Agenda of Ordinary Council - 19 October 2009

COUNCIL CHAMBERS

The Lord Mayor Clr Paul Garrard - Woodville Ward

Dr. Robert Lang, Chief Executive Officer - Parramatta City Council

Sue Coleman – Group Manager City Services			Assistant Minutes Clerk – Joy Bramham
Geoff King – Acting Group Manager Corporate			Minutes Clerk – Grant Davies
Sue Weatherley–Group Manager Outcomes & Development

Clr Paul Barber – Caroline Chisholm Ward			Clr Lorraine Wearne, Lachlan Macquarie Ward
Clr Mark Lack – Elizabeth Macarthur Ward			Clr John Chedid – Elizabeth Macarthur Ward
Clr Glenn Elmore – Woodville Ward			Clr Scott Lloyd – Caroline Chisholm Ward
Clr Pierre Esber– Lachlan Macquarie Ward			Clr Andrew Wilson – Lachlan Macquarie Ward
Clr Prabir Maitra – Arthur Phillip Ward			Clr Andrew Bide – Caroline Chisholm Ward
Clr Julia Finn – Arthur Phillip Ward	Clr Michael McDermott - Elizabeth Macarthur Ward	Clr Antoine (Tony) Issa, OAM – Woodville Ward	Clr Chiang Lim, Deputy Lord Mayor – Arthur Phillip Ward

Staff

GALLERY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ITEM SUBJECT PAGE NO

1 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES - Regulatory Council - 12 October 2009

2 APOLOGIES

3 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

4 Minutes of Lord Mayor

5 Public Forum

6 PETITIONS

7 Rescission Motions

NOTE: Should any rescission Motions be received during or after the Council Meeting of 12 October 2009, they will need to be considered at this point in the meeting.

8 COUNCIL MATTERS TO BE ADOPTED WITHOUT DISCUSSION

9 City Development

9.1 Lifting of the Local Heritage Listing on two Recently Acquired Properties

9.2 Review of Outdoor Dining Policy

9.3 Places of Public Worship

9.4 Epping Town Centre Study

9.5 2 Morton Street, Parramatta

10 Roads Paths Access and Flood Mitigation

10.1 Submission to Transport & Infrastructure on Sydney's Transport Blueprint

10.2 Public Exhibition for Draft Integrated Transport Plan for Parramatta City Centre

11 Community Care

11.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee Meeting 25th August 2009

11.2 Community Support Development Scheme (CDSE) 2009

11.3 Parramatta City Council Annual Community Grants - Assessment Panel Updates

12 City Leadership and Management

12.1 Disclosure of Interests Register as at 30 September 2009

12.2 2008/09 Financial Report

12.3 Investments Report for August 2009

12.4 Progress on Development Services Unit

13 QUESTION TIME

14 DECISIONS FROM CLOSED SESSION

15 Closed Session

15.1 Garbage Collection Contract - Extension of Contract Term

This report is confidential in accordance with section 10A (2) (d) of the Local Government act 1993 as the report contains commercial information of a confidential nature that would, if disclosed (i) prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied it; or (ii) confer a commercial advantage on a competitor of the Council; or (iii) reveal a trade secret.

15.2 Tender 21/2009 Parramatta Town Hall - Installation of Air Conditioning to the Charles Byrne and First Floor Meeting Rooms and Associated Works.

15.3 Urgent Legal Matters

Nil as Yet

CITY DEVELOPMENT

ITEM NUMBER 9.1

SUBJECT Lifting of the Local Heritage Listing on two Recently Acquired Properties

REFERENCE F2006/00887 - D01296937

REPORT OF Property Development Advisor

PURPOSE:

This report was deferred from the Council meeting on 24 August 2009 to allow comments from the Heritage Advisory committee.

The properties at 40 Cowper Street, Granville and 38 Marion Street, Parramatta have been recently acquired by Council for operational purposes. Both properties are part of Schedule 5 of the LEP 2001 and require a resolution of Council to be lifted from the local heritage listing in Schedule 5 of Parramatta Draft LEP and Parramatta City Centre LEP 2007 respectively.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That the heritage listing for the property 40 Cowper Street, Granville (Lot 1 in Deposited Plan 998449), be removed from Schedule 5 of Parramatta Draft LEP and associated mapping.

(b) That the property, 38 Marion Street, Parramatta, more formally known as Lot 9 in Deposited Plan 906071 be lifted from Schedule 5 of the Parramatta Draft LEP and associate mapping.

(c) Further that, the Department of Planning be advised of this decision for incorporation into the exhibition of the Parramatta Draft LEP and if the department has issued the section 65 certificate for the exhibition, that the Department be requested to consider the inclusion of this matter.

BACKGROUND

1. Cowper Street- This property was acquired on 31 July, 2009 and is now in Council ownership.

2. In the Council report of 23 March, 2009, Clause 16 of the future actions adopted by Council required the finalisation of the process to lift the heritage listing of 40 Cowper Street, Granville from Schedule 5 of the Parramatta LEP 2001.

3. The Report which recommended the acquisition of 40 Cowper Street, Granville foreshadowed the lifting of the Heritage Listing with which Council resolved to proceed. Clause 3 of the Report outlined the future developable potential of the property together with the Council car park. In fact Clauses 1, 2,3,7,8 and 9 all referred to the future development of the land prior to the acquisition, which would not have been recommended if the Heritage Report did not confirm demolition.

5. A resolution of Council at this meeting to lift the heritage listing of 40 Cowper Street, Granville will enable the property to be removed from Schedule 5 of the Draft LEP 2008, which will have formal effect once the LEP is gazetted.

6. As reported previously to Council on 23 March, 2009 the Government Architects Office completed a report which confirmed the lifting of the local heritage listing because, among other reasons, the property was out of context with the local surrounds. This conclusion was shared by the Council Heritage Officer, who supports the lifting of the heritage listing.

7. Marion Street- This property was acquired on 3 August, 2009, and is now in Council ownership.

8. The acquisition of 38 Marion Street, Parramatta was resolved by Council in its meeting of 14 July 2008 under the previous Council. Again Clause 15 of the Future Actions foreshadowed the lifting of the Heritage Listing prior to the acquisition. Again there were references to the development of the land together with the Council land adjoining in Clauses 1, 2, 6 and 7 prior to the acquisition.

9. The property is a strategic acquisition by Council as it completes the consolidation of 40 Marion Street, Parramatta to provide Council with a potentially valuable residential flat building development site.

10. As reported in the previous report of 23 June, 2008 the Heritage Architect, Wayne McPhee and Associates recommended that the local heritage listing be lifted as

“The original form, shape, layout and detail of the original Victorian style property at 38 Marion Street, Parramatta, has lost its intactness through changes carried out to its fabric during the latter part of the twentieth century.

The property has lost much of its integrity and heritage value and, in our opinion, is recommended to be removed from Schedule 5 of the PCC LEP 2007.

The property has limited capability of exhibiting its original form and detailing, its representative local heritage value has been much depleted by ill considered modern change.”

11. Councils Heritage Officer supports the recommendations of the report of the Heritage Architect.

ISSUES

12. The lifting of the local heritage listings in both cases is supported by independent heritage experts. As resolved by Council at the Ordinary Meeting of 24 August, 2009 the matters were referred to the Heritage Advisory Committee and 4 members of the Committee inspected the properties on 10 September, 2009. Comments were forwarded to Council on 14 September, 2009 and are included in the attachments. The committee in its comments said in part “In principle, the committee does not support demolition of any listed building. The committee is concerned about the precedent this would set for other owners of fragile heritage buildings”

13. The consequences of not lifting the local heritage listing in both cases is that future development of the sites, which was the basis for the acquisition by Council, will be severely compromised.

14. Council has considered the heritage implications of each site in their initial resolutions to acquire each property and this together with the recommended removal of the properties from the list of heritage items in draft Parramatta LEP and the City Centre LEP 2007 are the procedural parts of the acquisition.

15. The Heritage issues with respect to both properties are separate to the classification of the properties to Operational land, which was resolved in the Council meeting of 27 July, 2009, in the case of 40 Cowper Street, Granville and in the 14 September, 2009 Meeting in the case of 38 Marion Street, Parramatta.

OPTIONS

16. Council may consider having both properties photographed and a detailed history of the two sites compiled and displayed at the Heritage Office or where appropriate. It may also be possible to incorporate a history of the sites within any future development proposal within an arts and cultural plan.

CONSEQUENCES

17. The consequences of not lifting the Heritage Listings will be that the acquisitions will not serve their original purpose and will constitute a waste of financial resources that may have been better employed elsewhere.

