NOTICE OF Council
MEETING
PUBLIC SUPPLEMENTARY
AGENDA - A
An Ordinary Meeting of City of Parramatta Council will
be held in PHIVE (COUNCIL CHAMBER) COUNCIL CHAMBER AT 5 PARRAMATTA
SQUARE, PARRAMATTA on Monday, 26 June 2023 at 6:30PM.
Gail Connolly PSM
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
8 Minutes of the Lord Mayor
8.1 Supporting
Local Homelessness Service Providers........................... 3
8.2 Conversion
of former Royal Oak Hotel site at North Parramatta into an urban park.................................................................................................. 5
8.3 Advocacy
for improved motorist safety at the M4 Motorway Church Street off-ramp...................................................................................................... 7
9 Public
Forum
9.1 PUBLIC
FORUM 1: Item 13.2 Lake Parramatta Swimming Area Upgrade 9
After the
conclusion of the Council Meeting, and if time permits, Councillors will be
provided an opportunity to ask questions of staff.
Council 26 June
2023 Item
8.1
ITEM NUMBER 8.1
SUBJECT Supporting
Local Homelessness Service Providers
REFERENCE F2022/03176 - D09027865
REPORT OF Lord Mayor Councillor Sameer Pandey
CSP
THEME: ACCESSIBLE
workshop/briefing
date: Nil
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this Lord Mayor Minute is to seek support for a
series of donations to local homelessness service providers during a time of
great need given the current cost of living crisis.
Recommendation:
(a) That Council recognise the
current cost of living crisis and its significant impact on those experiencing
homelessness or at risk of homelessness in the City of Parramatta community.
(b) That
Council donate $1,500 to each of the following local homelessness support
service providers:
a. Parramatta Mission
b. St Vincent de Paul
c. Uniting
Youth2Home, Men2Home and Women2Home
d. Jesuit Refugee Service
(c) That Council writes to each of these
providers advising of these donations for the purpose of assisting those
experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.
(d) Further, that Council note a donation of
$1,000 was made by Council to The Salvation Army’s Western Sydney Red
Shield Appeal 2023 following the resolution of 8 May 2023.
BACKGROUND
1. Like
many communities across Australia during the current cost of living crisis, the
City of Parramatta is home to an increasing number of people who are
experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.
2. In
2023, Council identified 204 people experiencing homelessness through its 13th
annual Parramatta Homelessness Street Count, an increase from 177 people in
2021 and 186 people in 2022. The Street Count took place on Monday 20 February
into the morning of Tuesday 21 February 2023 and was conducted by a team of
Council and Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) staff, and local
homelessness experts.
3. The
homelessness count revealed 30 people experiencing primary homelessness
(sleeping rough), and 174 people experiencing secondary homelessness (supported
through crisis and temporary housing services).
4. Homelessness
is a complex and multifaceted issue. Minimising the risk of homelessness and
supporting people experiencing homelessness improves the wellbeing of the
entire community of Parramatta, including residents, businesses and visitors.
5. Council’s
homelessness response centres around collaboration and partnerships, and
consists of a mix of practical actions, policy, research and advocacy that aims
to:
a. Contribute
to the prevention of homelessness
b. Support
and work with the local homelessness sector to support coordination between
services in service delivery and advocacy
c. Maintain
and promote use of public space and assets for the whole community, and,
d. Champion
regional planning and partnerships.
6. This
Lord Mayor Minute proposes that, in light of the results of the 2023
Homelessness Street Count and the current cost of living crisis, that a series
of donations of $1,500 each be made to several local homelessness service
providers to assist rough sleepers and those experiencing secondary
homelessness across the local government area.
7. The
proposed recipients, who Council collaborates and work in partnership with as
they deliver support and services to vulnerable community members experiencing
or at risk of experiencing homelessness, are:
a. Parramatta Mission
b. St Vincent de Paul
c. Uniting
Youth2Home, Men2Home and Women2Home
d. Jesuit Refugee Service
8. Council
should also note that a donation of $1,000 was made by Council
to The Salvation Army’s Western Sydney Red Shield Appeal 2023 following
the resolution of 8 May 2023.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR
COUNCIL
1. The proposed donations of $1,500 to each provider,
totaling $6,000, can be funded from the existing Lord Mayor and Councillor
Support Donations Budget 2022/23. The amount is consistent with the donation
made in 2022-2023 following Council’s resolution on 14 June 2022.
