Council 26 October
2020 Item
17.3
ITEM NUMBER 17.3
SUBJECT LATE
REPORT FOR APPROVAL: Access and Digitisation of Willow Grove
REFERENCE F2019/04433 - D07698949
REPORT OF Executive Director City Engagement and Experience
PURPOSE:
To provide an update regarding the access and digitisation
of Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace.
RECOMMENDATION
(a) That
Council note:
(i) The
licence agreement between the Council and the Planning Ministerial Corporation
(Licensor) requires the Licensor’s consent to use or occupy Willow
Grove;
(ii) The
CEO has written to the Licensor seeking consent to provide access for a tour by
Councillors and to carry out the digitisation of Willow Grove and St
George’s Terrace.
(b) Further,
that Council note, subject to receiving consent from the Licensor:
(i) The
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Team will proceed to digitise Willow Grove and St
George’s Terrace;
(ii) Funds
will be reallocated within existing budgets to cover additional project
expenses, arising from the digitisation of Willow Grove and St George’s
Terrace.
BACKGROUND
1. At
the Council meeting of 12 October 2020, a Notice of Motion (Item 18.5) was
tabled addressing the 360 Degree Virtual Tour of Willow Grove, as follows:
That Council
arrange to digitise Willow Grove by creating a 3D scanning of inside and
outside of Willow Grove as part of its current project to digitise Key heritage
assets of the City. This will allow the community to get access to a 360-degree
virtual tour of the external as well as Internal of the building.
2. Subsequently,
at the Council meeting of 12 October, it was resolved that:
(a) That
Council arrange to digitise Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace by
creating a 3D scanning of inside and outside of Willow Grove and St
George’s Terrace as part of its current project to digitise Key heritage
assets of the City. This will allow the community to get access to a 360-degree
virtual tour of the external as well as Internal of the building.
(b) That
Council seek consent from the relevant Minister to digitise Willow Grove and St
George’s Terrace.
(c) That
Council receive an update at the next Council Meeting regarding access and
digitisation of Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace.
(d) That
interested Councillors be given the opportunity to tour Willow Grove in
November 2020.
(e) Further,
that Council receive a report examining the possible relocation of Willow Grove
and St George’s Terrace in light of recent State Government
announcements.
3. Please
note, Item (e) above will be the subject of a future Council report.
ISSUES/OPTIONS/CONSEQUENCES
Access
4. On
3 April 2019, Council (as licensee) entered into a licence agreement with the
Planning Ministerial Corporation (the owner of the land). The licence is
currently on foot under a monthly holdover.
5. Under
the Licence, Council was granted the right to access and occupy the
“brown” highlighted and the “blue” hatched areas shown
in the below plan (which are Car Parks) (together “the Licenced
Area”). This Licensed Area includes Willow Grove and St George’s
Terrace.
6. Clause
2 of the licence (extracted below) sets out exactly what Council can do on the
Licensed Area. In summary, the licence only permits Council to continue to
operate the car parking facilities – it does not give Council the right
to complete the request. Importantly, under clause 5.2 of the licence, Council
is obligated to keep all structures in the Licensed Area vacant – this
includes Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace.
7. In
order to comply with our legal obligations under the licence, under clause
2(a)(ii) of the licence Council must seek the approval of the owner of the land
(which the owner may or may not grant at its absolute discretion) before using
Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace to carry out the resolution of
Council of 12 October 2020.
Digitisation
8. Within the City Experience Directorate, the Cultural
Heritage and Tourism team, in collaboration with Marketing and Promotions team,
have devised a project to digitise a selection of the City’s key
Heritage assets, resulting in a virtual highlight tour of Parramatta. This will
promote Parramatta as a destination in the current reduction of face-to-face
tourism experiences due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
9. The virtual highlight tours will be comprised of aerial
drone footage, as well as 360 degree images of the exteriors and interiors of
the Heritage assets.
10. The project delivers on the Community Strategic Plan and Destination
Management Plan, specifically – Action 5.1.1.1 Support the delivery of
Council’s Destination Management Plan.
11. Willow
Grove and St George’s Terrace were originally outside of the
project’s scope because our focus was largely on those sites that had
public tours and/or public access. However, in response to Councillor
enquiries, these two properties have now been scoped to be included in the
overall project.
