Council 26 September 2022 Item 15.1

QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE

ITEM NUMBER 15.1

SUBJECT Questions Taken on Notice - 12 September 2022 Council Meeting

REFERENCE F2022/00105 - D08688515

REPORT OF Governance Manager

QUESTIONS TAKEN ON NOTICE FROM THE COUNCIL MEETING OF 12 SEPTEMBER 2022

Item	Subject	Councillor	Question
NIL	Urgent Matter – Parramatta Eels & NRL Grand Final	Garrard	What is the estimated time required for the Parramatta Eels flags to be installed around the Local Government Area (LGA)?
NIL	Urgent Matter – Parramatta Eels & NRL Grand Final	Valjak	Is there capacity for the new PHIVE building to be lit up in the blue and gold Parramatta Eels colours?
13.2	Draft Community Engagement Strategy for Public Exhibition	Bradley	In relation to page 153 in the Council papers, the item for notification for demolition of a building that is not a heritage item or within a heritage conservation area, the reference is that there is no notification and it is not applicable. How will Council consider notification of demolition of a building that may have asbestos or other safety risks involved in that demolition, and should there not be some special arrangement for notification in that case, and should this be included in the document?
13.3	NSW E-Scooter Shared Scheme Trial	Garrard	Does Council’s current insurance provide coverage for claimants who are e-scooter users? If not included, what would the increase in premium be to provide coverage for such claimants?
14.2	Carlingford West/ Cumberland High School Precinct - Traffic Issues	Prociv	Can we ask Schools Infrastructure NSW if there are any plans for the reinstatement of geographical catchments.
14.2	Carlingford West/ Cumberland High School Precinct - Traffic Issues	Garrard	How many re-locatable CCTV cameras does Council have?
14.2	Carlingford West/ Cumberland High School Precinct - Traffic Issues	Garrard	Can consideration be given to implementing a permanent or semi-permanent camera at the most problematic area near the Carlingford West Public School.
14.2	Carlingford West/ Cumberland High School Precinct - Traffic Issues	Wearne	How may Council at a planning level implement controls concerning the determination of location and construction of schools by the state government?

BACKGROUND

1. Paragraph 9.23 of Council’s Code of Meeting Practice states:

“Where a councillor or council employee to whom a question is put is unable to respond to the question at the meeting at which it is put, they may take it on notice and report the response to the next meeting of the Council.”

STAFF RESPONSE

Matter of Urgency – Parramatta Eels and NRL Grand Final

During discussion on the Motion moved by Councillor Garrard, Councillor Garrard asked the following question:

What is the estimated time required for the Parramatta Eels flags to be installed around the Local Government Area (LGA)?

Executive Director City Engagement & Experience:

The installation of flags is highly dependent on the supplier’s availability and the other jobs booked in.

If the banners are already available and do not require production, they could be installed in one (1) week subject to the supplier’s availability to install them.

If banners are not available and require production a minimum two (2) weeks would be needed (with additional time needed for design).

Typically we would allow six (6) to eight (8) weeks for production and installation, and would try and schedule them in as early as possible especially during busy periods.

The urgent timeframe for last minute requests also comes with an additional cost loading.

There are currently no eels flags available and therefore new ones would need to be produced and installed.

Matter of Urgency – Parramatta Eels and NRL Grand Final

During discussion on the Motion moved by Councillor Garrard, Councillor Valjak asked the following question:

Is there capacity for the new PHIVE building to be lit up in the blue and gold Parramatta Eels colours?

Executive Director Community Services

As part of the PHIVE building lighting programming we are developing a number of celebratory lighting displays that can be applied as required. The programming options being developed will include a “Parramatta Eels” celebration blue and gold PHIVE roof lighting treatment. This will be included in the initial roof lighting programming suite finalised and tested prior to PHIVE public opening on 23 September 2022.

Item 13.2 – Draft Community Engagement Strategy for Public Exhibition

During discussion on the Motion moved by Councillor Darley, Councillor Bradley asked the following question:

In relation to page 153 in the Council papers, the item for notification for demolition of a building that is not a heritage item or within a heritage conservation area, the reference is that there is no notification and it is not applicable.

How will Council consider notification of demolition of a building that may have asbestos or other safety risks involved in that demolition, and should there not be some special arrangement for notification in that case, and should this be included in the document?

Executive Director City Engagement and Experience:

This is covered by the standard condition of consent below. This is a very detailed condition covering the operators obligations, including around the disposal of materials. In addition, there are obligations on anyone undertaking the work to work within the legislated guidelines under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 overseen by SafeWork NSW (previously WorkCover NSW).