CONSULTATION & TIMING

18. Consultation has taken place with the Council Heritage Officer, Land Use and Transport Planning Unit, the Government Architects Office, an independent heritage consultant and the Heritage Advisory Committee. The NSW Heritage Office was also consulted to comply with the Council resolution, however they responded that it was not in their jurisdiction as they were responsible for State Heritage items and that this was clearly the responsibility of Council. Their response is in the attachments.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL

19. Each acquisition and the lifting of the local heritage listings will give the council land adjoining and the subject properties a considerable up lift in value.

20. If Council do not resolve to lift the Heritage Listing as was foreshadowed in the original reports for acquisition, the very reason the properties were acquired will not be possible. Council will have considerable expenditure to make 40 Cowper Street habitable without even considering the heritage implications. In the case of 38 Marion Street the first level has been considerably altered while the ground floor has had an extension and the staircase has been relocated. Again there will be considerable expense in presenting the property according to its heritage.

Graeme Bleus

Property Development Officer

Attachments:

1View	40 Cowper Street Granville Heritage Report by NSW Government Architects Office	31 Pages
2View	38 Marion Street Parramatta Heritage Report by McPhee and Associates	39 Pages
3View	Council Resolutions to Acquire 40 Cowper St and 38 Marion St	1 Page
4View	Council Report for acquisition of 38 Marion St - 14 July 2008	5 Pages
5View	Council Report for acquisition for 40 Cowper Street - 23 March 2009	5 Pages
6View	Comments by Heritage Advisory Commttee	1 Page
7View	Response from NSW Heritage Office	1 Page
8View	Recent Photos of 40 Cowper Street	3 Pages

REFERENCE MATERIAL

CITY DEVELOPMENT

ITEM NUMBER 9.2

SUBJECT Review of Outdoor Dining Policy

REFERENCE F2005/01531 - D01314444

REPORT OF Property Program Manager

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to recommend a revised Policy for Outdoor Dining following Council`s recent workshop on the matter.

RECOMMENDATION

That the draft Outdoor Dining Policy at Attachment 2 be placed on public exhibition and comment and a further report be submitted to Council following the conclusion of the exhibition.

BACKGROUND

1. Council considered a report on a proposed revision of this Policy at its meeting of 24 August 2009 and referred the matter to a workshop. The workshop was held on 9 September 2009 and the matter is now presented to Council for further consideration.

ISSUES

2. The points discussed at the workshop have been incorporated, as appropriate, in the Policy document at Attachment 2, where paragraphs incorporating the changes from the draft policy previously considered have been highlighted. A schedule of all proposed changes is included in Attachment 1.

CONSULTATION & TIMING

3. As advised in the August report the proposed amendments to the Policy were considered by a cross functional staff working party. Further a survey of a small sample of Parramatta CBD outdoor dining operators was taken which indicated general support of the majority of the proposed changes.

4. In addition the workshop changes have been included as appropriate in the proposed amended Policy.

Paul Burne

Property Program Manager

Attachments:

1View	Attachment 1 - Schedule of Proposed Changes	5 Pages
2View	Attachment 2 - Proposed Policy	16 Pages

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Report on Revision of Outdoor Dining policy to Meeting of 24 August 2009

CITY DEVELOPMENT

ITEM NUMBER 9.3

SUBJECT Places of Public Worship

REFERENCE F2009/01146 - D01320572

REPORT OF Manager Land Use and Transport Planning

PURPOSE:

To recommend to Council a draft DCP for places of public worship for public exhibition as an interim measure until the comprehensive DCP is exhibited and adopted.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council adopt for public exhibition for 28 days, a draft development control plan (DCP) for places of public worship as outlined in Attachment 1.

(b) That the matter, including any submission received, be reported to Council following the exhibition of the draft DCP for final consideration and adoption.

BACKGROUND

1 At Council’s meeting on 28 September 2009, Council resolved:

That the CEO prepare a report to the Council, as a matter of urgency, on a draft development control plan (DCP) for Places of Public Worship based on the proposed controls to be included in the City Wide DCP as discussed at the workshop with Councillors. This report should consider how the draft DCP can be applied as Council policy until the DCP is finalised.

2. The controls for Places of Public Worship (PPW) were in the process of being prepared for inclusion in the City wide draft DCP that will complement the city wide draft LEP. This process was accelerated in response to this most recent Council decision.

INTRODUCTION

3. The Parramatta Local Environmental Plan (LEP) defines a place of public worship (PPW) as a “building or place used for the purpose of religious worship by a congregation or religious group whether or not the building or place is also used for counselling, social events instruction or religious training”. The draft LEP for Parramatta also adopts this definition.

4. PPWs typically take the form of churches, temples or mosques and are currently permissible in all residential zones (with the exception of the 2E zone). The draft LEP proposes to prohibit PPWs in the low density Residential R2 zones. This draft Plan is yet to be certified by the Department of Planning for public exhibition.

5. Presently, the Parramatta LEP 2001 limits the seating capacity of places of public worship to a maximum of 250 seats. This applies to all residential zones (except the 2E zone as stated above) and does not take into account the relative sensitivity of low density residential areas to accommodate such uses that potentially have a higher impact than residential development.

6. Council does not have detailed controls specifically relating to places of public worship. However, the Parramatta DCP 2005 includes generic controls for such matters as streetscape, building form and massing, solar access, parking and accessibility and other matters that are applicable to places of public worship.

7. As Council would be aware, it is not possible to prohibit uses in a DCP, however, in the context of Council’s decision to prohibit PPWs in the draft LEP, it is reasonable to limit the scale of places of public worship commensurate with the prevailing scale and intensity of residential development permissible in the Parramatta LEP 2001 and DCP 2005.

PROPOSED CONTROLS

8. The draft DCP controls have been prepared having regard for protection of amenity of all residential zones and neighbourhoods.

9. The scale of PPW’s will be limited to match the prevailing floor space ratio (FSR) for residential development within the precinct. For example, in a Residential 2A zone, the prevailing FSR for detached dwellings is 0.5:1, a 2B zone 0.6:1 and a 2C zone 0.8:1. Similarly, the height limit and envelope controls of the predominant development type permissible in each zone as required by the DCP 2005 will be required to be complied with.

10. A major issue with PPW’s is traffic management. The current DCP controls require that a traffic survey be conducted to better gauge the parking requirements of the development. This will be reinforced and extended to ensure that similar types of developments are surveyed in the circumstances as closely align as possible with the circumstances of the proposed development.

11. Acoustic privacy is another matter that the draft DCP seeks to specifically address.

12. To provide an additional level of control to the development assessment process, a requirement has been included to ensure that a plan of management is prepared which details the operational requirements of the PPW and how these will be managed into the future. This will be used as a condition of consent.

CONSULTATION

13. In order to give effect to the proposed DCP provisions for PPWs ahead of the comprehensive draft Parramatta DCP, these provisions will need to be incorporated in a separate DCP. It is recommended that Council prepare draft DCP based on Attachment 1 and place it on public exhibition for 28 days, following which submissions will be considered and reported to Council for adoption of the DCP. The DCP will have final effect once a notice is published in the local newspapers as per the requirement of the EP&A Act.

Marcelo Occhiuzzi Sue Stewart

Manager, Land Use and Transport Senior Project Officer Land Planning Use Planning

Attachments:

1View

Draft DCP for Places of Public Worship

5 Pages

REFERENCE MATERIAL

CITY DEVELOPMENT

ITEM NUMBER 9.4

SUBJECT Epping Town Centre Study

REFERENCE F2008/00404 - D01321581

REPORT OF Place Manager

PURPOSE:

To update Council on the outcome of discussions with the Department of Planning and Hornsby Shire Council in relation to the grant funding of a joint planning study for Epping Town Centre and to seek a direction on a way forward.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council consider the options outlined in this report and select a way forward

(b) Further that, Council officers continue to work with both Hornsby Shire Council and the Department of Planning towards the resolution of holistic planning controls for Epping.

BACKGROUND

1. A joint planning study for the Epping town centre was a requirement of the previous Minister for Planning, although Parramatta City Council had already completed its draft planning work for Epping. On 26 November 2007, Council resolved (in part):

“That Council agree in principle, to join with Hornsby Council and the Department of Planning to formulate planning controls for the Epping town centre for both sides of the railway line.”

2. The Department of Planning (DoP) established a Working Group and Project Control Group, and developed a draft brief for the study. Both Councils raised concern with regard to the funding of the project. The Department suggested that Parramatta City Council and Hornsby Shire Council jointly apply for Planning Reform Funding from the Department to cover the full cost of the proposed study. This was reported to Council on 25 August 2008 and Council resolved:

That Council continue to participate in the joint planning work for the centre.

3. On 30 January 2009, Parramatta City and Hornsby Shire Councils made a joint application to the DoP for funding under the Planning Reform Fund for the joint Epping town centre study. Funding of $300,000 was sought based upon the estimated costs to deliver the brief.

