NOTICE OF Council
MEETING
PUBLIC AGENDA – SUPPLEMENTARY A & B
An Ordinary Meeting of City of Parramatta Council will
be held in PHIVE (COUNCIL CHAMBER) COUNCIL CHAMBER AT 5 PARRAMATTA
SQUARE, PARRAMATTA on Monday, 11 March 2024 at 6.30PM.
Gail Connolly PSM
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
8 Minutes of the Lord Mayor
8.1 Vale
Paul Barber, Former Lord Mayor of City of Parramatta.......................... 3
8.2 Vale
Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths AO DSO DSC RAN (Ret'd)....................... 5
8.3 Celebrating
Holi Festival of Colours.... 7
8.4 2024
Homelessness Street Count...... 9
8.5 Clean
Up Australia Day 2024........... 12
8.6 Observing
Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.. 14
9 Public
Forum
9.1 Item
14.1: Report on Council's Community
Spaces............................................ 16
9.2 Item
14.1: Report on Council’s Community Spaces.......................... 18
9.3 Item
14.1 - Report on Council's Community Spaces.......................... 20
9.4 Item
14.2: Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club......................... 22
9.5 Item
14.2: Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club......................... 24
9.6 Item
14.2: Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club......................... 26
9.7 Item
14.2 - Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club......................... 27
9.8 Item
14.2 - Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club......................... 29
9.9 Item
14.2 - Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club......................... 31
14 Notices of Motion
14.1 Report
on Council's Community Spaces............................................ 33
14.2 Unsolicited
Proposal by the Australian Turf Club - Proposed Sale and Redevelopment of
Rosehill Racecourse 37
15 Questions with
Notice
15.1 Funds
and Voluntary Planning Agreements Remitted to Council After the 2016 Council
Amalgamations - Wentworth Point............................... 58
15.2 Questions
taken on Notice at the 26 February 2024 Council Meeting........ 61
15.3 Solar
Panels on Council Facilities..... 63
Council 11 March
2024 Item
8.1
ITEM NUMBER 8.1
SUBJECT Vale
Paul Barber, Former Lord Mayor of City of Parramatta
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09345438
REPORT OF Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
CSP
THEME: Welcoming
workshop/briefing
date: Nil
PURPOSE: The
purpose of this Lord Mayoral Minute is to acknowledge the death of Mr Paul Barber, former Lord Mayor of City of
Parramatta, and express Council’s sincere condolences to his family and
friends.
Recommendation:
(a) That Council acknowledge the
death of Mr Paul Barber, former Lord Mayor of City of Parramatta from 2007-2008, on 29 February 2024.
(b) That Council express its sincere
condolences to Paul Barber’s family and friends at this sad time.
BACKGROUND
1. Mr Paul Barber, who died on 29 February 2024, leaves a
lasting legacy, having made significant contributions to the City of Parramatta
community over many decades. In life, he was remembered as a kind and genuine
community leader, a man who epitomised hard work, integrity, decency and
dedication.
2. Mr Barber was raised in East Parramatta, educated at
Parramatta East Public School and Macquarie Boys High School. After a career as
a shift controller at the Shell Oil Refinery, a concern for Parramatta’s
heritage and urban design standards prompted his first interest in local
government in the 1990s.
3. He became a long-serving member of City of Parramatta’s
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee, advocating for the
rights and welfare of Indigenous Australians. He served on the upper Parramatta
River Catchment Trust and on the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of
Councils where he lobbied both State and Federal Governments for a greater role
for local governments.
4. Mr Barber enjoyed a long, distinguished and impactful
career as an elected City of Parramatta Councillor from 2001, including holding
the office of Lord Mayor of Parramatta in 2007 and 2008. During his terms on
Council, he was involved in the creation of the Parramatta Artists Studio, the
restoration of the old Parramatta War Memorial Pool, the introduction of the
free shuttle bus in 2008, delivery of the first Sustainability Expo in 2007 and
the successful delivery of Social Enterprise Grants for the unemployed, plus
many more achievements.
5. Council expresses its sincere condolences to his partner
Leanne, family and friends at this sad time.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR
COUNCIL
6. There are no new financial implications for Council as a
result of this Lord Mayoral Minute.
Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Council 11 March
2024 Item
8.2
ITEM NUMBER 8.2
SUBJECT Vale
Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths AO DSO DSC RAN (Ret'd)
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09357137
REPORT OF Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
CSP
THEME: Welcoming
workshop/briefing
date: Nil
PURPOSE: The purpose
of this Lord Mayoral Minute is to acknowledge the death of Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths AO DSO
DSC RAN (Ret'd), former commissioning Commanding Officer of the HMAS
Parramatta and Patron of the Parramatta Memorial Sub Section of the Naval
Association of Australia, and express Council’s sincere condolences to
his family and friends.
Recommendation:
(a) That Council acknowledge the
death of Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths AO DSO DSC RAN (Ret'd), former
commissioning Commanding Officer of the HMAS Parramatta and Patron of the Parramatta
Memorial Sub Section of the Naval Association of Australia, on
5 March 2024.
(b) That Council note the funeral
will be held with full navy honours on 15 March 2024 at 11AM at Garden Island
Chapel, Garden Island Defence Precinct, Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo NSW.
(c) That Council express its sincere
condolences to Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths’ family and friends at this sad
time.
BACKGROUND
1. Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths AO DSO DSC RAN (Ret'd) served
his country through a long, distinguished naval career, serving 43 years in the
Royal Australian Navy from 1937 to 1980. He was the RAN’s first
centenarian admiral, an excellent destroyer captain and one of a select few men
to have seen action in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
2. Rear Admiral Griffiths was born in Sydney on March 1, 1923.
He grew up in the Hunter Valley and joined the Royal Australian Navy as one of
seventeen 13-year-old cadet-midshipmen, selected from nearly 500 applicants. As
a Midshipman, he survived the torpedoing and sinking of the HMS Repulse in
1941.
