Late Items Agenda of Council - Monday, 28 September 2020

Council 28 September 2020 Item 18.1

NOTICE OF MOTION

ITEM NUMBER 18.1

SUBJECT NOTICE OF MOTION: Eat Street Precinct

REFERENCE F2016/02180 - D07644550

FROM Councillor Zaiter

MOTION

That Council prepare and forward correspondence to and schedule a meeting with the Parramatta Light Rail - TfNSW Program Director within the next week advocating for the following on behalf of all the businesses within the Eat Street Precinct:

(a) Details relating to the grace period seating and umbrella arrangements/locations to be immediately disclosed to Council, businesses within the Eat Street Precinct and all other relevant stakeholders. These details should include a scaled drawing of the street to allow the necessary outdoor dining licenses to be prepared and issued by Council to those who want them.

(b) TfNSW to provide at their cost the necessary electrics and lighting to facilitate lighting on the umbrellas for outside dining tables or other similar dining furniture within the Eat Street Precinct when the grace period commences on 1 November 2020.

(c) Details relating to the proposed impacts of the Lennox development during the grace period and proposed activation plans to minimise such impact.

(d) As the Eat Street Light Rail Stop is expected to be approximately 45 metres long, it is requested all businesses in the vicinity of this stop who will have their future outdoor dining capacity impacted are notified of this as soon as possible, including proposed alternate arrangements.

(e) As the micro tunneling has been completed, Council to seek advice from TfNSW when the pits in Centenary Square will be filled in and the Square returned to Council control. Council staff to provide Councillors with detailed activation plans; including costs and timing for activation of the Square once control has been returned to Council.

(f) Proposed activation plans by TfNSW and Council during the grace period.

BACKGROUND

1. No background was provided for this notice of motion.

DIRECTOR, CITY PLANNING & DESIGN RESPONSE

2. Councillors have received updates on the matters raised in the notice of motion in a briefing note on Friday, 18 September 2020. These matters are already being advocated for and being actively worked on by Council officers, as detailed below.

3. Part (a) TfNSW still has work to do to complete the grace period activation planning. This includes provision of an accurate scaled plan of the street, with sufficient room for the footpath and for outdoor dining (accounting for COVID-19 separation of tables). As at 22 September 2020 this work has not been completed by TfNSW. Council staff have provided significant feedback and technical advice to TfNSW on the dining layout, and are assisting as much as possible. The plans to date from TfNSW are not complete, and do not accurately reflect the required footpath and on-street dining area for café/restaurant traders.

4. Part (b) TfNSW has advised that their Contractor, Parramatta Connect will provide street lighting to replace the current construction lighting. TfNSW has advised that it is unlikely that individual umbrellas will have their own lighting. The street lighting will not be ‘industrial’ in feel, and will be suitable for the activation. TfNSW has been reminded that the existing CCTV cameras along the street will require a minimum standard of lighting for operation.

5. Part (c) The Lennox development requires the use of a 130 tonne crane to enable construction of the significant entry feature on Church Street. Current details are below.

6. Although the original Lennox Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) for this development did not have a crane requirement for Church St, the development does require a crane access from Church St, to construct in part the entry feature.

7. The CTMP is a Development Consent condition. Council has the approval role of the CTMP. However as the road is now a Transitway, TfNSW advise that they will need to approve a Road Occupancy Licence (ROL) for the work zone associated with the crane and deliveries on the road. Both should be compatible.

8. A revised CTMP is required by the developer in order for Council and TfNSW to conduct their assessment and make a determination.

9. The revised CTMP will address the crane access, it is possible that it cannot use Lennox Bridge due to weight loading and will have to drive down Church St from Phillip St early in the morning, using the emergency vehicle pathway provided for the grace period.

10. Council and TfNSW are awaiting for the CTMP to be submitted by the developer.

11. Part (d) It is the responsibility of TfNSW under the Development Agreement to liaise with on-street dining businesses on new or replacement on-street dining structures. This matter has been raised with TfNSW. It is important to note that whilst the Council has provided detailed urban design advice for the end state of Eat Street, the design and delivery of the end state, and on-street dining structures, is a matter for TfNSW and their Contractor, Parramatta Connect. Council officers will continue to advance this matter with TfNSW.

12. Part (e) The tunnel-boring machine reached Pit 5 near Lennox Bridge and has been removed from the site. Due to sensitive heritage foundations under the Bridge some hand digging is required to connect the drainage micro-tunnel to the foreshore area, and then to construct the remaining pits and three outfall pipes to the River.

13. The removal of the two micro-tunnel compounds in Centenary Square, and diversion of stormwater to the micro-tunnel is dependent on the completion of the foreshore drainage works. Parramatta Connect have advised that all work on the micro-tunnel, and therefore removal of the hoardings in the Square and foreshore, is expected to be complete by mid-November 2020. Restoration work in Centenary Square will be required in 2021.

14. Apart from the two PLR compounds in Centenary Square, the Centennial Fountain is undergoing repair. The work is anticipated to commence in October, and is expected to take approximately three months. A hoarding will be erected around the fountain boundaries.

15. With the various works in Centenary Square, and COVID-19 impacts, there has been uncertainty around the full activation program for the Square. Council’s City Experience team is finalising plans, and working around the Fountain repair and PLR compounds, and will provide a separate, more detailed response to Councillors, to this query.

16. Part (f) As noted in part (a) above, TfNSW still has work to do to complete the grace period activation planning. This includes provision of an accurate scaled plan of the street, with sufficient room for the footpath and for outdoor dining (accounting for COVID-19 separation of tables). As at 22 September 2020 this work has not been completed by TfNSW, though Council staff are pushing TfNSW to provide the required information.

17. In relation to the Council’s activation program, Council’s City Engagement and Experience directorate is actively implementing the activation program and provides separate and more detailed briefings to Councillors every Friday.

FINANCIAL AND RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

18. The role of advocacy being conducted by Council staff on the matters raised in the notice of motion are within Council resources.

19. A governance structure and regular meetings are held between Council officers (including at the CEO and Executive Director level) and TfNSW to discuss and resolve matters such as those within this Notice of Motion. As mentioned above, the matters raised in this Notice of Motion have been raised with TfNSW and will continue to be raised by Council officers in these regular meetings.

Martin Zaiter

Councillor

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