12. Due
to the significance of these two locations and the specific requests from Councillors,
it is proposed that the digitisation for these two sites be more detailed, with
a thorough virtual tour of all interior and exterior spaces captured. The
digitization of other heritage assets will generally not be as detailed as
Willow Grove and St Georges Terrace which is why the price is higher for these.
13. The
following table outlines the 12 Heritage assets from the original project
scope, as well as the addition of Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace:
|
|
Heritage Asset
|
Drone footage
|
360 degrees images
|
|
1
|
The Dairy Cottage
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
2
|
Parramatta Girls and Female Factory Heritage Precinct at
Parramatta North
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
3
|
Old Government House (OGH)
|
Yes (as part of
Parramatta Park)
|
Yes
|
|
4
|
Philip Ruddock V Heritage Archaeology Display Centre
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
5
|
NSW Lancers Memorial Museum
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
6
|
Brislington Medical & Nursing Museum
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
7
|
Experiment Farm Cottage
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
8
|
Colonial Hospital Pavillions
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
9
|
Elizabeth Farm
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
10
|
Hambledon Cottage House Museum
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
11
|
Newington Armory - SOP
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
12
|
Whitlam Institute (WSU)
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
13
|
Willow Grove
|
Yes
|
Yes (Detailed)
|
|
14
|
St George's Terrace
|
Yes
|
Yes (Detailed)
|
CONSULTATION & TIMING
14. To date, Stakeholder
consultation has not yet commenced. Consultation with members of the Parramatta
Heritage Partners Reference Group will take place in mid-November, and be
coordinated by the Cultural Heritage and Tourism team.
15. The
project is planned to be completed by the end of December 2020, and will be
launched through Council’s digital and social media platforms including
Council’s History and Heritage website and Discover Parramatta.
Stakeholder
Consultation
16. The
following stakeholder consultation has been undertaken in relation to this
matter:
|
Date
|
Stakeholder
|
Stakeholder Comment
|
Council Officer Response
|
Responsibility
|
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Councillor
Consultation
17. The
following Councillor consultation has been undertaken in relation to this
matter:
|
Date
|
Councillor
|
Councillor Comment
|
Council Officer Response
|
Responsibility
|
|
12 October 2020
|
Full Council meeting
|
Council requested a report to provide
an update regarding the access and digitisation of Willow Grove and St
George’s Terrace.
|
As per this report.
|
Lindsay Woodland, City
Experience
|
FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR
COUNCIL
18. The digitisation project is funded from the Cultural
Heritage and Tourism team’s 20/21 operational budget as part of the funding
allocation for the HOME At Parramatta Digital Content (Culture). This funding
was endorsed by Council on 9 June 2020 under the Creative Economy Support
Program, within Council’s overall COVID-19 Relief Package. $25,000 has
been allocated to this heritage assets digitisation project.
19. Quotes have been received by two providers and according to
these quotes, the original project scope can be delivered within the $25,000
budget allocation.
20. Additional quotes have now been obtained to include digitisation
of Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace and an additional $10,000 is
required to cover these costs.
21. Savings have been identified from the current budget of the
City Experience Division and will be re-allocated to the expanded digitisation
project.
Lindsay Woodland
Executive Director City Engagement and
Experience
Paul Perrett
Chief Financial Officer
Brett Newman
Chief Executive Officer
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Council 26
October 2020 Item
18.1
ITEM NUMBER 18.1
SUBJECT NOTICE
OF MOTION: Tree Canopy in Parramatta CBD
REFERENCE F2019/04433 - D07697229
FROM Councillor Pandey
MOTION
That
Council:
1. Prepare a report, including a target and
timeframe, to prioritise tree canopy increase in Parramatta CBD which currently
has a very low proportion of tree canopy of between 10% to 12% compared to our
target of 40% across the Local Government Area.
2. Report on feasibility of a significant
tree register for both private and public trees.
3. Provide a report on development controls
to monitor tree replacement and maintenance of newly planted trees that were
planted in newer developments as a result of removing existing trees, including
recommendations for improvement.
4. Provide a report on what we can do
through our DCP to incorporate and encourage private tree planting within the
CBD.
5. Provide a report, based on recent
investigation and research work, on types/species of trees that are suitable to
reduce urban heat.
6. Develop a
community recognition program for tree plantation.
7. Report on feasibility of a program where
residents can request one tree at any time during the year.