3. In 1961 Rear Admiral Griffiths commissioned the new
Cockatoo Island built Type 12 frigate HMAS Parramatta, which was deployed as
part of the South East Asian Strategic Reserve. He ascended through the navy,
becoming Chief of Naval Personnel and Rear Admiral in 1976, where he introduced
innovative officer training, education and career pathway programs and
retention measures.
4. In 1979, Rear Admiral Griffiths was promoted to Commander
Naval Support Command and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
“for service to the Royal Australian Navy over a period of 42 years and
particularly as chief of naval personnel”. He retired from the navy on 17
January 1980.
5. In his post-naval career, Guy Griffiths most notably served
as the National President of the Australian Veterans’ and Defence
Services’ Council (AVADSC) for 24 years. He was also a Director of the
Australian Vietnam War Veterans’ Trust for 18 years and the inaugural
Chief Executive Officer of North Shore Heart Research Foundation. Guy Griffiths
was also President of the Naval Historical Society of Australia as well as
Patron of the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse Survivors’ Association,
the HMAS Canberra-Shropshire Association and the HMAS Hobart Association.
6. A biography of his exceptional life, Guy Griffiths: The
Life & Times of an Australian Admiral, was published in 2021. Council
expresses its sincere condolences to his children Erica and Guy, extended
family and friends at this sad time.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR
COUNCIL
7. There are no new
financial implications for Council as a result of this Lord Mayoral Minute.
Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Council 11 March
2024 Item
8.3
ITEM NUMBER 8.3
SUBJECT Celebrating
Holi Festival of Colours
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09328917
REPORT OF Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
CSP
THEME: Thriving
workshop/briefing
date: Nil
PURPOSE: The purpose of this Lord
Mayoral Minute is to recognise the Holi Festival of Colours and extend Council’s
best wishes to those who celebrate the Festival across our City.
Recommendation:
(a) That
Council recognise the Holi Festival of Colours, an
annual Hindu celebration to be held on 25 March 2024 marking the start of
spring and new beginnings.
(b) That Council extend its best wishes
to those across our City celebrating the Holi Festival with family and friends.
BACKGROUND
1. The Holi Festival of Colours is an ancient Hindu tradition celebrating the arrival of summer in
India, the triumph of good over evil and new beginnings. It is marked each year
starting on the evening of the Purnima (Full Moon Day) falling in the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna, which falls around the middle of March.
2. The traditional Hindu festival
commemorates the start of spring and the divine love of
Radha and Krishna. It is a time of
enjoying spring's abundant colours and saying farewell to winter.
3. To many Hindus, Holi festivities mark an
occasion to reset and renew ruptured relationships, end conflicts and rid
themselves of accumulated emotional impurities from the past.
4. Council recognises the significance of the
Holi Festival for our Hindu community and extends its best wishes to those
across our City who will celebrate with family and friends. The City of
Parramatta is home to a large South Asian population, with 11% of residents
born in India. Hindi is one of the top languages spoken in the LGA and Hinduism
is the third most popular religion.
5. Some of the Holi events to be held in our
City of Parramatta LGA include:
a. Indian
Australian Voice Inc will host a Holi Mela festival of Colour in Prince Alfred
Square in Parramatta on Sunday 17 March 2024. From 11am
to 5pm, the Square will transform into a vibrant ‘Festival of
Colour’. There will be a designated area for people to buy packets of
brightly coloured powder to shower the air and each other. The clouds of
colours dancing in the wind will carry the message of love, harmony and
happiness.
b. Ujjala (Little India Harris Park Business
Association Inc.) will host a Carnival of Colour in the Little India Harris
Park precinct on 11 May 2024. From 12-5pm, activities will include a
band/parade, games/face painting, lie entertainment, food stall and
refreshments. From 5pm until late, there will be a smoking ceremony, live band
orchestra, fashion show, multicultural dance and live performances.
c. Little India Australia Inc will host a
community Harvest Festival event on Wigram St in Harris Park on Saturday 13
April 2024 from 5pm. The organisers have been successful in securing a
$10,000 community grant from Council towards the cost of delivering the event.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL
There are no new
financial implications for Council as a result of this Lord Mayoral Minute.
Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Council 11 March
2024 Item
8.4
ITEM NUMBER 8.4
SUBJECT 2024
Homelessness Street Count
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09329288
REPORT OF Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
CSP
THEME: Fair
workshop/briefing
date: Nil
PURPOSE: The purpose of this Lord Mayoral
Minute is to highlight the City of Parramatta’s annual Homelessness
Street Count and to recognise the support provided by staff and local
volunteers in conducting the count.
Recommendation:
(a) That Council note the City of Parramatta’s annual Homelessness
Street Count took place on the night of Monday 19 February into the morning of
Tuesday 20 February 2024, collecting accurate data on
the number of people sleeping rough or in emergency and crisis accommodation in
the City of Parramatta local government area.
(b) That
Council recognise these collaborative efforts to support the wellbeing of
vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, especially at a time of rising cost
of living pressures and housing affordability issues.
(c) That
Council acknowledge and thank the staff conducting the count and write to the
local organisations and service providers who support the annual Homelessness
Street Count to thank them for their support of the initiative.
BACKGROUND
1. City
of Parramatta’s annual Homelessness Street Council took place on Monday
19 February into the morning of Tuesday 20 February 2024. The aim of the count
is to collect accurate data on the number of people sleeping rough in emergency
or crisis accommodation in the City of Parramatta local government area (LGA),
to measure progress towards practical initiatives to reduce homelessness.
2. The 2024 Homelessness
Street Count identified 26 people sleeping rough (primary homelessness). The
number of people sleeping in emergency and crisis accommodation (secondary
homelessness) at services provided by Uniting NSW/ACT, Department of
Communities and Justice (DCJ) funded Specialist Homelessness Service (SHS),
Immigrant Women’s SpeakOut and Parramatta Women’s Shelter totaled
195. Council is awaiting further secondary homelessness data from Cumberland
Hospital and Westmead Hospital, after which the 2024 Homelessness Street Count
results will be finalised.