Lord Mayor Councillor Sameer Pandey
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Council 26 June
2023 Item
8.2
ITEM NUMBER 8.2
SUBJECT Conversion
of former Royal Oak Hotel site at North Parramatta into an urban park
REFERENCE F2022/03176 - D09029446
REPORT OF Lord Mayor Councillor Sameer Pandey
CSP
THEME: THRIVING
workshop/briefing
date: Nil
PURPOSE:
To advocate for the NSW Government to convert the former Royal Oak Hotel site at North Parramatta into a pocket park.
Recommendation:
(a) That
Council note that the former Royal Oak Hotel site at North
Parramatta, which was acquired by Transport for NSW as part of the Parramatta
Light Rail (PLR) Stage 1 development, is currently vacant land and is
apparently, deemed surplus to PLR needs; and
(b) Further,
that the Lord Mayor write to the Minister for Transport, The Hon. Jo
Haylen MP and the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, The Hon. Paul Scully
MP:
i. noting
that Council has apparently been verbally advised that the former Royal Oak
Hotel in North Parramatta has been deemed surplus to PLR needs;
iii.
requesting that the NSW Government convert the site to an urban park for
community use and to use the heritage former stables building for a suitable
purpose, and
iii
requesting that the NSW Government consult with Council on the use of the
former stables and the design of the proposed urban park.
BACKGROUND
1. The
former Royal Oak Hotel at North Parramatta (387 Church St) was acquired and
demolished by Transport for NSW (TfNSW) in June 2020 to facilitate the
development of Parramatta Light Rail (PLR) Stage 1. TfNSW is currently
considering the future of the site, which currently lies vacant and is apparently
surplus to PLR needs.
2. The former Cobb & Co Stables,
located at the rear of the site, holds local heritage value, and was retained
and protected during the removal of the hotel.
3. The NSW Government, in consultation with
the City of Parramatta Council and the community, have committed to explore
options for the future use of any residual land resulting from the removal of
the Royal Oak Hotel.
4. The
site (see Figure 1) is approximately 350m2, and provides a potential
opportunity for an urban park with seating and tables under canopy trees for
nearby office workers and residents to enjoy.
5. The
conversion of the site into an urban park would help address the open space
deficit in the Parramatta CBD and help retain the local heritage value of the
former Cobb & Co Stables.
Figure 1: Former Royal Oak Hotel Site – 387 Church
St North Parramatta
FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR
COUNCIL
6. There
are no new financial implications for Council as a result of this Lord Mayoral
Minute.
Lord
Mayor, Councillor pandey
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 26 June
2023 Item
8.3
ITEM NUMBER 8.3
SUBJECT Advocacy
for improved motorist safety at the M4 Motorway Church Street off-ramp
REFERENCE F2022/03176 - D09031602
REPORT OF Lord Mayor Councillor Sameer Pandey
CSP
THEME: THRIVING
workshop/briefing
date: Nil
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this Lord Mayoral Minute is to advocate for improved
motorist safety on the M4 Motorway at the eastbound approach to the Church
Street off-ramp.
Recommendation:
(a) That Council write to the Hon
John Graham, MLC Minister for Roads to advocate for improved motorist safety on
the M4 Motorway at the eastbound approach to the Church Street off-ramp.
(b) That Council acknowledge the work that
TfNSW has done in recent years to upgrade the M4 at Church Street and the M4
Smart Motorway project.
(c) Further, that Council request that TfNSW
do more to warn motorists of traffic conditions on the approach to this exit
and to monitor the speed of traffic and reduce the speed limit for vehicles on
the exit ramp.
BACKGROUND
1. The
TfNSW accident data for the 5 years of most recently available data (October
2017 to September 2022) shows that there were 73 accidents in this period on
the M4 Motorway Church Street exit ramp and the 400m on the eastbound approach
to the exit ramp. Of the 73 accidents, 60 were rear end accidents. Of the
remaining 13 accidents, all but one involved two vehicles travelling in the
same direction. These accidents resulted in 71 people being injured and 2
fatalities.