8. Report on development of a program to
encourage local residents to volunteer for tree plantation and maintenance.
BACKGROUND
1. Parramatta CBD is
growing fast with its high-density mixed-use developments around the commercial
core. A very important challenge for us is to get the balance right between
development, economic growth, and social and green infrastructure.
2. We have an
ambitious target of 40% increase in tree canopy across the LGA but within the
CBD the current levels are around 10%. This needs to increase with a timeframe
set for achieving the agreed targets.
3. We currently have
systems to measure how many trees we are planting but work needs to be done to
keep track of how many we are losing. There also needs to be accountability on
applicants replacing trees to ensure that the trees do survive.
4. Urban Tree Canopy
is greatly valued by our community and has several benefits including health,
environmental, temperature reduction, improves air quality, value uplift,
reduces heat, encourages active transport just to name few.
5. Planning controls
are extremely important to encourage tree canopy on privately owned land.
Acknowledgement and innovative programs are required to encourage residents to
assist Council with achieving our tree canopy targets.
6. Some snippets
from Daily Telegraph, April 2019, story title “Parramatta Urban Heat
Study”
7. The tree canopy
in Parramatta CBD is just 10 per cent, but it rises to 33 per cent in other
parts of the local government area. Council is aiming to increase its tree
canopy to 40 per cent by 2050, the highest target in metropolitan Sydney.
8. Research shows
that every 10 per cent increase in tree canopy cover can reduce land-surface
temperatures by 1.13C.
9. Head researcher
Dr Sebastian Pfautsch said the testing found that shade under liquidambar trees
was also 7C cooler than from bottlebrushes
10. The results are a clear
indicator that our town planners must really think carefully which trees are
planted, in terms of their capacity to cool.
Sameer Pandey
Councillor
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CITY OPERATIONS
& ASSETS RESPONSE
11. Tree Canopy Report - In response to point 1 of the recommendation, Council staff have
initiated the development of a Tree Canopy Plan as required in Council’s
2020/21 DPOP.
12. The DPOP action is as
follows and is being planned for consultation with Council in December 2020:
3.4.2.2
Develop a Tree Canopy Plan, incorporating protection of trees, increased tree
diversity and a program of works for priority tree planting locations
13. Data analysis is currently
underway to better understand historical tree canopy changes, as well as future
projections, so that it can inform approaches to meeting Council’s
ambitious 40% tree canopy target. The 40% canopy cover target as set within Council’s
Environmental Sustainability Strategy takes into account the whole LGA, not
just the Parramatta CBD.
14. While trees are extremely
important within a CDB, It would not be feasible to have a 40% canopy target in
the CBD based on the extent of development footprint and density. Public spaces
like streets in the CBD are highly constrained and space is highly contested.
Council is trying to maximize tree planting in CBD streets as part of CBD
capital work projects such as the Phillip Street upgrade, Charles St Square
upgrade and the Civic Link.
15. Significant tree register
(public and private) - In
response to point 2 of the recommendation, all trees over 5m are protected
under Council’s Development Control Plan. Significant Tree Registers are popular
in other states where broader tree protection mechanisms such as our DCP
controls do not exist. A significant tree register in the Parramatta LGA would
not provide any further protections above our current DCP requirements. If a
tree register was to be established, this would require additional resources to
establish and administer for little gain.
16. Report on development controls to monitor tree
replacement and maintenance - In response to point 3 of the recommendation,
there is no existing development control that requires the applicant to
‘report’ on the maintenance of new trees approved through the
development process.
17. There is currently no programed
proactive follow up on private tree plantings. This is undertaken reactively
when issues are reported or arise. A landscape maintenance period is specified
under a condition of consent. Additional staff resourcing would be required to
undertake compliance of specified maintenance periods and reviewing tree
protection measures.
18. From July 2020, Council staff set up
the following service request codes in Pathways to track, monitor, and report. This data will be reported annually with other environmental
sustainability reports and includes:
· Total number of trees assessed in the application
· Number of trees approved for removal
· Number of trees refused for removal
· Number of trees approved for pruning
· Number of trees refused for pruning
· Number of trees to be replanted within the site
· Number of trees offset applied for
19. DCP to incorporate and encourage
private tree planting within the CBD - In response to point 4 of the
recommendation, the Parramatta DCP 2011 encourages buildings to be built to the
street alignment within the B3 Commercial Core zone to enhance pedestrian
amenity and activity at street level. Within the B4 Mixed Use and R4 High
Density Residential zones that surround the commercial core of the Parramatta
CBD, the controls allow for a more varied street alignment with opportunities
for greater private tree planting.