3. The
previous Homelessness Street Count in February 2023 identified a total of 204
people experiencing homelessness, comprising 30 people sleeping rough and 174
people sleeping in emergency and crisis accommodation. This was an overall
increase from 2022, which identified a total of 186 people experiencing
homelessness, comprised of 39 people sleeping rough and 147 people sleeping in
emergency and crisis accommodation.
4. The
2024 Parramatta Homelessness Street Count marks the 14th count.
Results from the previous thirteen counts over the past fourteen years have
provided valuable data for Council and local community service providers, to
track whether homelessness has increased or decreased in the LGA. It has
assisted stakeholders in advocating, planning for and providing local services,
including the allocation of resources and funding to the Department of
Communities and Justice (DCJ) and Homes NSW.
5. The
count was conducted by a small team made up of Council employees from Community
Capacity Building and Place Services, and local workers from Uniting NSW/ACT
and Parramatta Mission as well as Homes NSW employees. The local workers are
experienced homelessness service providers.
6. The
Parramatta Homelessness Street Count is a positive example of our community
working collaboratively to support the extensive work that is undertaken to
improve the wellbeing of vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.
7. In
November 2011, the City of Parramatta Council adopted a Homelessness Policy in
recognition of the growing number of people experiencing homelessness within
the local government area (LGA). This Policy was reviewed and endorsed in
December 2019, with a mid-term review conducted in August 2022. Stemming from
this policy, the Homelessness Action Plan (the Action Plan) was developed,
which is an operational document outlining specific activities Council will
carry out to address homelessness in the LGA.
8. Key
achievements identified during the reporting period included:
a. Establishment
of the Public Space Liaison Officer (PSLO) position as a stable contact for
rough sleepers, to conduct daily proactive and reactive patrols, and to support
staff and community members engaging with rough sleepers.
b. Targeted
support to vulnerable groups at risk of homelessness through the adoption of an
Action Plan for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence.
c. Creation
of a dedicated Homelessness page on Council’s website, providing Street
Count information, Council’s Homelessness Policy, a Homelessness Fact
Sheet, the Parramatta Assistance Card, links to the Parramatta Regional
Homelessness Interagency and other services.
9. Council
thanks the Council staff, local service providers and Homes NSW representatives
who carried out the 2024 count, as their participation and commitment is
critical to its success.
10. This Minute
proposes that Council writes to the local organisations
and service providers who supported the annual Homelessness Street Count to
thank them for their support of the initiative.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL
11. There are no
new financial implications for Council as a result of this Lord Mayoral Minute.
Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Council 11 March
2024 Item
8.5
ITEM NUMBER 8.5
SUBJECT Clean
Up Australia Day 2024
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09350067
REPORT OF Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
CSP
THEME: GREEN
workshop/briefing
date: Nil
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this Lord Mayoral
Minute is to congratulate the community volunteers who participated in Clean Up
Australia Day on 3 March 2024 at various locations across the City of
Parramatta.
Recommendation:
(a) That Council note Clean Up Australia Day was held on Sunday 3 March 2024,
with many local volunteers and community groups participating at various
locations across the City of Parramatta.
(b) That
Council write to the community groups, schools and businesses who participated
in Clean Up Australia Day 2024 in the City of Parramatta, to acknowledge their
efforts and thank them for helping to clean up our City.
BACKGROUND
1. Clean Up Australia Day is the nation’s largest community-based
environmental event. Held on the first Sunday in March each year, the event
attracts up to 1 million volunteers across Australia. This year’s Clean
Up Australia Day took place on Sunday 3 March, with a dedicated Schools Clean Up Day on Friday 1 March and
a Business Clean Up Day on Tuesday 27 February 2024.
2. The City of Parramatta supports Clean Up
Australia Day by helping to identify suitable locations for clean ups,
collecting rubbish from participating community groups, business and schools,
and helping to promote the initiative across our media platforms.
3. This year 80 groups registered for the
Clean Up event across the City of Parramatta for the week, with clean up events
run by a range of community groups, schools, clubs and businesses. On
Sunday 03 March, 36 community clean ups were held in our LGA, with 17 events
requiring council-assisted rubbish removal. Council helped remove a total of
940 kg of rubbish from those events.
4. On
behalf of Council, I thank the volunteers, community groups, schools and
businesses who participated in Clean Up Australia Day 2024, as their
participation and commitment is critical to its success.
5. This
Minute proposes that Council writes to the community
groups, schools and businesses who participated in Clean Up Australia Day to
thank them for their support of the initiative, and for helping to clean up our
City.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL
6. There
are no new financial implications for Council as a result of this Lord Mayor
Minute.
Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Council 11 March
2024 Item
8.6
ITEM NUMBER 8.6
SUBJECT Observing
Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09355924
REPORT OF Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
CSP
THEME: Thriving
workshop/briefing
date: Nil
PURPOSE: The purpose of this Lord
Mayoral Minute is to recognise the Holy Month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr
(Festival of Breaking the Fast) across the City of Parramatta from 12 March to
10 April 2024.
Recommendation:
(a) That Council recognise the Holy Month
of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast) across the City of
Parramatta from 12 March to 10 April 2024.
(b) That Council convey ‘Ramadan
Mubarak’ to those across our City observing Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr with
their family, friends, colleagues and neighbours.
BACKGROUND
1. The
Holy Month of Ramadan is observed in Australia from 12 March to 10 April 2024.
Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr are a sacred time of fasting and spiritual
contemplation that promotes taqwa (greater consciousness of Allah and
dedicating one’s life and actions to Him).
2. The
Lord Mayor and Councillors are pleased to join with Parramatta’s Muslim
community, as people gather together in community groups and mosques to
recognise this holy month across the City.
3. In
a response to a Council resolution of April 2023, staff have installed street
banners on Marsden Street between Macquarie and George Streets, and George St
(one way east) between O’Connell and Smith Streets to celebrate Ramadan.
4. Council
wishes everyone observing Ramadan across our City ‘Ramadan
Mubarak’, a happy and blessed month. May the holy month bring peace,
happiness and prosperity across our City.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL
5. There
are no new financial implications for Council as a result of this Lord Mayoral
Minute.
Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Council 11 March
2024 Item
9.1
ITEM NUMBER 9.1
SUBJECT Item 14.1: Report on Council's Community
Spaces
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09356849
FROM Isabella Nikodinovski
Dear Lord Mayor and Councillors,
My public forum is to highlight
the current model for regular hirers including the booking system and processes,
use of the space and quality of the spaces.
1. The recently updated booking
system, Bookable, has proved to be an invaluable tool in creating a more
seamless process for regular hirers with features like automated payment
reminders, pin code access and cloning bookings with the ‘Advanced
Timing’ option. Some additional features that could assist both the
Bookings Office and regular hirers would be the ability to make bulk changes.
Additionally, some clarity on the
turnaround for casual bookings would be useful in planning business operations.
2. In the recently upgraded
Ermington hall, the baby change table has been placed in the women’s bathroom.
As a user who encourages families with young kids to attend the hall, we know
that women aren’t the only ones requiring these facilities. Consideration
to place these amenities in the unisex disabled toilet would ensure a more
inclusive and safe environment for local families.
3. The matters presented above
have some frameworks in place currently, but the issue is in the lack of
consistency. Some agendas are resolved in a timely manner, with others spanning
weeks or even months. As a user of 2 of council’s facilities across
6 days of the week, we as regular
hirers would be appreciative of being kept informed of the progress
periodically so we can minimise impact and plan for our daily operations. The
difficult works and lengthy delays during the Ermington Community
Centre refurbishment put the
policies and procedures to the test and my hope would be for the learnings to
be applied to any future works council plans for their community hall upgrades.
Small businesses like mine are
thankful for the opportunity to be able to uphold council’s values and vision
for the use of community centres – to be able to provide a safe space for
educational classes, welcoming new members of the community, creating
connections and promoting positive health and wellbeing through the services
our business provides.
We value our connection with
members of the Parramatta LGA, in addition to our connections with staff in the
bookings office that we have been working in partnership with for the past 5
years.
Thank you for the opportunity to
speak and for your consideration on the matter.
STAFF RESPONSE
Nil
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 11 March
2024 Item
9.2
ITEM NUMBER 9.2
SUBJECT Item 14.1: Report on Council’s Community Spaces
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09356839
FROM Janet McGarry
Lord Mayor
and Councillors, I read with interest the paper on this item in this week’s
council
papers. As a resident of Epping, I wanted to comment on City of Parramatta’s Community Spaces.
With the
increased population density across the LGA, the provision of public and
community
spaces is a key contributor to the concept of liveable suburbs. As more of
our residents
live in high density, high rise buildings, spaces where they can gather and
participate in local activities becomes more critical. Community spaces also
offer a layer of activation in our town centres and CBD that adds life and
vibrancy, and supports local retail. Finally, these are spaces that can offer
Not-for-profit, low-cost and diverse organisations a space to operate in – this is a need that does not fit
into other commercial spaces and has immeasurable benefits for our community.
Having been
President of Epping Civic Trust for five years, I am very familiar with the
council’s community spaces in and around
Epping. From my experience locally, and
professional
experience, I have some elements I would ask to be added to this report – which would, I believe, contribute
to a more rounded and useful analysis that could in turn be fed into council’s planning and budgeting.
Firstly, do
the key centres have business plans? Taking the example of Boronia Grove
Centre in
Epping – this is an excellent
facility that forms the only major additional facility added to Epping in the
10 years of redevelopment of the suburb. But I do not believe it has a business
plan that would step out its potential, form strategies to attain these and
give markers of success. This would be standard facility management practice in
the commercial sector.
Secondly,
what marketing or promotional plans does council have for these key
centres? How
much is budgeted for this activity? Which centres have dedicated facility
managers who
have experience in driving usage and awareness? And how is success
measured?
I ask this
because I have seen little evidence of a promotional strategy for Epping’s
three key
community spaces. Rather it seems they drift along – booked by those who
know about
them (or have used them for years) but with no proactive marketing to
expand the
opportunities they offer. There are many organisations in our area that
would be
excellent users for these spaces – but
it requires a different approach to
relationships
and partnerships. The suburb is poorer for this neglect.
Finally, how
is the operational management of these centres assessed? What markers
are there for
practical improvement?
I ask this having just had
personal experience of booking and using Boronia Grove. In my professional
experience, it was a sub-par experience. The space was great –
council has
done a good job of modernizing the building for use. But there were too
many hurdles and bureaucracy at
every stage of the experience. I suspect many
potential users just give up trying
to use it.
In my years of experience with
councils, I have seen times when these community
spaces are
under threat. Reports are done which says they aren’t being used, are too expensive to maintain, are not
wanted by the community. That usually results in motions to sell or dispose of
these assets.
This council
has both the opportunity, and the responsibility, to do things differently.
Assess your
spaces now. Run them professionally with a sharp eye on what they
should
achieve and who they serve. Monitor and re-engage as necessary.
This report
is a good starting point, and I commend it to you with the additions I suggest.
STAFF RESPONSE
Nil
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 11 March
2024 Item
9.3
ITEM NUMBER 9.3
SUBJECT Item 14.1 - Report on Council's Community Spaces
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09356881
FROM Catherine Dolle-Samuel
I wish to speak before you in
relation to Item 14.1 - “Report on Council's Community
Spaces”. My
name is Catherine Dolle-Samuel and I am the Chair of River City Voices,
Parramatta’s home-grown and
only symphonic choir, founded to be a permanent arts
organisation in Parramatta.
Firstly, I want to acknowledge that RCV has received two
Community Grants from City of
Parramatta which supported our projects Welded
Voices and Super Critical Mass
Parramatta, and we’re extremely grateful for that.
The hire of appropriate,
affordable, and activity-specific venues is fundamental to our
operations - from weekly
rehearsals to public workshops and concerts that have
engaged orchestras and up to 100
voices on stage. BUT it is a constant challenge in
terms of availability,
affordability, acoustic suitability, and is often a compromise in
terms of quality and number of
performances.