4. On 12 August 2009, the Minister for Planning announced the Planning Reform Funding. Hornsby Shire Council received written notification offering $125,000 towards the joint Epping planning study. This amount is insufficient to cover the costs of delivering the project brief.

5. A Mayoral Minute on 24 Aug 2009 resolved

That Council defer a decision of the offer of Planning Reform Funding pending further discussions with Hornsby Shire Council and the Department of Planning with regard to the ability to vary the project scope and the timing of the joint Epping planning study.

Further, that as part of the proposed discussions, an actual meeting be held between both Councils and the Department and all councillors be invited to attend such meeting.

Discussions with the Department of Planning and Hornsby Shire Council

6. A meeting was held with the Department on 17 September 2009. Councillors from Parramatta and Hornsby Shire Council attended together with officers from both Councils. At the meeting the Department stated that it was willing to negotiate on the scope of the brief as long as the outcome was a draft LEP for Epping. The Department was also willing to extend the timeframe for the delivery of an LEP but was committed to have one delivered in around 12 months. There was no agreement reached at the meeting as how the planning reform funding on offer could deliver this outcome.

7. The Department of Planning has subsequently advised by letter dated 22 September 2009 (attachment 1 received by Council 28 September 2009) that the Department would prefer the process of preparing an LEP for the Epping Town Centre to follow the recent legislative changes, involving the submission of a planning proposal under the new Part 3 Gateway in the EP&A Act.

8. The purpose of putting a planning proposal through the gateway process is to ensure there is sufficient justification early in the process to proceed with a planning proposal. However, in the case of PCC, the preparation of draft LEP controls for Epping has proceeded well past this point. Submitting a planning proposal for Epping would require significant duplication of work already undertaken by PCC. It would also mean that the Department’s LEP review panel could require that other studies be undertaken, for which Council has no funding, given the shortfall from the $125k on offer under from the Department’s planning reform fund. Additionally the panel is able to issue directions for the timeframe within which the work is to be undertaken (the Department is suggesting within 12 months of the commissioning of the project).

9. Council should note also that the Minister is able to appoint the Director General or direct other bodies (such as a Joint Regional Planning Panel) to be the relevant planning authority for the purpose of preparing an LEP.

10. It is preferable for the planning controls for Epping to continue under the draft Parramatta LEP, as this process is substantially underway, being drafted in the format of the standard instrument and mapped in accordance with the technical guidelines. If the controls for Epping are required by the Department to be reviewed further, this can be undertaken as part of the process of completing and if necessary amending this plan. It is at a stage where, if the Department allows, it can be exhibited to the community for comment.

OPTIONS

11. Option 1. Accept the funding offer subject to it being used for an integrated traffic and transport plan.

As each Council is at different stages in the preparation of their LEPs, there are different needs with regard to background studies for which the funding could be used. A common need is an integrated traffic and transport study and if this was undertaken, each Council could then proceed to prepare, or in PCC’s case review, the planning controls, for their respective areas. Both Councils could continue to consult with one another during this process to consider possible linkages between the two sides and to look at overall dwelling and retail/commercial floor space potential for the centre as a whole. The estimated time frame for the completion of the LEPs would be 12 months from when the funding is provided.

12. Option 2 Reject the funding offer and advise the DoP that PCC will undertake a review of the economic feasibility of the draft planning controls it has already prepared for the business zone in the town centre.

The Department has pulled back from the project as it was originally proposed and has put it back on to the Councils to prepare the LEPs. Parramatta City Council has invested significant resources to the preparation of the planning controls for the Epping centre, There has been some criticism from the business community that the controls are not economically feasible as drafted. Council may review the controls from an economic feasibility perspective to address this matter.

13. If Council wishes to pursue this approach, it should continue to collaborate with both Hornsby Shire Council and the DoP to maintain a level of integration between the planning controls for the future of Epping.

Consultation and Timing

14. The Department is seeking a response from Council on the funding offer by early November 2009.

Financial implications for Council

15. In option 1, it is possible Council may need to contribute a small amount to the traffic study and the remainder of work to be done in house. One of the Councils would need to manage the funding and consultants.

Su Cram Sue Stewart

Senior Project Officer - Place Manager Senior Project Officer - Land Use

Attachments:

1View

Letter from the Department of Planning received by Council on 28 September 2009

1 Page

REFERENCE MATERIAL

CITY DEVELOPMENT

ITEM NUMBER 9.5

SUBJECT 2 Morton Street, Parramatta

REFERENCE F2005/01017 - D01324535

REPORT OF Senior Project Officer - Transport Planning

PURPOSE:

To recommend a process for determining the future planning controls for development of the site at 2 Morton Street, Parramatta.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council endorse the stand alone “planning proposal” by the applicant, as enabled by Section 55 of the EP&A Act, for the development of the site at 2 Morton Street, Parramatta, to enable the development of the site in accordance with Council’s previous decision of 23 March 2009, subject to:

1. Extent of zoning, height and floor space ratio being consistent with the draft Parramatta LEP adopted by Council 23 March 2009.

2. A traffic management plan being prepared and exhibited with the draft LEP and DCP to identify impacts on the local street network and address measures required to ameliorate potential impacts.

3. The draft LEP containing all Standard Instrument compulsory and optional clauses required to comply with the Department’s practice notes and to be consistent with those included in the draft Parramatta LEP. An Acid Sulfate Soils map and clause is to be included.

4. The draft LEP including a local provisions map and related clause for the environmental protection of the south eastern portion of the site, consistent with Council’s draft LEP.

5. The draft LEP including a local clause that will require design excellence as a consideration of consent for the construction of buildings.

(b) That, should the planning proposal proceed through the Gateway determination as a ‘stand alone’ LEP for the site, Draft Parramatta LEP being amended prior to public exhibition to retain the current LEP 2001 zone equivalents (part industrial and part open space reservation).

(c) That, the applicant prepare for Council’s consideration an updated draft Development Control Plan for the broader Morton Street Precinct, based on the draft DCP controls adopted by Council on 27 August 2007, but including a revised building envelope layout to take account of the environmental protection considerations for the south eastern portion of the site at 2 Morton Street. This is to be exhibited concurrently with the planning proposal and the draft VPA.

(d) That, a Voluntary Planning Agreement be drafted by the applicant for public exhibition consistent with the principles agreed by Council on 29 October 2007 and Council’s decision of that meeting that the value of the VPA reflect the increased costings identified.

(e) That, the drafting of the VPA, planning proposal, DCP and work associated with the consultation process be fully funded and conducted by the proponent so as not to divert Council resources away from the processing of the wider LEP/DCP for Parramatta.

(f) That, the planning proposal is to be amended to propose a public exhibition period of a minimum of 28 days, including advertisements in the local newspapers, letters to all property owners in the area bounded by Macarthur Street, James Ruse Drive and Thomas Street (north and south sides), and display of the proposal at the Council offices, Parramatta library and on Council’s web site.

(g) That, Parramatta City Council reiterates its requirement that the development of the site is to be characterised by the highest possible standards of architecture and urban design.

(h) Further, that, In addition, at the time of lodgement of a Development Application, all the usual issues are addressed including but not limited to flooding, views, privacy, heritage impact, ecological sustainability, solar access, social planning and public art.

BACKGROUND

1. The site at 2 Morton Street, Parramatta (Attachment 1) is currently occupied by a partially completed industrial/warehouse development which has the potential to be expanded.

2. Consideration of the redevelopment of the site commenced in March 2002 with the owners of the time approaching Council about the potential to rezone the site from an industrial to a residential zone. Since that time, Council has considered various reports into the matter and in 2007 resolved to rezone the site in the context of the city wide draft LEP along with draft DCP controls for the precinct. Council endorsed in-principle, a draft voluntary planning agreement for the site. Attachment 2 provides a chronology of the Morton Street rezoning proposal.

3. In March 2008, a workshop was conducted between Council and the landowner (Frasers Development Group) to discuss options for considering the future development of the site.

4. The planning controls for the site were endorsed by Council at its meeting on 23 March 2009 with the adoption of the City wide draft LEP.

ISSUES/OPTIONS/CONSEQUENCES

5. Frasers has worked closely with Council over the last 4 years to achieve a zoning and planning framework that results in development that is appropriate for the riverside setting on the doorstep of a significant city centre.

6. A request has now been received to expedite Council’s decision to rezone the land through a site specific planning proposal. The rezoning of land is now pursued under changes to the Act and are called “planning proposals”.

7. The planning proposal (Attachment 3) would see the rezoning of the land ahead of the city wide draft LEP. The land owner argues that given the complexity of the wider LEP, the proposed process would potentially save some considerable time.