Below is our standard Demolition condition-

1. Approval is granted for the demolition of # (all buildings and outbuildings) currently on the property, subject to compliance with the following: -

(a) Demolition is to be carried out in accordance with the applicable provisions of Australian Standard AS2601-2001 - Demolition of Structures.

Note: Developers are reminded that WorkCover requires that all plant and equipment used in demolition work must comply with the relevant Australian Standards and manufacturer specifications.

(b) The developer is to notify owners and occupiers of premises on either side, opposite and at the rear of the development site 5 working days prior to demolition commencing. Such notification is to be a clearly written on A4 size paper giving the date demolition will commence and is to be placed in the letterbox of every premises (including every residential flat or unit, if any). The demolition must not commence prior to the date stated in the notification.

(c) 5 working days (i.e., Monday to Friday with the exclusion of Public Holidays) notice in writing is to be given to City of Parramatta for inspection of the site prior to the commencement of works. Such written notice is to include the date when demolition will commence and details of the name, address, business hours, contact telephone number and licence number of the demolisher. Works are not to commence prior to Council’s inspection and works must also not commence prior to the commencement date nominated in the written notice.

(d) On the first day of demolition, work is not to commence until City of Parramatta has inspected the site. Should the building to be demolished be found to be wholly or partly clad with asbestos cement, approval to commence demolition will not be given until Council is satisfied that all measures are in place so as to comply with Work Cover’s document “Your Guide to Working with Asbestos”, and demolition works must at all times comply with its requirements.

(e) On demolition sites where buildings to be demolished contain asbestos cement, a standard commercially manufactured sign containing the words “DANGER ASBESTOS REMOVAL IN PROGRESS” measuring not less than 400mm x 300mm is to be erected in a prominent visible position on the site to the satisfaction of Council’s officers The sign is to be erected prior to demolition work commencing and is to remain in place until such time as all asbestos cement has been removed from the site to an approved waste facility. This condition is imposed for the purpose of worker and public safety and to ensure compliance with Clause 469 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017.

(f) Demolition must not commence until all trees required to be retained are protected in accordance with the conditions detailed under “Prior to Works Commencing” in this Consent.

(g) All previously connected services are to be appropriately disconnected as part of the demolition works. The applicant is obliged to consult with the various service authorities regarding their requirements for the disconnection of services.

(h) Prior to the commencement of any demolition works, and where the site ceases to be occupied during works, the property owner must notify Council to discontinue the domestic waste service and to collect any garbage and recycling bins from any dwelling/ building that is to be demolished. Waste service charges will continue to be charged where this is not done. Construction and/ or demolition workers are not permitted to use Council’s domestic waste service for the disposal of any waste.

(i) Demolition works involving the removal and disposal of asbestos cement in excess of 10 square meters, must only be undertaken by contractors who hold a current WorkCover “Demolition Licence” and a current WorkCover “Class 2 (Restricted) Asbestos Licence”.

(j) Demolition is to be completed within 5 days of commencement.

(k) Demolition works are restricted to Monday to Friday between the hours of 7.00am to 5.00pm. No demolition works are to be undertaken on Saturdays, Sundays or Public Holidays.

(l) 1.8m high Protective fencing is to be installed to prevent public access to the site.

(m) A pedestrian and Traffic Management Plan must be submitted to the satisfaction of Council prior to commencement of demolition and/or excavation. It must include details of the:

i. Proposed ingress and egress of vehicles to and from the construction site;

ii. Proposed protection of pedestrians adjacent to the site;

iii. Proposed pedestrian management whilst vehicles are entering and leaving the site.

(n) All asbestos laden waste, including asbestos cement flat and corrugated sheets must be disposed of at a tipping facility licensed by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

(o) Before demolition works begin, adequate toilet facilities are to be provided.

(p) After completion, the applicant must notify City of Parramatta within 7 days to assess the site and ensure compliance with AS2601-2001 – Demolition of Structures.

(q) Within 14 days of completion of demolition, the applicant must submit to Council:

i. An asbestos clearance certificate issued by a suitably qualified person if asbestos was removed from the site; and

ii. A signed statement verifying that demolition work and the recycling of materials was undertaken in accordance with the Waste Management Plan approved with this consent. In reviewing such documentation Council will require the provision of original.

iii. Payment of fees in accordance with Council’s current schedule of fees and charges for inspection by Parramatta Council of the demolition site prior to commencement of any demolition works and after the completion of the demolition works.

Reason: To protect the amenity of the area.

Item 13.3 – NSW E-Scooter Shared Scheme Trial

During discussion on the Motion moved by Councillor Prociv, Councillor Garrard asked the following question:

Does Council’s current insurance provide coverage for claimants who are e-scooter users?