Now boasting 70 adult choristers,
and without our own “home”, finding an affordable
space, close to transport in the
Parramatta CBD for weekly rehearsals is a challenge.
Meeting rooms with low ceilings
don’t work! We’re fortunate to hire Cloisters Hall at St
Patrick’s, however, there
are times when we need to vacate, sometimes at short notice.
There is nothing comparable in
terms of hire cost and size that meets our needs in the
Parramatta CBD, and we’ve
had to look outside the Parramatta LGA for suitable
alternatives.
River City Voices supports the
Motion to:
increase the amount of
community space to meet the benchmark for our
population
For Performances: There is
no purpose-built acoustic Recital Hall in the City of
Parramatta, that combines optimum
acoustics with beneficial ROI in terms of audience
capacity AND in-built
infrastructure such as stages, choir stalls, orchestra pits etc e.g.
like City Recital Hall (cap:
1238); The Concert Hall at The Concourse in Chatswood
(1,000), and the Joan Concert
Hall in Penrith (550).
What about the Riverside Theatres
I hear you say?
We’ve happily done
performances there BUT it’s a theatre that relies on amplification
–
which is not what choirs or
orchestras do. It means battens must be brought in to help
stop singers’ voices
disappearing which incurs significant extra labour costs. Even with
Community Rates offered by
Council, as hirers we still must cover mandatory staff costs, so on average our
hire fee for one concert has been around $8,000 representing a significant 40%
of our total production costs on average. With audience uncertainty
particularly as a relatively new
organisation, those sorts of fees are quite prohibitive.
In any event, it is due to close
for a rebuild, so what are the alternatives?
The beautifully refurbished Town
Hall- which we are considering for a major
performance next year with
internationally renowned pianists/composers, plus a
commission that captures the
immigrant stories of Parramatta residents and featuring
our hopefully by then 80
choristers.
River City Voices will have to
bring in two grand pianos, hire and erect a stage and choir risers, cover
mandatory staff costs, extra equipment hire, and by that stage we’ve also
reduced the internal size in terms of audience capacity – to 200 people
at best. Even if we sold 150 tickets at $45 ($6750 in box office). Community
Hire for this venue alone is $3K for a day (we need to use the venue for at
least a Dress Rehearsal a day prior where we’re not receiving any income,
so that’s another $3K) and with all the additional production costs,
it’s not difficult to see why the Town Hall becomes a financial challenge.
That means our staging costs alone are well above what RCV can anticipate to make
in box office sales, and this impacts our long term financial sustainability.
Let’s look at the Petersham
Town Hall which is used for orchestral concerts as an
example.
It has a stage, dressing rooms,
and a seating of capacity of 400 and costs $1,160 to hire for a full day on the
weekend. Parramatta currently has no such similar operating venue.
I would like to point out that
the Recreation Hall in Parramatta North in the Heritage area is a potential
affordable, and accessible venue for community NFP organisations. And we would
ask Council to strongly advocate to the NSW Government for its refurbishment
and use ASAP particularly considering Riverside’s imminent
closure.
Alternatively, Council can assist
local NFP arts organisations like ours to access existing venues through
providing for example free access for dress rehearsals, assistance with or free
provision of additional equipment such as staging, assistance with wide-spread publicity
for our events, e.g. our children’s proms concert in November in the
Discovery Space in PHIVE ( our hire enabled through support from Walker
Parramatta square, otherwise RCV would be selecting a venue outside of the LGA)
or as with the Motion at hand, creation of a community venues grants program,
providing gratis hire.
We want to present and perform in
Parramatta, it’s our home.
And we want to perform at our
best– we shouldn’t have to compromise – our artists and audiences
deserve to experience that.
Thank You.
STAFF RESPONSE
Nil
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 11 March
2024 Item
9.4
ITEM NUMBER 9.4
SUBJECT Item 14.2: Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09356855
FROM Chris Waller
Dear Lord Mayor and Councillors,
Please see my submission below in
relation to Rosehill Racecourse.
This is not just about the selling
of Rosehill Racecourse; this is what is best for
Parramatta and its wider
community.
I am calling on the Parramatta
Council’s support following a number of forums in
relation to the possible sale of
Rosehill Racecourse which has upset a lot of race club
members and racing participants
as well as members of the public, not just in Greater
Western Sydney but all areas.
Horse racing is a unique industry
and a huge provider of employment. The Rosehill
Racecourse is a massive economic contributor
to the region via expenditure and jobs.
Not only is Rosehill Racecourse
the home of six of the last seven Australian Racehorse
of The Year Award winners, it is
also home to some of the biggest horse races in the
world which captures a global
audience, not only on TV and social media platforms
but also as a huge tourist
attraction.
On a race day, Rosehill creates a
hive of activity and the overflow to Parramatta is
huge. I do think that the
Australian Turf Club needs to engage a little bit better and
work closer with Parramatta City
Council and the wider Parramatta Community
moving forward, not only on race
day but on all 365 days of the year. A race meeting
alone is a community event and
was first introduced at Hyde Park in Sydney when the
city was socially struggling, and
the race meeting was put on to get people together
and have a good time.
Fortunately, nothing has changed, and a race meeting brings
together all generations from
young to old, all genders and all nationalities. Every
single person comes together on a
racetrack as one. It unites people and it engages
people which is what modern-day
society needs. You all know that Parramatta is the
centre of Greater Western Sydney
and is deserves not only a racetrack but a
community centre of this size to
be preserved and promoted in the manner that it
should.
There have been many famous
trainers and jockeys before me as well as great
racehorses and keeping Rosehill
Racecourse is a common-sense approach and by
supporting this, you will have
the support of the vast majority that are against selling
Rosehill Racecourse.
It is important to have some
green space for the community, perhaps a partial sell off
and utilising assets better is a
smarter approach. There are areas around a racecourse
that can be utilised better so I
also see a partial sale as a positive outcome for the club
which appears to have some income
concerns which can simply be fixed by a better
funding model.