8. Support for advancing the process by way of a stand alone planning proposal is subject to significant Council resources not being diverted away from the processing of the city wide draft LEP or other important work that staff are currently involved in. Frasers have stated that it would coordinate and conduct the public exhibition process as well as the drafting of the relevant paper work. This would occur under the supervision of Council staff.

Floor Space Ratio

9. Council has previously resolved to support a floor space ratio (FSR) for the site of 1.2:1. Frasers are requesting an FSR control of 1.4:1. They argue that the site can accommodate such an FSR within the envelope controls previously identified for the site. Given previous work conducted for the site, and in the absence of detailed urban design analysis of the proposed increase, an FSR of 1.2:1 is considered reasonable and appropriate.

Draft DCP controls

10. Draft DCP controls were adopted by Council in August 2007. These draft controls address more specifically the layout and height distribution of the site and other more specific design issues. The draft DCP applies to the broader Morton Street precinct that was the subject of the structure plan. The controls are included at Attachment 4. It is strongly recommended that these controls be exhibited concurrently with the draft LEP and draft VPA for the site. These controls will also need to be updated prior to exhibition to revise the building envelope layout, particularly the area in the south eastern area of the site subject to the environmental protection controls.

Draft Voluntary Planning Agreement

11. A key component of the development of this site has been discussions relating to a voluntary planning agreement (VPA). Council endorsed a draft VPA (Attachment 5) at its meeting on 29 October 2007 with an additional valuation of $870,000 for various works than that shown on the attachment. In addition, care will need to be taken in assessing the market value of the foreshore land to be dedicated given that the FSR for future development will be calculated over the entire site including the land to be dedicated.

12. The draft VPA will need to be exhibited concurrently with the draft LEP for the site. There will be an opportunity for refining the draft VPA after its exhibition. Frasers have stated that they would be willing to further negotiate the contents of the VPA.

Advantages of Pursuing a Stand Alone Planning Proposal for the Site

13. The owner of the site has so far negotiated a draft Voluntary Planning Agreement in good faith with Council. Whilst ideally, the site would be considered as part of the wider draft LEP, recent amendments to the legislation allow the Director General of the Department of Planning to deal with the rezoning of land exclusive of Council’s involvement. The risk of this is that the VPA process may then be taken out of Council’s hands. The matters to be included in the VPA will improve the local public domain significantly.

14. The Department of Planning has made contact with Council staff about this proposal and it is understood they are considering the matter.

15. Council should also be aware that the future development of the site, given its value, will be captured under Part 3A of the Act.

Public Consultation

16. The gateway determination of planning proposals includes a direction for public consultation. A public exhibition period of a minimum of 28 days (if relevant to timing, excluding the Christmas/New year period referred to in Council’s Notification DCP), would be appropriate for a planning proposal of this nature. This is reflected in the recommendation of this report.

Marcelo Occhiuzzi Sue Stewart

Manager, Land Use Senior Project Officer

and Transport Planning Land Use Planning

Attachments:

1View	2 Morton Street Map Location	1 Page
2View	Morton Street Timetables	1 Page
3View	Planning Proposal 2 Morton Street	37 Pages
4	Morton Street extract of DCP	9 Pages
5	Draft Voluntary Planning Agreement	6 Pages

REFERENCE MATERIAL

ROADS PATHS ACCESS AND FLOOD MITIGATION

ITEM NUMBER 10.1

SUBJECT Submission to Transport & Infrastructure on Sydney's Transport Blueprint

REFERENCE F2008/01549 - D01322125

REPORT OF Senior Project Officer - Transport Planning; Project Support Officer

PURPOSE:

To seek Council endorsement of a submission to Transport & Infrastructure on the Transport Blueprint for NSW.

RECOMMENDATION

That Council endorsement this report as the basis for a submission to Transport & Infrastructure on the Transport Blueprint for NSW. The recommended issues in principle are to:

(a) Fund and implement the West Metro.

(b) Establish the future direction of the Carlingford Line including consideration of the Parramatta to Epping Rail Link.

(d) Restore the Cumberland Line to a half hourly service.

(e) Create cross-city bus services and improve bus journeys to the Hills District.

BACKGROUND

1. The newly formed Transport & Infrastructure (T&I) department (formerly the Ministry of Transport) is developing a Transport Blueprint for NSW with a focus on Sydney. The Blueprint will cover the transport needs for Sydney over the next 30 years.

2. Council has adopted numerous Council Reports and submissions supporting the West Metro (since 2008), completion of the Parramatta to Epping Rail Link (since 2003) and a commuter ferry service (since 2008). On 4 September 2009, Council launched the Destination Parramatta campaign to highlight the need for improved transport infrastructure to support planned future growth. The strategic transport priorities of this campaign are:

(i) Funding of the West Metro.

(ii) Solution to completing the Chatswood to Parramatta Rail Link.

(iii) Commuter ferry service from the Inner West to Parramatta.

(iv) Strengthen bus services from the northern Hills area.

(v) Restoration of the Cumberland Line service.

3. Council will consider a draft Integrated Transport Plan for Parramatta City Centre for public exhibition on the 19 October 2009. This draft Plan is in response to the Parramatta City Centre Plan (2007) which sets out the planning framework for 30,000 jobs and 20,000 residents by 2031. The draft Integrated Transport Plan recommends a strategy plan for the next 5 years to manage the existing and future sustainable transportation. The recommended issues for consideration by T&I are consistent with the draft Integrated Transport for Parramatta City Centre.

ISSUES/OPTIONS/CONSEQUENCES

4. The submission to T&I on the Transport Blueprint for NSW recognises the importance of Parramatta city centre as the second centre of the Sydney Metropolitan region with over 45,000 existing jobs and an additional 30,000 planned by 2031. The issues in principle are:

(i) Fund and implement the West Metro to dramatically improve public capacity and provide new opportunities for travel to Parramatta.

(ii) Establish the future direction of the Carlingford Line with a multi-modal transport study to identify the most appropriate transport mode for the Parramatta to Epping/Macquarie Park/Chatswood corridor including a heavy rail link, metro, tram and T-way.

(iii) Implement the promised commuter ferry service connecting the Inner West riverside suburbs and Darling Harbour to Parramatta.

(iv) Restore the Cumberland Line to a half hourly service to provide a direct rail service across Western Sydney with Parramatta at its heart.

(v) Create cross-city bus services to by extending some Hillsbus services to University of Western Sydney and some Sydney Buses’ service to Westmead. This will not only provide new direct services across the LGA, but equally importantly it reduces the growing need for bus layover space within the city centre as bus services grow with the city. Secondly to improve bus journeys to the Hills District through strengthened bus priority on Windsor Road.

CONSULTATION & TIMING

5. The closing date for submission to T&I for the Transport Blueprint for NSW was 28 September 2009. Council officers have negotiated with T&I to accept a draft copy of this report for consideration on the understanding that it is not an adopted position of Council. Council officers have accepted an offer to meet and discuss Council adopted position (and correct if different) at a later date.

David Gray

Senior Project Officer, Transport Planning

Land Use & Transport Planning

Attachments:

There are no attachments for this report.

REFERENCE MATERIAL

None.

ROADS PATHS ACCESS AND FLOOD MITIGATION

ITEM NUMBER 10.2

SUBJECT Public Exhibition for Draft Integrated Transport Plan for Parramatta City Centre

REFERENCE F2006/01143 - D01323688

REPORT OF Senior Project Officer - Transport Planning

PURPOSE:

To seek Council adoption of the Draft Integrated Transport Plan for Parramatta City Centre for public exhibition.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council receives and notes the draft Integrated Transport Plan for Parramatta City Centre.

(b) That Council publically exhibits the draft Integrated Transport Plan for Parramatta City Centre for 3 weeks to seek public input.

(c) Further, that Council directly seeks comment from local State and Federal MPs, appropriate State Government agencies, surrounding local Councils, WSROC and the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce.

BACKGROUND

1. The Integrated Transport Plan for Parramatta City Centre is in response to the Parramatta City Centre Plan (2007) which sets out the planning framework for an additional 30,000 jobs and 20,000 residents by 2031. This planned growth will generate significant travel demand to Parramatta city centre. The Integrated Transport Plan recommends a strategy plan to manage the existing and future sustainable transportation. Moving away from the reliance of car use towards sustainable transport of walking, cycling and public transport use, is the key issue addressed in the draft Plan.

2. The key elements of the Plan are:

(a) A Pedestrian & Cycle Amenity Zone in the city centre to improve pedestrian and cycle accessibility and safety through new facilities and a lower speed limit.

(b) City and Regional Ring Roads to better manage traffic flow to more appropriate routes.

(c) Ongoing lobbying for improved public transport (commuter ferry service, additional bus lanes, cross-city bus services and West Metro).

(d) Relocating commuter car parking to the periphery of the city centre and development of park & ride facilities.