2. It
is acknowledged that TfNSW has made improvements to this area. Electronic
variable speed limit signs were installed on the M4 for eastbound traffic at
Pitt Street in mid-2020 as part of the M4 Smart Motorway project. The
upgrade for the intersection of Church Street, the M4 ramps, Parramatta Road,
and Woodville Road was completed in late 2022. This upgrade should reduce
the queueing on the M4 ramp that can extend back on to the main M4 lanes.
3. However,
more should be done to warn motorists of traffic conditions on the approach to
this exit and to monitor the speed of traffic. This work may include
variable message signs that respond to changes in traffic flow and queuing and
a reduced speed limit for the entire length of the exit ramp.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR
COUNCIL
4. There
are no unbudgeted costs associated with this Lord Mayoral Minute.
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sameer Pandey
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Council 26 June 2023 Item
9.1
ITEM NUMBER 9.1
SUBJECT PUBLIC FORUM 1: Item 13.2 Lake Parramatta Swimming Area Upgrade
REFERENCE F2022/03176 - D09028461
FROM Monica Kelly
Dear Lord Mayor and Councillors
I wish to speak before you this
evening in relation to Item 13.2 Parramatta Lake Upgrade, for your
consideration.
My public forum deals with the
approach Council is taking in relation to utilising the grant money to make
Parramatta Lake more swimmable.
While I congratulate Council for securing the grant, I urge Council to
reconsider developing the lake in line with the current plans while the
sewerage system is outdated and defective.
I live very close to the Lake and
swim in it nearly daily during the warmer months, and I walk and picnic in the
area in the cooler months, as do many other people. Frequently, the flashing
light on the top of the septic tank is flashing, disgusting smells emanate from
it, and I took a video of the tank swarming with flies leaching raw sewerage
into the water. I am happy to share this video with anyone who wants to view
it.
Council has been encouraging
patronage of the Lake for years, yet the toilet system is third world. It is
highly likely that development of the Lake, as proposed currently, will
increase its patronage. Yet I cannot think of any other public swimming space
in Sydney in 2023, that is not connected to the sewerage system.
I understand from Council’s
documents that some 50,000 people annually visit the Lake, yet there are only a
few toilets in both the men’s and women’s toilets. There are also
zero showers and changing rooms.
The NSW DPIE ‘Places to
Swim’ website states that uses of the grant includes amenities and
facilities that directly support the recreational use of the waterways (change
rooms, toilet facilities, picnic and BBQ facilities, foreshore works, netting,
pontoons, signage).
If Council fails to upgrade the
amenities with this grant, then our own funds will need to be expended to do
just that. Maybe not next year, but eventually the sewerage system will have to
be upgraded to meet first world standard.
I do not want to see my beloved
Lake the subject of a health emergency, a dysentery outbreak, or some other
well-understood illness contracted by swimming in human excrement. I also do
not want to see Council prosecuted for creating an unhealthy workplace. And I
do not want my friends and neighbours to become ill from swimming in what was
once a beautiful, natural waterhole.
Council has obviously undertaken a
lot of work and developed a design that will satisfy many users of the Lake but
changing focus to improving the sewerage system does not mean that the design
work has been wasted. Upgrading the sewerage system is urgent and vital,
particularly considering the growing popularity of the Lake. Another thought
occurred to me, that if I have videoed the septic tank leaking, others likely
have also. Frequently, there are camera crews at the Lake and all it takes is
for one of them to smell the septic tank, or be told about it, and the good
news story turns to bad. Very bad.
Thank you for listening.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CITY ASSETS &
OPERATIONS RESPONSE
The Lake Parramatta Swimming Area Upgrade project is 100%
funded by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment and grant funding is
conditional on the delivery of the concept plan. The Lake Parramatta swimming
Area concept Plan involves an upgrade to the swimming area to improve visitor
safety and access to the swimming area. The project does not include the
provision of public toilets and a scope change of this significance would be a
breach of the grant conditions.
While Council has no immediate plans to replace or upgrade
the toilet facilities, Council is progressively undertaking upgrades to Lake
Parramatta Reserve in line with its adopted Masterplan. All Lake
Parramatta toilet facilities are plumbed to a pump out system which is
serviced regularly, council has recently upgraded the pumps and rectified a
systems fault following overflow issues identified in you submission. Council
acknowledges your recommendation to connect the site to the Sydney water sewer
system, though to do so would be a significant project in scope and cost as the
nearest sewer line is in Bristol Street and would require the construction of a
new pumping station.
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.