STAFF RESPONSE
Nil
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 11 March
2024 Item
9.5
ITEM NUMBER 9.5
SUBJECT Item 14.2: Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09356868
FROM Helen
Hughes
I am a member of the Australian Turf Club, I live in the neighboring LGA -
Cumberland.
The former STC, prior to the
amalgamation with the AJC, intended to have an entertainment precinct in the
Rosehill area. It was a way of uplifting the area, and wider community
interests within the site. The amalgamation, which is the now ATC, resulted in
redirected interests, with a strong focus on the Randwick site and considerably
less on the Rosehill site.
The Rosehill Gardens
(racecourse), in its current form, is critical for western Sydney. It is a major
site. Obviously, horse racing and the training industry is the major part, but
it is far wider than that.
There is nowhere else in Western
Sydney that can accommodate large events – the camping and caravan show,
the pool and spa expo as examples. Even the local government conference held in
November last year. The site comfortably accommodates such events and it is
such a beautiful, relaxing and spacious open environment for such events.
Turning this site into housing
development is dumping again on western Sydney, which is dumped upon time, and
time, and time again. Decisions such as this is just looking after the ‘eastern’
side of Sydney – for their ease of access to Randwick and financial
comfort. In case you are not aware, Rosehill is the ATC’s most major
asset – as Randwick is crown land, it is not owned by the ATC.
Just selling off this site is
ignorant of the members and attendees from this area and the wider western
Sydney surrounds. The passion for Rosehill is unwavering.
As an aside, any alleged
‘consideration’ that retention of the racecourse supports gambling
is a nonsense, as there is less ‘bookies’ than before, and online
gambling is easily available.
People just having a day out at
Rosehill for racing is enjoyable. Race days is also socialising as such –
being a member does not need to be a focus. If it is sold out, it’s just
looking after those from the ‘Eastern Suburbs’, and it’s just
a cash grab.
The history of Rosehill
racecourse adds enormously to the amenity of the area. Many people – attendees
and members have referenced long personal attachment, or historic knowledge of the
site, and have expressed great concern to me regarding the potential loss of
this racecourse.
This actual venue, what it
accommodates, and what is could be further enhanced, is critical for our area.
Parramatta has vibrancy, and the
proximity of Rosehill to Parramatta is important (it far closer than Randwick
to Sydney). The Gardens add to the economy and significance of Parramatta
– with socialisation for people and plenty of accommodation for big
racing, or non-racing events.
Councillors need to support the
notice of motion - Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club -
Proposed Sale and Redevelopment of Rosehill Racecourse.
Western Sydney people deserve
better. Retention of Rosehill Racecourse is imperative and the Camillia /
Rosehill Strategy needs to be pursued. Anyone who doesn’t support this
notice of motion is taking away from the amenity of the area, and dumping on
the people within Parramatta and the wider western Sydney area.
Don’t forget that song
– ‘you don’t know what you’ve got, till it’s
gone’.
STAFF RESPONSE
Nil
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 11 March
2024 Item
9.6
ITEM NUMBER 9.6
SUBJECT Item 14.2: Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09356872
FROM David
Borger
As the Executive Director of
Business Western Sydney, I am here today to express our unwavering support for
the proposal to construct a new metro station at the Rosehill racecourse site
as part of the Sydney Metro West project. This initiative is not just about
enhancing our transportation network; it's a visionary step towards redefining
the future of the Greater Parramatta region and its surrounding areas.
The establishment of a metro
station at this site represents a pivotal opportunity for economic revitalization
and sustainable growth. It will serve as a catalyst for new business
opportunities, attracting investments, and creating thousands of jobs, thereby
boosting the local economy significantly.
Moreover, this project promises
to enhance connectivity within the Sydney metropolitan area, making it easier
and faster for residents to access employment hubs, educational institutions, healthcare
services, and recreational activities. Improved public transport options will
also alleviate road congestion, contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions,
and promote a more sustainable mode of travel.
Furthermore, the integration of the metro station into the
Rosehill racecourse site will activate the space, transforming it into a
vibrant, multifunctional urban precinct. This redevelopment will not only
preserve the cultural and historical significance of the site but also provide
the community with improved public spaces, including parks, shopping districts,
and entertainment venues.
The Sydney Metro West project,
with a station at the Rosehill racecourse, is a forward-thinking proposal that
aligns with the broader vision of making Greater Parramatta a more liveable, accessible,
and dynamic region. It symbolizes our commitment to building resilient
infrastructure that meets the needs of our growing population, while fostering
an environment conducive to innovation, prosperity, and community well-being.
We strongly advocate for the
realization of this project and encourage all stakeholders, including the City
of Parramatta council, to recognize the transformative potential it holds for
our region. Together, we can achieve a milestone that will benefit generations
to come, making Greater Parramatta a model of urban development and
sustainability.
STAFF RESPONSE
Nil
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 11 March
2024 Item
9.7
ITEM NUMBER 9.7
SUBJECT Item 14.2 - Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09356886
FROM Rick Graf
The Government announcement of a
new Metro West station at Rosehill/Camellia is a great opportunity for the
people and the economy of the Central River City in Parramatta.
A Station at Camellia was part of
the original business case for Metro West, but became lost in the politics
along the way.
While future plans for Rosehill
Racecourse are subject to a decision of Australian Turf Club members that may
take time to resolve, the overwhelming and obvious benefits of a Metro West
station to serve the Rosehill/Camellia precinct is unarguable.
For too long, Sydney’s
second CBD has been starved of major infrastructure projects to allow it to fulfil
its natural destiny as a major city in the geographic heart of the greater
Sydney region. This third Metro West station – complementing, Westmead
and Parramatta Square creates the potential for a three-minute economic super
hub, allowing Westmead, Parramatta, and Rosehill/Camellia to commence
functioning as one economic unit.
Separated just 90 seconds apart
on the new Metro, these three stations unlock the agglomerative effect of
having the scientific, medical, and education hub of Westmead, connecting
directly to the commercial hub of Parramatta CBD, and in turn, connecting to a
potential residential and smart jobs hub at Rosehill/Camellia.