ISSUES/OPTIONS/CONSEQUENCES

3. The Plan sets out possible future transport planning policy for the next 5 years. There is a significant number of recommended strategies involving lobbying State Government and its agencies. However, some may require additional budget beyond Council’s existing programs. Any additional budget requirements of individual strategies can be considered at the appropriate time by Council as is the normal process.

4. Council has an established relationship with State Government agencies in pursuing some the recommended strategies including the RTA on bus priority, MoT (and bus operators) on the proposed cross-city bus services, MoT on the ferry service and Sydney Metro (previously with the MoT) on West Metro and the Carlingford Line.

5. Council is working and developing a number of other strategies including the Residential Development Strategy, Staff Travel Plan, Walking School Bus pilot, 40kph city centre zones, cycle routes to the city centre, more cycle parking including secure cycle parking and a bus stop access programme.

CONSULTATION & TIMING

6. The draft Integrated Transport Plan was presented to Councillors at a Council Workshop on 5 May 2008 with comments considered. The draft Summary Plan was circulated to Councillors for comment as a Green Paper on 27 August 2009, no comments were received.

7. Local State and Federal MPs were briefed on the draft Plan at the MPs Quarterly meeting on 5 May 2008.

8. Comments were sought from the Roads & Traffic Authority and Ministry of Transport on the draft Plan in March 2008. Comments were received April 2008 and November 2008, respectively. Additionally, there was a presentation to the RTA on 3 July 2008.

9. It is proposed to exhibit the Plan for 3 weeks from early November 2009 followed by a Report to Council in early 2010 on the submissions received.

David Gray

Senior Project Officer, Transport Planning

Land Use & Transport Planning

Attachments:

1View	Summary Integrated Transport Plan for Parramatta City Centre (Draft October 2009)	24 Pages
2	Integrated Transport Plan for Parramatta City Centre (Draft October 2009) printed under separate cover	87 Pages

REFERENCE MATERIAL

None.

COMMUNITY CARE

ITEM NUMBER 11.1

SUBJECT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee Meeting 25th August 2009

REFERENCE F2005/01941 - D01315517

REPORT OF Community Capacity Building Officer

PURPOSE:

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee met on 25^th August 2009. This report provides a précis of the key discussion points of that meeting for Council’s consideration.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That the minutes of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee of the 25^th August 2009 be received and noted.

(b) Further, that Council note there is no request for additional expenditure in this report.

BACKGROUND

1. Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee meets monthly and comprises 15 members.

2. Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee met on 25^th August 2009. This report provides a summary of the key discussion points of that meeting for Council’s consideration.

MAIN DISCUSSION POINTS

3. The main issues discussed at the meeting are outlined below.

4. NAIDOC posters

The Committee discussed the failure of City Rail to display the

NAIDOC posters and noted that this was the third year in a row that they had not been displayed. The Chairperson advised he had an upcoming meeting with Rail Corp and would request further information. Council’s Events Manager is also requesting further information.

5. Committee membership

Members were advised that the Selection Committees to consider all Expressions of Interest for membership of Council’s Advisory Committees had met and a report was being submitted to Council for its September 28^th meeting.

6. Local Government Aboriginal Network (LGAN) Conference 2009

The Committee determined that Bruce Gail, Chairperson and Linda McDonald, Executive Member would be the Committee’s delegates at the upcoming 2009 LGAN Conference to be held at Ettalong Beach. Committee members queried whether three delegates could attend rather than the stated two, if accommodation costs were saved. The Council Officer advised she would clarify this and advise the Chairperson of the answer.

7. Local Government Aboriginal Network (LGAN) Conference 2010

The Committee were informed that the LGAN Executive had confirmed with the A/Manager Community Capacity Building; John McInerney, that Parramatta Council would be hosting the 2010 LGAN Conference. Information from the LGAN Executive regarding the decision making framework for the Conference was expected after the LGAN 2009 Conference had been held.

8. Building Bridges Course

The Committee was advised that Reconciliation Western Sydney were currently holding the Building Bridges course and that representatives from other Councils had attended previous courses. It was requested that the Council Officer advise Council’s Human Resources Unit about the course and request it consider promoting the course amongst staff.

9. Natural Resources Officer Position- Aboriginal Heritage

The Committee inquired about the status of the Natural Resources Officer- Aboriginal Heritage position. Members were advised the position was vacant and would be at last until another position became vacant and could be permanently frozen. Committee members expressed concern that freezing this position affects Council’s commitment to employ Aboriginal people and its commitment that 2% of its staff would be indigenous. Committee members requested the Council Officer seek information from the Human Resources Unit regarding the percentage of Indigenous staff currently employed by Council.

10. Kids Camp, Wentworthville

The Committee was advised by the Chairperson that a Kids Camp had recently been held (as organised by the Community Capacity Building Team) and 14 children had attended. The Camp taught the children about different aspects of Indigenous culture. Members were informed that additional follow up workshops were going to be provided to the children.

11. Lake Parramatta

The Committee were advised that a Councillor Workshop had recently been held regarding Lake Parramatta and what may happen in the future on the site. In addition, the Committee were informed that as the site was culturally sensitive and has been the subject of an Aboriginal Reference Study, any changes proposed for the Lake would require that a new Plan of Management be drawn up which would take a number of years.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL

12. There are no financial implications to Council.

Maggie Kyle

Community Capacity Building Officer

Attachments:

1View

Minutes of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee 25 Aug 09

4 Pages

COMMUNITY CARE

ITEM NUMBER 11.2

SUBJECT Community Support Development Scheme (CDSE) 2009

REFERENCE F2009/00860 - D01315622

REPORT OF Community Capacity Building

PURPOSE:

To inform Council of the successful applicants from the Community Development Support Expenditure (CDSE) Scheme 2009 funding program.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council acknowledges the successful applicants of the CDSE program in 2009.

(b) Further that Council acknowledges the contribution of the participating clubs in the Parramatta Local Government Area.

BACKGROUND

1. The Community Development Support Expenditure scheme was introduced in 1998 by the NSW Government. It allows clubs to claim a tax deduction of up to 1.5% on gaming machine revenue over $1 million for monies spent on community support.

2. To be considered for funding in CDSE Category 1 a project must target low income or disadvantaged families and fit into one of the following categories:

a. Community Welfare and Social Services

b. Community Development

c. Community Health Services

d. Employment Assistance Activities

3. The Community Capacity Building Team administers the CDSE scheme and forms the Local Committee, in partnership with the Department of Community Services (DoCS) and Western Sydney Community Forum (WSCF). The objectives of the Local Committee are to:

a. Identify priorities for the scheme in the Parramatta LGA.

b. Assist qualifying clubs to fund a wide range of community activities by promoting broad community participation.

c. Bring together key local community services and clubs to consider the applications.

d. Provide a fair, transparent and consistent process for managing the scheme

e. Assess the impact of the scheme in the Parramatta LGA.

4. CDSE Category 1 priority needs for the Parramatta LGA are based on Council’s Twenty25 Strategic Plan and its objectives for building community capacity. The priority needs are used by the Local Committee during the assessment process. Applications are assessed against these priorities, and recommendations presented to the clubs through the Parramatta Local CDSE Committee.

5. In 2009 nine clubs participated in the Parramatta Local CDSE Committee. The following clubs contributed to the scheme:

a. Carlingford Bowling Club

b. Dundas Sports & Recreation Club

c. The Epping Club

d. Granville RSL Sub-Branch Ltd

e. Guilford Bowling Club

f. Northmead Bowling, Recreation and Sporting Club

g. Parramatta Leagues Club Ltd

h. Toongabbie Sports & Bowling Club; and

i. Workers Parramatta

6. The clubs make the final decisions on what projects they would like to support. Some projects are jointly funded by a number of clubs and some projects receive a reduced amount to that which they requested.

7. In 2009 the CDSE Local Committee received 129 applications for the Parramatta LGA. The applications requested over $1.1 million in funding. 72 applicants were successful in obtaining grants totalling over $550,000. (Attachment 1)

8. On Monday 17th August 2009, a presentation ceremony was held at The Epping Club to acknowledge the 2009 recipients of the CDSE Category 1 Grants. The Lord Mayor, Councillor Tony Issa OAM, was in attendance to congratulate the successful applicants and extend a thank you to the clubs for their significant contributions. Over 100 people attended the ceremony to receive their cheques from representatives of the contributing local Clubs.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL

9. There are no financial implications to Council.

Rebekah Richards

Grant Project Officer

Attachments:

1View

List of Successful CDSE Applicants 2009

3 Pages

COMMUNITY CARE

ITEM NUMBER 11.3

SUBJECT Parramatta City Council Annual Community Grants - Assessment Panel Updates

REFERENCE F2009/02342 - D01319959

REPORT OF Community Capacity Building

PURPOSE:

To provide Council with an overview of the annual Community Grants from 2007-09 and to seek a resolution to adopt one of two options for inclusion of Councillors on the on the Community Grant Assessment Panels.