20. Further opportunities to encourage private tree planting
within the B4 Mixed Use zone will be explored as part of the review of the DCP
controls for the Parramatta CBD to support the Parramatta CBD Planning Proposal
that is currently on public exhibition. It is anticipated that the draft DCP
will be presented to Councillors in early 2021 with public exhibition to follow
shortly after.
21. Opportunities for private tree planting within the R4 High Density Residential zones
will be explored as part of the work on the Planning Investigation Areas which
is due to start after the reporting on the exhibition of the Parramatta CBD
Planning Proposal.
22. Report on trees that are
suitable to reduce urban heat - In response to point 5 of the recommendation, Council has completed
a research report with Western Sydney University detailing cooling capacity of
various existing local trees. This report can be found at https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/islandora/object/uws:52453 . This information is being considered when selecting and planting
new trees across the LGA.
23. Community recognition
program for tree planting - In response to point 6 of the recommendation, smaller scale
community recognition programs have not been developed due to limited resources
outside of Council’s existing Park Committee and Bushcare Volunteer
programs. A recognition program could be developed and would require a resource
allocation reflecting the scale of the initiative. Preliminary financial costs
are provided in paragraph 13.
24. Feasibility of a program
where residents can request one tree at any time during the year - In response to point 7 of the
recommendation, tree requests are currently standardised and treated equally
across the entire LGA. All residents can currently request new street trees via
the following Council’s internet site:
https://onlineservices.parracity.nsw.gov.au/ePathway/Prod/Web/Custom/services.htm
25. Once requested, street trees
are placed on a planting request list and planted under Council’s
existing Public Trees Planting Program. This is available to all residents
across the LGA and all street tree requests are met, however Council only
undertakes two main planting contracts per year.
26. In regards to private trees,
Council holds two free tree giveaways a year on the first weekend of March and
September. Two trees per resident are available at each giveaway, available at
Council’s Cowells Lane Nursery. If Council wishes to extend this service
to an on-demand tree request program for trees on private land, it will require
additional resources in the following areas:
· increased stocking of multiple tree species
· increase in nursery space, capacity and plant output
· new contract/s for growing arrangements
· additional staff resources to manage the program
27. Development of a program
to encourage local residents to volunteer for tree planting and maintenance - In response to point 8 of the
recommendation, these programs already exist across the LGA. Specifically,
Council holds one of the largest National Trees Day events in Australia where
over 1000 community volunteers assist Council in large revegetation projects.
National Tree Days result in over 10,000 native seedlings being planting every
year.
28. In addition tree plantings
are regularly undertaken within Council’s park and reserves by
Council’s 300 active Bushcare Volunteers and Park Committee members. Council also supports one-off corporate
planting days as and when they arise.
FINANCIAL AND RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS
29. Many of the requested
reports are for works already in progress, as part of Council’s 2020/21 DPOP. These reports will be
presented to Council once they are suitably progressed and can be delivered
under existing staff resources. The implementation of Item 3, Item 6 and Item 7
are summarised in the table below:
|
Suggested Program
|
Resources
|
Estimated Cost
|
|
(Item 3) Development
controls to monitor tree replacement and maintenance
|
No existing staff resource to proactively
undertake compliance of planning conditions.
|
$50,000 part-time resource for small
number of audits. $115,000 for dedicated resource to ensure maximum
compliance.
|
|
(Item 6) Community Recognition Program
for Tree Planting
|
No existing staff resource. Additional
budget required for staff time, materials and communications.
|
$10,000 (small scale, bare minimum
approach) up to $60,000 (large scale, approach).
|
|
(Item 7) A program
where residents can request one tree at any time during the year.
|
No existing staff resource. Additional
budget required for staff time, tree stock and tree storage.
|
Cost would vary depending on uptake of
the program. For 100 trees anticipated program cost would be $50,000.
For 500 trees, cost would be $150,000
inclusive of tree and staff administration costs. These cost include a
part-time position.
|
John Warburton
Executive Director, City Assets &
Operations
Brett Newman
Chief Executive Officer
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.