Future development at Camellia
supported by a Metro station provides an opportunity to remediate and
revitalise what is a declining industrial precinct with limited employment, to
deliver more homes and open up public access to one and a half kilometres of
the Parramatta riverfront.
Today, the economic output of the City of Parramatta is only
20% of the economic output of the eastern Harbour city CBD.
While much has changed in
Parramatta over the last century, the change over the next century will be even
more dramatic, as the City for the first time, begins to receive the transport
Infrastructure that it has always deserved. In turn, this infrastructure will
unlock the future economic growth of the Central River City.
Whether the membership of the
Australian Turf Club decide now, or at some stage in the future, or whether
they decide to redevelop part or all of its existing facilities, should not be
allowed to undermine the underlying need for the Metro station for the Central
River City.
Whether the proposed Metro
station at Rosehill/Camellia catalyses new homes for 50,000 people or for
100,000 people, including the turf club site, is a scenario that needs to play
out overtime and follow democratic processes. In the meantime, everyone in
Parramatta should welcome the Government’s decision to add a third Metro
station serving the economic hub of the City of Parramatta.
In closing, the new Metro West
station at Rosehill/Camellia will provide the long-awaited catalyst for the
remediation of contaminated private lands, and also enable 1.5 km of the
Parramatta Riverfront to become publicly accessible for the first time in over
a century and deliver Camellia beach for the residents of Parramatta and
Western Sydney.
STAFF RESPONSE
Nil
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 11 March
2024 Item
9.8
ITEM NUMBER 9.8
SUBJECT Item 14.2 - Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09356888
FROM Martin
Zammit
I am a foundation member of the
Australian Turf Club and former member of the Sydney Turf Club.
I would like to thank all the
Councillors for the opportunity to speak here tonight. Some of you have already
been generous with your time when speaking to you about this matter of Rosehill
Gardens, as has Mr. Mark Taylor State MP for Winston Hills & Shadow
Minister for Western Sydney, as well as Mr. Andrew Charlton Federal MP for
Parramatta.
Rosehill racecourse is not only a
Parramatta City icon, but a Western Sydney one as well. It is where for
generations people have gone to watch our Melbourne Cup of the west, the Golden
Slipper, and if it is sold future generations will be denied the opportunity to
follow in this tradition.
Yes, Sydney might have Royal
Randwick built on crown land, but Parramatta has Rosehill Gardens that is owned
by the ATC. I see us more as custodians of this great asset to pass on to the
next generation.
Rosehill’s Autumn Carnival
brings worldwide recognition to Parramatta with international horses &
their connections coming here to compete at our track, as well as visitors
& tourists from all over Australia, who inject money into the local economy
with hotels, restaurants, local sights etc. all benefiting over the 3-week
period.
All of this would be lost and the
money would instead go to the cities of Sydney with Randwick and Liverpool, as
the plan also calls for the knocking down the dilapidated Warwick Farm racecourse
and rebuilding a new state of the art track on what is flood & contaminated
land at Warwick Farm. Meaning Parramatta will also lose out to not just Sydney
City but Liverpool as well. Liverpool City will end up with the new track and
Parramatta the apartments.
Parramatta will also lose events
outside racing held at Rosehill, like the Camping & Caravan show and
Australia’s largest Pool & Spa Expo. Rosehill racecourse even hosted
the local government conference that was held at our Grand Pavilion in 2023.
This is not just about us members
and racing participants, this is about the people who go to enjoy a day out at
the races in the public stands. It’s about the young people who get
dressed up and go to socialise with their friends, and non-racegoers. All the
people who not only will lose an icon in their area but have to cope with the
strain of 40,000 apartments and 100,000 people.
Finally, how can Parramatta &
Greater Western Sydney sustain this level of development of apartments that the
government is intent on forcing on us? What are the Western Suburbs going to
look like for our children, grandchildren & their quality of life?
We need to send a message to the
government, the developers and those in the position of power in horse racing
– stop trying to seduce us with 4 billion dollars. Leave the people this iconic
race track, this beautiful green space to enjoy for future generations. The
money is not worth the cost to the soul.
STAFF RESPONSE
Nil
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 11 March
2024 Item
9.9
ITEM NUMBER 9.9
SUBJECT Item 14.2 - Unsolicited Proposal by the Australian Turf Club
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09356892
FROM Angus Karl Stewart Thomsen
Hello
Mayor and Council
I'm here to speak against the motion to heritage list the
Rosehill racecourse. Apologies for my cynicism but in my personal opinion it's
pretty clear this motion has nothing to do with preservation of racing for the
next generation.
At this stage it seems uncertain and unfortunately
unlikely Rosehill race course will be
redeveloped. So what are we trying to achieve here?
Personally I'd like to see the council call on the state government to come
back to the table and finish what they started and unlock this site for
redevelopment and deliver an additional metro station for parramatta. To all
those who cited as lack of infrastructure as a concern in relation to the mid
rise proposal, an additional metro station really sounds right up your alley.
As an aside I personally think that proposal sounded
great, along with the transport orientated development proposal. Anyways 2
weeks ago several of the councillors here cautioned against the dangers of
manor and shop top houses in their neighbourhood. Personally I think more
housing like that would be neat, but forgoing the redevelopment of this site
won't kill the demand for housing in parramatta that would have been satisfied
by the redevelopment of the racecourse, instead that demand would spill out on the
rest the parramatta and likely accelerate development of the very types of
housing you cautioned us all against. If you really feel that way about the
midrise in your neighbourhood then you really ought to be calling on the state
government to finish what they started here and unlock this site for
redevelopment to absorb a significant portion of that demand.
Now with the redevelopment of the Rosehill racecourse
unlikely to take place at this stage, this motion is just salt in the wound
inflicted by the rental crisis and a last ditch contingency effort to ensure it
is only that much harder to affordably house the next generation that this
motion is allegedly being made on the behalf of. But if this motion is really
being made on their behalf, I'd encourage the councillors to go out on to
parramatta square — perhaps on another day as this council can sometimes
run a bit late — and actually speak to some of the young people from this
council and see how they feel about all this. How do they really feel about the
preservation of this race course? Should come at the cost of more affordable
housing? I struggle to see why anyone confident in the aim of this motion would
hesitate to do so.