If Council resolves to adopt Option 2, it should also resolve which seven Councillors are to be members of the panels.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council adopts either Option 1, as outlined in paragraph 10 of this report or Option 2, as outlined in paragraph 11 of this report, as the method of determining Councillor membership on the Community Grant Assessment Panels.

(b) Further, that Councillors note that the 2010 Parramatta City Council Community Grants opened on 21 September 2009 and will close of 18 December 2009.

BACKGROUND

1. Over the past three years Council has received 276 applications requesting over $2.8 million. Council has contributed to 120 projects injecting $1.2 million into the community supporting a wide range of services and activities that build the communities capacity and build on existing community strengths. (Attachment 1)

2. The Annual Community Grants Program has been an avenue for many innovative and successful projects across the various categories (Attachment 2).

3. The Parramatta City Council Annual Grants Program has been in existence since 1992. In 2006 the program was reviewed to create a stronger alignment with PCC’s direction, as detailed in the Parramatta Twenty25 strategy.

4. The 2006 review sought to determine whether the structure and focus was the most effective and efficient method for PCC to provide support to its communities and community organizations. The review proposed a more effective funding framework and new categories as well a new strategic framework underpinning it – community capacity building (Attachment 3).

5. The review included consultation activities with a range of internal and external stakeholder groups including PCC Advisory Committees, successful and unsuccessful grant applicants, grants officers from neighbouring councils, Councillors, Project Team Units and a number of desktop research activities.

6. Some of the key recommendations of the review were that the new grants program should:

a. Provide a category that is available only to 100% voluntary not-for-profit incorporated organisations.

b. Provide funding for general community capacity building projects and activities in a range of disciplines, including but not limited to those covered by previous grant categories.

c. Allow funding for one, two or three years based on a project developing over the requested period (rather than recurrent funding for exactly the same project over multiple years). Please note multi year funding has been provided by Council in the past through the Recurrent Grants Program.

d. A review of projects at the end of each financial year.

e. Allow small and capital equipment purchases where it can be demonstrated that the purchase will contribute to capacity building outcomes.

f. Clear, consistent and transparent eligibility and assessment criteria with relevant weighting. (Attachment 4)

7. As Parramatta City Council is committed to continually improving the annual grants program, yearly evaluation has been carried out with various internal and external stakeholders. Based on feedback received the following improvements have been implemented over the past 3 years. (Attachment 5)

a. 13 week application period instead of 6 week

b. Grants support program – each applicant is designated a project support person

c. ‘Word form’ instead of an online application form

d. ‘Word form’ progress reports and acquittals

e. More stringent and streamlined reporting process

f. Separate information sessions and grant writing workshops

g. Revised application form based on a best practice application form, which includes a clear assessment criteria for potential applicants.

h. Promotion : Newspaper articles, CCB newsletter, bulk emails, letters to previous applicants, PCC website and memo to Councillors

8. The following categories are offered through the community grants:

Category	Funding pool per annum	Funding cap	Time frame
Community Capacity Building Grants – 100% Voluntary Organisations	$75,000	$5,000	1, 2 or 3 year funding available
Community Capacity Building Grants – Organisations with Paid Staff	$100,000	$10,000	1, 2 or 3 year funding available
Community Capacity Building Grants – Social Enterprise	$75,000	$10,000	1, 2 or 3 year funding available
Arts Professional Projects Fund	$100,000	$20,000	1, 2 or 3 year funding available
Parramatta Arts Fellowship Fund	$20,000	One Fellow	1 year
Parramatta’s Heritage and Stories Research Fund	$20,000	$5,000	1 or 2 year funding available
Small Grants Fund	$10,000	$500	Opens quarterly

ISSUES/OPTIONS/CONSEQUENCES

9. After feedback and requests received from the Councillor Workshop 1April 2009, the following are options to include Councillors on the annual community grants assessment panels. The final decision will be made in a report to Council in April 2010.

10. Option 1:

All Councillors be appointed to the assessment panels, with a minimum requirement for seven Councillors to attend the decision making workshops. The Lord Mayor will be invited to Chair.

a. Assessment Panel 1^st Night 6:00pm – 9:30pm: Community Capacity Building – Social Enterprise, Arts Professional and Heritage and Stories Research

b. Assessment Panel 2nd Night 6:00pm – 9:30pm: Community Capacity Building – 100% Voluntary and Community Capacity Building – Paid Staff

11. Option 2

Councillors nominate seven Councillors to represent Council in the assessment panels with an invitation for the Lord Mayor to Chair.

a. Assessment Panel 1^st Night 6:00pm – 9:30pm: Community Capacity Building – Social Enterprise, Arts Professional and Heritage and Stories Research

b. Assessment Panel 2nd Night 6:00pm – 9:30pm: Community Capacity Building – 100% Voluntary and Community Capacity Building – Paid Staff

TIMELINE OF ANNUAL COMMUNITY GRANTS

12. Grants round opened Monday 21 September 2009 and closes 4pm on Friday 18 December 2009.

13. Throughout the month of January 2010, Councillors will be provided the opportunity to receive individual briefings on the applications prior to the assessment panels. Council officers will check eligibility and provide comments prior to the Councillor Assessment Panels to ensure application forms meet the guidelines.

14. Councillors will be given a months notice prior to the assessment panel meetings during mid February. Application forms will be sent to Councillors by registered post to ensure councillors receive application packs. Support Documents (Copies of the Constitution, Certificate of Current Liability can be made available upon request). Members of the panel will be required to assess applications in line with the assessment criteria as outlined in the application forms (Attachment 4).

15. The panel’s final decision will be outlined in a report to Council in April 2010.

16. Successful applicants will be notified in May 2010 and a presentation ceremony will follow in June 2010.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL

17. There are no financial implications to Council.

Rebekah Richards

Grants Project Officer

Attachments:

1View	List of Successful Project 2007-09	7 Pages
2View	Examples of Successful Projects	2 Pages
3View	What is Community Capacity Building and exapmle activities	2 Pages
4View	Assessment criteria for community grants	6 Pages
5View	Sample of 2009 Community Grants Evaluation Survey	6 Pages

CITY LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

ITEM NUMBER 12.1

SUBJECT Disclosure of Interests Register as at 30 September 2009

REFERENCE F2004/07102 - D01297448

REPORT OF Policy Review Officer

PURPOSE:

To table completed Pecuniary Interest Returns lodged under the provisions of Section 449 of the Local Government Act, 1993 for the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council note all Councillors and employees nominated as ‘designated officers’ by Council, have lodged Pecuniary Interest Returns in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act, 1993.

(b) Further, that the Pecuniary Interest Returns for the 12 month period ending 30 June 2009, be tabled at the meeting.

BACKGROUND

1. Section 449(3) of the Local Government Act, 1993 requires Councillors and designated persons, holding that position as at 30 June in any year, to complete Disclosure of Pecuniary Interests within 3 months after that date.

2. Under the provisions of Section 450A of the Local Government Act, 1993 the Chief Executive Officer must arrange for the tabling of all Pecuniary Interest Returns at the first meeting of the Council after the last day of the period for lodgement ie. 30 September 2009.

3. Councillors and designated staff have lodged the returns as required by Section 449 for the period from the end of the last return to 30 June 2009.

4. This register is a public register within the terms of Schedule 3 to the Local Government Act, 1993 and is available for inspection, in accordance with the provisions of Section 12.

ISSUES/OPTIONS/CONSEQUENCES

5. There are no Disclosures of Pecuniary Interest Returns that remain outstanding.

Sonja Drca

Policy Review Officer

Attachments:

There are no attachments for this report.

REFERENCE MATERIAL

1. Pecuniary Interest Register period ending 30 June 2009

2. Section 449 and 450 Local Government Act, 1993

CITY LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

ITEM NUMBER 12.2

SUBJECT 2008/09 Financial Report

REFERENCE F2009/01832 - D01314529

REPORT OF Manager - Finance

PURPOSE:

1. To present Council’s 2008/09 Annual Financial Report for adoption and to receive the Auditor’s Report from Council’s Auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers.

2. Mr D. Banicevic, Director Local Government Services from PricewaterhouseCoopers, will be present at the Council meeting to present the Auditor’s Report.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council adopt the Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 2009.

(b) That Council authorise the Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor, Chief Executive Officer and Manager Finance (Responsible Accounting Officer) to sign the following:

General Purpose Financial Report

Special Purpose Financial Report

(d) Further, that Council present the 2008/09 audited Financial Report and Auditor’s Report to the public at the Council Meeting of the 23 November 2009.

