SAVE GLENLEE

The Heritage Council of NSW has resolved to consider listing Glenlee on the State Heritage Register (SHR). Please consider writing a submission to the Heritage Council of NSW stating your support of the SHR listing outlining why you think Glenlee is of heritage significance to the people of New South Wales. Visit Save Glenlee for information to include in your submission.

EVENT INVITATION

Supporters of Save Carss Park Pool may recall that back in 2020, former Mayor Kevin Greene used his casting vote to refuse the RSL’s request for council support for a grant application to complete an historical study of Kogarah War Memorial Pool.

Following this vote, the Kogarah Bay Progress Association Inc made an application under the NSW Community War Memorial Fund to complete the study. The funding application was successful.

Eminent war memorial historian Dr Darren Mitchell was commissioned to complete the study. Supporters of Save Carss Park Pool are invited by Kogarah Bay Progress Association to a presentation by Dr Mitchell on the findings of his research. Find out more and RSVP below.

When: 7.30pm, Wednesday 17 August

Location: The Hub, 49 English Street Kogarah 

UPDATE: COUNCIL BUDGET

At the June Council meeting, Council adopted the 2022/23 Operational Plan and 2022-2026 Delivery Program.

The GRRRP Councillors spent a lot of time reviewing the budget, along with their Councillor colleagues, trying to balance the wishes of the community whilst still adhering to Council’s Long-term Financial-Plan.

GRRRP is proud to have helped deliver the first budget operating surplus since the council was elected in 2017.

At the June Council meeting, after Council received 70 submissions from the community, many of which requested that Carss Park be added as the third aquatic centre location in the list of works for the LGA, the Operational and Delivery Plan was updated to reflect those views. This included adding the action to progress construction of an aquatic facility in the LGA. There had previously been no action relating to the construction of a third aquatic facility. The plan now also includes the following actions;

1. Accelerate the feasibility study, concept plans and business case for a new aquatic facility in the LGA

2. Select a suitable site for construction of a new aquatic facility in the LGA

3. Seek funding to progress construction of a new aquatic facility in the LGA

4. Undertake feasibility study for construction of a new aquatic facility in the LGA

These strategies and actions are important. They show the intent of the Council.

We eagerly await the feasibility studies on the Carss Park site which are due in September.

UPDATE: MORTDALE MASTER PLAN

At the June Council meeting, GRRRP Councillor Christina Jamieson asked a Question with Notice about the Mortdale Masterplan, following a Notice of Motion lodged in the NSW Parliament by Mark Coure MP which called on Georges River Council to withdraw the Mortdale Masterplan.

GRRRP does not support the withdrawal of the Mortdale Masterplan. A Masterplan is critical for planning of a suburb. If there is no Masterplan, it is a green light for adhoc development through spot-rezoning via Planning Proposals. Withdrawing the Mortdale Masterplan could result in inappropriate development going to the state government to be approved. Without a Masterplan in place to guide development in the area and protect the community, Planning Proposals will have a greater chance of being approved.

GRRRP understands the community opposes what’s proposed in the current DRAFT Mortdale Masterplan, however what is key is to ensure a Masterplan that reflects the community’s wishes is adopted. The longer we don't have an adopted community-appropriate Mortdale Masterplan, the greater the risk that adhoc development (via spot rezoning) will occur and this could destroy the village atmosphere.

For this reason, GRRRP will continue to press for an amended Masterplan that better reflects the community’s expectations.

The proponent for the Woolworths Planning Proposal at Ramsgate Road & Targo Road, Ramsgate has lodged a Rezoning Review to the Department of Planning and Environment. State planning laws allow a proponent to request a Rezoning Review if a Council has not supported or made a decision on a planning proposal within 90 days. he applicant is seeking a rezoning review because Council has failed to indicate its support for the proposal 90 days after the request to prepare a planning proposal was submitted.

This means that the decision of whether the planning proposal should proceed to Gateway Determination and public exhibition is now out of Council’s hands and is with the South Sydney Planning Panel and the Department of Planning and Environment.

The Gateway determination is a checkpoint for a planning proposal to review strategic and site-specific merit and whether the planning proposal should proceed to public exhibition.

A Planning Proposal was originally lodged with Council on 15 October 2021 seeking a rezoning of Nos 193-199 Rocky Point Road, 66-68 Ramsgate Road and 2-6 Targo Road Ramsgate to amend the building height from part 15 metres and part 21 metres to part 9 metres, part 15 metres, part 24 metres, part 29 metres and part 32 metres. See the amended plans submitted for Rezoning Review.

Since lodgement Council has been working with the proponent seeking to address a number of issues relating to interface, bulk, scale and traffic generation impacts.

The NSW State Government’s Local Environmental Plan Making Guidelines will be used to assess and determine the Rezoning Review. These guidelines do not provide the community/public the opportunity to address the Planning Panel. It is anticipated the rezoning review will be considered by the Sydney South Planning Panel in late August 2022.

SIGNIFICANT TREE REGISTER

Developing a significant tree register has been on Council’s wish list for a few years now, but it has never quite made its way into being an action in Council’s Operational and Delivery Plan or a funded item in the budget.

GRRRP is pleased to say we’ve changed that! We’ve prioritised the significant tree register so this year it will be funded and it is specifically outlined as an action that Council will deliver by June 2023.

IN THE NEWS

• Let there be light, Kogarah residents say - Council will provide a report on the most appropriate lighting solution and the associated cost to install lighting to the basketball courts at Hogben Park, Kogarah, following a Motion from GRRRP Councillor Elise Borg.

• Netstrata Jubilee ruled out for possible basketball-netball centre - GRRRP Councillor Elise Borg made an amendment to exclude Netstrata Jubilee Oval from the locations identified for basketball and netball courts on the basis, that to date, Councillors and the community have not sighted nor had an opportunity to comment on the Draft Masterplan for Netstrata Jubilee.

• Georges River puts synthetic sporting fields under the spotlight - following a Motion from GRRRP Councillor Peter Mahoney, Council will carry out a comprehensive investigation into the impacts arising from synthetic playing fields.

• Georges River Councillors say no to a pay rise - at the June Council meeting GRRRP Councillors voted against increasing the remuneration to Councillors for the 2022/23 financial year. GRRRP Councillors did support superannuation payments being made on Councillor fees at the rate of the Super Guarantee from 1 July 2022, in line with the recent amendments to the Local Government Act, which received bipartisan support.

UPCOMING COUNCIL MEETINGS

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