If not included, what would the increase in premium be to provide coverage for such claimants?

Executive Director People, Culture and Workplace:

There is no straight forward response to this matter.

If Council is providing the service, then it would need to be declared to insurers and negotiations entered into to determine if

1. The insurer was prepared to cover council for this activity, and if yes,

2. At what cost.

At this stage there is no way to estimate what additional premium, if any, would be generated.

If others were offering the service, Council’s public liability policy would protect Council for claims made against it by parties injured whilst riding electric scooters. Claims could only arise if it were alleged that Council was negligent, in the same way that third parties currently claim against council if they suffer injury from walking, riding a bike or driving a car.

Council would not be covering the users per se, but covering itself against claims made by users against it.

Item 14.2 – Carlingford West/ Cumberland High School Precinct - Traffic Issues

During discussion on the Motion moved by Councillor Valjak, Councillor Prociv asked the following question:

Can we ask Schools Infrastructure NSW if there are any plans for the reinstatement of geographical catchments.

Executive Director City Planning and Design:

Each school in NSW has a catchment area, where students must live in to be eligible to enroll at the school.

School Infrastructure NSW (SINSW) does reconfigure the boundaries based on various factors such as under or over utilisation of schools, high growth precincts, when new nearby schools come online or are upgraded.

Councils are not consulted when catchment boundaries change.

Item 14.2 – Carlingford West/ Cumberland High School Precinct - Traffic Issues

During discussion on the Motion moved by Councillor Valjak, Councillor Garrard asked the following question:

How many re-locatable CCTV cameras does Council have?

Executive Director Property and Place:

Currently there are 10 singe view RDCs in stock. Of these 3 are ready to be deployed.

Currently there are 10 multi-view RDCs in stock. Of these 1 can be redeployed because it is not functional in its current position due to a lack of solar access. There are also 9 on order and of these, 2 are ready for deployment and 7 are under construction. Therefore, there are 3 ready for deployment. However, there are plans to deploy these as follows:

Ø A dumping site requested by Regulatory Services

Ø The remaining two to replace the two Mobotix cameras at Telopea, noting the existing Mobotix cameras have been offline since August as they are in need of urgent replacement and the only cameras remaining on the Mobotix system.

In total, Council has 20 RDCs on stock. This will be increased to 29 after the order of 9 RDCs has been completed.

Item 14.2 – Carlingford West/ Cumberland High School Precinct - Traffic Issues

During discussion on the Motion moved by Councillor Valjak, Councillor Garrard asked the following question:

Can consideration be given to implementing a permanent or semi-permanent camera at the most problematic area near the Carlingford West Public School.

Executive Director Property and Place:

The CCTV Policy does not allow placement of cameras without detailed explanation of the purpose of placement of a camera at a given location. After conducting a site visit, it is the staff opinion that a thorough risk and site assessment need to be conducted prior to placement of cameras at the location. As part of this, an analysis will need to be undertaken to determine what is causing the issues near the school. It should noted if the issues are traffic related, the cameras that are used by Council are not suitable for addressing such issues as they are not designed to identify registration plates. Council does not carry any type of camera that has registration plate identification as this purpose does not align with the objective of the Citysafe camera program which is for crime prevention and public safety. Staff recommend another site visit is conducted during the school holidays so that suitable poles are identified for the purpose of camera placement.

Item 14.2 – Carlingford West/ Cumberland High School Precinct - Traffic Issues

During discussion on the Motion moved by Councillor Valjak, Councillor Wearne asked the following question:

How may Council at a planning level implement controls concerning the determination of location and construction of schools by the state government?

Executive Director City Planning and Design:

SINSW as a State Government Agency, is responsible for the planning and delivery of school infrastructure. While Council has some control in terms of establishing zoning whereby schools are a permitted land use, the Transport and Infrastructure State Environmental Plan overrides Local Environmental Plans and permits schools in other zones (such as residential zones).

Any new school proposed on behalf of the State government with a capital investment value (CIV) of less than $5 million is determined under delegation or by the Local Planning Panel. A State government school with a CIV of $5 million (but less than $30 million) is classified as Regionally significant development and is determined by the Regional Planning Panel. A State government school with a CIV exceeding $30 million is classified as State Significant Development and is determined by the Department of Planning and Environment.

In April 2021 the Auditor-General released a performance audit of SINSW, highlighting the shortfalls of school infrastructure planning and delivery, and a subsequent NSW Government Parliamentary inquiry into the planning and delivery of school infrastructure in New South Wales was established in October 2021. A Council Officer submission was made to the inquiry advocating for improved processes. The Inquiry is still ongoing.

Attachments:

REFERENCE MATERIAL