BACKGROUND

1. The Council’s Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 2009 has been completed and is submitted to Council for adoption and formal referral to Council’s Auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

2. Council’s Financial Report includes the following:

2.1 The General Purpose Financial Report

2.2 The Special Purpose Financial Report

2.3 The Special Schedules.

3. The audited Financial Reports were presented to the Audit Committee on

October 1 and they recommended that the accounts be presented to Council with an amended Note 18 to incorporate comment on the Civic Place project.

4. The full Financial Report is attached but does not include the Audit Reports.

5. Mr D. Banicevic, Director, Local Government Services of PricewaterhouseCoopers, will be in attendance at the Council Meeting on 19 October 2009 to present the Auditor’s Report and answer questions.

6. To meet statutory requirements, it is proposed that Council present the 2008/09 Financial Report and Auditor’s Report to the public at its meeting of the 23 November 2009.

7. Council must ensure that copies of all submissions received are referred to the Auditor, and may take such action as it considers appropriate with respect to any such submission, including the giving of notice to the Director-General of Local Government of any matter that appears to require amendment of the Council’s Financial Report.

ISSUES/OPTIONS/CONSEQUENCES

Financial Performance

8. The 2008/09 Financial Report reports Council’s financial performance along similar lines to financial reports in the commercial world, where the focus is on the bottom line profit of the company.

9. Council’s operating result has decreased from a surplus of $5.8 million in the previous year to a $4.5 million surplus this year. The decrease is due to a reduction in investment returns ($1.1m) due to global economic conditions and employee costs growing at a greater rate than rates revenue.

10. The Local Government Managers Association (LGMA) Financial Health Check advises consideration should be given to Council’s operating result (before capital grants and contributions) as an indicator of financial sustainability and it reveals a deficit of $4.3 million for 2008/09 compared to $1.8 million deficit in 2007/08. This indicator does not distinguish between capital grants received to renew existing assets, such as roads and those received for new assets which will create future maintenance pressures on the operating statement.

11. In terms of the LGMA Health Check, which looks at 7 indicators of the financial health of the organisation, Council has only 2 unfavourable areas being the operating result before capital grants and outstanding rates, charges and fees. A full copy of the health check is an attachment of this report.

12. Council is maintaining its asset base with $33 million (2007/08 $38 million) spent on capital works which provides a renewal ratio of 0.91. This was funded from a mix of revenue, loans, special rates, sale of assets and capital grants and contributions. For further information see Note 9 in the Financial Reports.

13. Council’s cash position remained constant at $84.9 million.

14. Council’s loan liability decreased from $93 million to $89.2 million during the year. Of this amount, $55 million is in respect of Civic Place and the interest repayments are currently being serviced from the leasing income and interest on the unexpended balance of the loan.

15. The 2008/09 Financial Report contains a number of performance indicators (Note 13) and they are detailed below with commentary:

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

2008/09 2007/08 2006/07 2005/06

Unrestricted

Current Ratio 1.86:1 1.82:1 0.78:1 2.35:1

(To assess the adequacy of working capital and the ability to satisfy obligations in the short term for the unrestricted activities of Council)

Comment/Explanation

For every $1 of current liabilities, Council has $1.86 of working capital to satisfy these obligations in the short term. (This is a useful indicator in that it takes into account restrictions placed on working capital.)

This ratio stands above the industry benchmark of 1.5:1.

2008/09 2007/08 2006/07 2005/06

% % % %

Debt Service Ratio 6.49 6.86 6.80 7.55

(To assess the degree to which revenues are committed to the repayment of debt)

Comment/Explanation

6.49% of our total revenue was committed to loan repayments for 2008/09. This is better than the industry benchmark of 10% for developed councils. (NB: The Civic Place borrowings are interest only loans.)

Rate & Annual Charges Coverage Percentage

2008/09 2007/08 2006/07 2005/06

% % % %

59.71 61.00 60.72 61.75

(To assess the degree of dependence upon revenues from rates)

Comment/Explanation

A major portion (60%) of our revenue is derived from Rates and Other Annual Charges such as Domestic Waste, Commercial Waste and the new Stormwater Levy. The rates coverage has reduced as a result of increased general purpose grant income, user charges and profit on sale of assets 2008/09.

Rates Outstanding Percentage

2008/09 2007/08 2006/07 2005/06

% % % % 5.50 4.40 4.11 4.51

(To assess the impact of uncollected rates and annual charges on liquidity and the adequacy of recovery efforts)

Comment/Explanation

5.50% of rates and annual charges remained uncollected at year end which compares unfavourably with the industry benchmark of 5%. This is still a good result given economic conditions and also because Council reduced it’s legal action in 2008/09. Council changed its calculation method for this indicator and historical indicators have been adjusted.

General Comments

16. Council’s performance indicators are better than the industry benchmark with the exception of the rates outstanding percentage ratio.

17. Council competency based salary system (from 2004/05) and award increases of above 3% have seen Council’s wages and salaries bill continue to rise at about 5% per annum, which is much higher than the current year Sydney Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 1.3%.

18. Some of the major projects included are Parramatta River Fish Ladders and Seawalls, Civic Place Project Management, Library RFID Project, Parramatta Cycleway and Better Neighbourhood program in Guildford and Granville.

19. Council has revoted approximately $3 million of projects from the 2008/09 budget to the 2009/10 budget. This represents 8% of the 2008/09 projects budget and 1.54% of total operating and capital expenditure, against a benchmark of 2%.

20. Restrictions relating to grants and contributions provide information on unspent amounts. There continues to be an improvement in reducing the balance of unspent of contributions, from $24.3 million in 2007/08 to $19.5 million in 2008/2009. Whilst this remains high, the improvement should be noted given the amount of grants received by Council towards the latter part of the financial year. This is illustrated in Note 3g to the financial accounts.

Special Purpose Financial Report

21. The Council identified in its 2008/09 – 2010/11 Management Plan its Commercial Property Portfolio as a Category 1 business in accordance with the requirements of National Competition Policy (NCP) guidelines.

22. Council has imputed all normal taxation payments that would be faced by an equivalent private sector organisation as well as a return on investment.

Special Schedule 7 – Condition of Public Works

23. The purpose of this schedule is to allow an assessment of the condition of Council’s public works assets and how Council is performing in managing these assets. The schedule reports on our public works assets in respect of:

23.1 The assessed condition of the assets

23.2 The assessed expenditure required to bring the asset up to a satisfactory standard

23.3 The anticipated expenditure required to keep these assets at a satisfactory standard

23.4 The actual maintenance expenditure in 2008/09.

24. Council is working to develop an asset management strategy and progressively implement Whole of Life costing for all its classes of assets. An excellent example is the work done by City Services for the road pavements and footpath pavements and work on Council’s drainage assets.

25. Whilst the condition of our assets is generally satisfactory, the consequence of not finding the right balance will be that asset management costs will be deferred for future generations to address and lead to deterioration in asset performance.

CONSULTATION & TIMING

26. PricewaterhouseCoopers has completed its Annual Audit and no major issues have arisen. Council will receive an unqualified Audit Report for 2008/09.

Attachments:

1View	Financial Health Check	6 Pages
2	Financial Statements 2008-2009 printed under separate cover	84 Pages

REFERENCE MATERIAL

CITY LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

ITEM NUMBER 12.3

SUBJECT Investments Report for August 2009

REFERENCE F2009/00971 - D01317032

REPORT OF Manager - Finance

PURPOSE:

To inform Council of the investment portfolio performance for the month of August 2009.

RECOMMENDATION

That Council receives and notes the investments report for August 2009.

BACKGROUND

1. In accordance with clause 212 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005, a report setting out details of all money invested must be presented to Council on a monthly basis.

2. The report must include a certificate as to whether or not the investments have been made in accordance with the Act, the Regulations and the investment policy of Council.

ISSUES/OPTIONS/CONSEQUENCES

3. Council’s investment portfolio stood at $81.8 Million as at 31st August 2009. (Previous month $76.9 Million) The weighted average portfolio held for August 2009 was $77.9 Million (Previous month $76.9 million) (Refer attachment 1).

4. Council invests directly with various term deposit & Floating Rate Note providers, with Local Government Financial Services (LGFS) and with funds managers, utilising the services of CPG Research & Advisory. There are also investments with the Commonwealth Bank for loan offset funds.

5. The average interest rate on Council’s investments for the month compared to the Bank Bill Index is as follows:

Monthly Annualised

Total Portfolio 0.49% 6.17%

Funds Managers 0.67% 8.79%

Bank Bill Index 0.25% 3.02%

NB: Annualised rates are calculated on a compounding basis assuming that the interest returns are added to the initial investment amount and reinvested.

6. After allowing for Council’s loan offsets and at call funds, Council recorded an annualised return of 6.17% for the month of August for its total investment portfolio. The return recorded by Council was considerably above the Bank Bill Index of 3.02%. Fund managers recorded an annualised rate of 6.17%.

