking
changes without referral to either Transport
for NSW or local Traffic Committees.
More information on Neighbourhood
Activity Guidelines and the Temporary
Delegation is available on Transport for
NSW’s website.
– Nigel Wall
News
The Local Voice Since 1991
JANUARY 2024 9