7. Council’s favourable return versus the Bank Bill Index for August 2009 can once again be attributed to the continued strong performance of Councils Managed Funds. The CFS Global Fund again performed strongly with an annualised return of 17.42% for the month of August. The Blackrock Diversified Credit Fund, which is currently liquidating surprisingly also performed strongly with an annualised return of 12.74%.

8. Council currently has a diversified portfolio which is made up of grandfathered managed funds, Term Deposits, Floating rate notes, Senior debt bonds, Principal protected Equity linked notes and 11am Cash at call.

9. Councils Term deposits have time ranges of 3 to 8 months with interest rates varying from 4.05% to 4.47%.

10. The new updated Investment policy and strategy will go before council on the 28th September 2009. This policy has been developed by Finance staff and CPG Research & Advisory. The policy has been independently reviewed by Spectra Finance. Councillors were briefed on the policy at a workshop in August 2009.

11. The following details are provided on the attachments for information:

Graph – Comparison of average funds invested with loans balance

Graph – Average interest rate comparison to Bank Bill Index

Graphs – Investments and loans interest compared to budget

Summary of investment portfolio

12. The Certificate of Investments for August 2009 is provided below:

Certificate of Investments

I hereby certify that the investments for the month of August 2009 have been made in accordance with the Act, the Regulations and Council’s Investment Policy.

13. There is no standard report attachment - detailed submission - attached to this report.

Jenny Fett

Finance Manager

Attachments:

1View	Investments & Loans - Performance	1 Page
2View	Summary of Investments Portfolio	2 Pages

REFERENCE MATERIAL

CITY LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

ITEM NUMBER 12.4

SUBJECT Progress on Development Services Unit

REFERENCE F2008/00175 - D01324238

REPORT OF Acting Chief Executive Officer

PURPOSE:

Update Councillors on DA reform and other performance matters in the Development Services Unit.

RECOMMENDATION

That Council notes and acknowledges the improvements in the development assessment process in the Development Services Unit.

BACKGROUND

1. Following on from Council’s resolution on 22 June 2009 regarding the Development Services Unit ("DSU"), this report outlines progress on systems and processes which highlight the positive direction of the Unit and its work in the recent past.

2. Council considered a report on various development assessment processes and recommended improvements on 9 March 2009. Arising from that report, Council adopted a series of process changes including amended delegations and triggers for on-site meetings as well as procedures for convening them, the requirement to prepare a policy on incomplete and deficient DA submissions and monthly reports to Council on DA processing statistics.

3. Following a Council resolution on 22 June an 11 point action plan was developed, which was outlined to Councillors in an email from the Chief Executive Officer of 25 June 2009.

4. I need to reinforce that staff of the DSU are committed to acting appropriately and professionally at all times and remain supportive of Council's guiding principles.

5. Discussions have also been held with DSU staff regarding the implications of the Council resolution and the need to ensure that staff actions reflect the intent of council direction and the changes to the reporting on Court matters is to ensure that where appropriate Council direction is sought. Improved oversight of legal matters including instructions to solicitors will be provided with the appointment of the General Counsel

6. Over the last three months the DSU has diligently applied the new processes and principles and the results have been exemplary. Council reports have been well received and legal processes have been consistent with Council’s objectives.

Performance Statistics

7. At the same time, the general statistical trend for the processing and determination of applications is generally positive. Some of the headline statistics are:

7.1 There has been a 15% (156) increase in the number of applications determined between 2007/08 and 2008/09. There have been no increases in staff during this time.

7.2 The number of outstanding DAs in the system has decreased from 372 to 269 between 2007/09 and 2008/09.

7.3 There has been a very significant decrease in the number of older (>80 days) DAs in the system. This was one of the major thrusts of the process improvements presented to Council earlier this year. Council should be aware that as older DAs are determined, there can tend to be a negative spike in processing times. There were 289 DAs (including Section 96 applications) in the system in this category in 2007/08 compared with 176 at the end of 2008/09. This is a reduction of 113 “older” applications.

7.4 Conversely, the number of DA’s that have been determined in less than 40 days has increased from 349 to 447 between 2007/08 and 2008/09.

7.5 Gross mean processing times have slipped marginally from 121 days to 123 days between 2007/08 and 2008/09. This takes into account requests for further information and ignore “stop the clock” provisions which in some ways is an unfair measure of processing times as Council is unable to control a significant part of the process as applicants are preparing the additional information requested.

7.6 The net processing times on the other hand, have improved very significantly from 87 to 63 days between 2007/08 and 2008/09. This is a very pleasing result and underlines the success of the various improvement strategies that have been implemented.

8. It is clear that whilst there is some way to go to achieve an excellent development application processing system, the trends are very positive and encouraging. Staff remain committed to continuous improvement in the collective endeavour to achieve excellence in this important aspect of Council’s work.

Independent Review of Certain DA reports

9. In recent times, with an upsurge of the number of applications for sensitive land uses like brothels, I have decided that, in consultation with the staff and the relevant union, it is prudent to have Council officers’ reports and recommendations reviewed by independent peer review not associated with the application in cases where there is disagreement between DSU staff and the Community Crime Prevention Office. This process is already in operation.

In-House Legal Counsel

10. Council would be aware that legal Counsel has recently been appointed and commenced on 21 September 2009. Whilst the details of his direct interface with the DSU on a daily basis is yet to be fully refined, he will add a level of in-house legal expertise that the Unit currently does not have. This will improve the immediacy and responsiveness of legal advice and direction on DA issues and potentially improve case management of individual appeals to the Land and Environment Court.

Improvements to Pre-lodgement Processes

11. Council staff have concentrated on improving the front end of the process in assessing development applications. This includes pre lodgement advice and guidance prior to lodgement of development applications.

12. A major initiative in the last several months has been the appointment of the development advisory team. That team has been appointed and has recently become operational. The role of the team is to provide advice and guidance to would be applicants to increase the efficiency of the assessment process and anticipate any potential issues prior to lodgement.

13. Whilst there has been the occasional issue with pre lodgement advice in the past, the operation of the development advisory team will reinforce Council’s capacity to provide accurate, consistent and timely advice to potential applicants and objectors.

Other Improvements

14. Improvements have been made in the way performance is measured, and these now include lead indicators for the first time. Previous measures were only reported on what had happened (lag indicators). The staff in DSU have developed 2 lead indicators to show if DAs a likely to meet the target assessment time. These indicators are:

14.1 Percentage of DAs through clearing house with 7 days (target 75%)

14.2 Percentage of DAs with notification/exhibition processes complete within 21 days of lodgement (target 75%)

15. These lead indicators will be displayed on visual scoreboards in DSU. These indicators show that staff in the DSU have made significant improvements in the early parts of the DA assessment process. For example in the 2008/2009 financial year only 7% of DAs had completed notification/exhibition and internal referrals within 21 days. For this financial year 42% of all development applications had achieved this key milestone. This is a reflection of major improvements in the processing of DAs including more responsive internal referrals.

Further Improvements

16. In is anticipated that proposed amendments to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act to remove “stop the clock” provisions will come into effect in the near future. As a consequence the improvements to the assessment time must now focus on the gross times. This change will place pressure on Councils throughout NSW to process and will make it critical that they have systems that ensure that applications are assessable and complete.

17. This proposed change to the legislation also change the statutory assessment times, with most applications having 50 day determination time rather than the current 40 day period. DSU has reviewed the upfront processes to eliminate incomplete applications so that it is not necessary to ask for amended plans or additional information after the application is lodged. For this financial year 55 % of DAs reviewed by Clearing House, required additional information. Last year the figure was 59%, so there has been a slight improvement. This figure still needs more improvement and the Development Advisory Team will be a key component of this improvement.

18. It is also proposed to introduce lodgement interviews to replace the traditional counter DA lodgement process which appears to rely on customers standing in line at the front counter for service. Lodgement interviews will enable staff and applicants to meet at an agreed time in a professional manner that allows sufficient time for the staff and applicants to review the information to be lodged with the D. The lodgement interviews:

18.1 Will ensure that customers have their applications reviewed by the right staff, rather than turning up at the development counter in the anticipation that staff may be available, thus saving customers time and money

18.2 Will enable appropriately qualified staff to be rostered to meet the needs of customers.

19. By providing the appropriately qualified staff to review and check applications, there will fewer requests for additional information at a later date, thus streamlining assessment processes and reducing gross assessment times.

20. Finally, the adoption of the new Code of Conduct and the amended policy on the Interaction Between Staff and Councillors further reinforces the strength of the Council's governance framework for DA matters.

Sue Weatherley

Acting Chief Executive Officer

Attachments:

There are no attachments for this report.

REFERENCE MATERIAL