I don't believe it is necessary for me delve into why
supply is necessary to address housing and rental affordability. All you really
need to do is look at what happened to rents in Auckland over the last 5 years
after they blanket upzoned most of their city relative to the rest of New
Zealand, or in cities like Austin Texas with more liberal zoning run rings
around US states like California in terms of housing affordability which has
some of their worst cases of homelessness and housing affordability in the USA.
Decisions like this that limit housing supply are one of
the driving forces behind the reality that Sydney is haemorrhaging people of
the ages 25-35 to other cities, due to the simple fact they cannot afford to
start a family here. The same people it is claimed this motion is being made on
the behalf of. As long as supply remains scarce I can't imagine the reality
will be much different for the generation after that.
Lastly if this proposal is honestly about preserving
horse racing — a heritage listing would if
anything
— only add overhead to the task of maintaining the site. At best this
motion is self
defeating,
if we are to believe its intention is really to preserve this sport.
If this council is serious about housing affordability
and a future for young people in this city, I ask
the mayor and those on the council to reject this motion.
STAFF RESPONSE
Nil
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 11 March
2024 Item
14.1
ITEM NUMBER 14.1
SUBJECT Report
on Council's Community Spaces
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09340520
FROM Councillor Kellie Darley
MOTION
(a) That the CEO prepare a report
for Council on the current provision, utilisation and condition of community
spaces (halls, meeting rooms and centres) provided by Council as well as
outline plans to increase the amount of community space to meet the benchmark
for our population and improve the quality of current community spaces,
including but not limited to:
· Current comparison of the provision of community space (m2 per 1,000
people) by City of Parramatta Council compared with other similar Councils,
· Average number of hours each community space is booked and vacant on
weekdays and weekends,
· Utilisation rates of Council’s community spaces by regular or
one-off bookings,
· Accessibility levels at each of Council’s community spaces,
· Level of IT facilities at each of the community spaces,
· Availability of a baby change table that can be accessed by men and
women at each of the community spaces.
(b) That the CEO investigate the
creation of a community space grants program whereby community organisations
and groups can apply for the hire fee to be waived or further discounted,
including what other local Council’s offer, and provide options and recommendations
to Council.
BACKGROUND
1.
Flexible, multipurpose community spaces act as gateways to connect
people with each other as well as to services that can provide support and
activities that provide fulfilment. They are known as ‘third
spaces’* that offer safe places for people to gather together and are
responsive to the needs of local communities. On top of supporting community
connectedness and cohesion, community spaces promote positive health and
well-being by providing formal and informal opportunities for community use.
2. Given
City of Parramatta is home to an increasingly diverse community,
Council’s flexible community spaces also play an important role as soft
entry points, helping welcome new members of our community.
3. There
are different types and scales of community space:
o Community meeting room: Typically a single room that people can hire
to meet their needs.
o Community centre: A place where people from within a local
neighbourhood can come together for social events, educational classes,
recreational activities or for drop-in support.
o Community hall: Multipurpose buildings managed by Council for the
community. They provide space and facilities for a range of local activities
and community services.
o Community
hub: A larger facility offering a range of spaces suitable for various
activities, programs, services and events which address the social, physical
and emotional wellbeing needs of the local community. It can be a school, a
neighbourhood centre or another public space that offers co-located or
integrated services such as education, health care and social services. Each
hub is as unique as the community it serves.
4. This
Notice of Motion focuses on the first three types - community meeting rooms,
centres and halls provided by Council across the Parramatta LGA.
5. In 2020, Council endorsed a Community
Infrastructure Strategy which identified that provision of community space fell
short of the benchmark for Parramatta’s population in 2019 by 6,656m2. It
also showed that the provision of community space in the Parramatta LGA was
below that provided by other Councils, unevenly distributed across our LGA and
wasn’t necessarily located to match population density.
6. Utilisation rates and the condition of the
community halls, meeting rooms and centres appears to vary greatly across the
network of 20+ community spaces.
7. Feedback received by community organisations and
groups indicates that current pricing of Council’s community spaces is
price prohibitive and there also seems to be a lack of awareness of the
availability of community halls, meeting rooms and centres for hire.
STAFF RESPONSE
8. Council’s portfolio of community spaces is
collaboratively managed by different Directorates
within Council, in line with the asset management
matrix of asset owner, maintainer and
operator. Responsible managers will be able to prepare the recommended report
if endorsed by Council.
9. The
report will be prepared through existing staff resources, with an anticipated
reporting date of June 2024. It is recommended that a Councillor Workshop occur
prior to any report back to Council.
FINANCIAL AND RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS
10. The
report will be prepared through existing staff resources and therefore no
impact on the current budget.
Kellie Darley
Councillor
Jon Greig
Executive
Director Community Services
John Angilley
Executive
Director Finance & Information
Gail Connolly
Chief
Executive Officer
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 11 March
2024 Item
14.2
ITEM NUMBER 14.2
SUBJECT Unsolicited
Proposal by the Australian Turf Club - Proposed Sale and Redevelopment of
Rosehill Racecourse
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09340470
FROM Councillor Michelle Garrard
MOTION
(a) That the Lord Mayor or Chief Executive
Officer write to the Australian Turf Club (ATC), the NSW Premier, the Hon Chris
Minns MP, the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the Hon Paul Scully MP,
and the Member for Parramatta Donna Davis MP, outlining the City of
Parramatta’s opposition to the proposed sale of Rosehill Racecourse for
the redevelopment of more than 25,000 new homes.
(b) That the Lord Mayor or Chief Executive
Officer write to the Australian Turf Club (ATC), the NSW Premier, the Hon Chris
Minns MP, the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the Hon Paul Scully MP,
and the Member for Parramatta Donna Davis MP, outlining that the City of
Parramatta welcomes continuing to work on the Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy
as adopted in August 2022.
BACKGROUND
1. Camellia also is planned to deliver more than 10,000 new homes, the
State Government’s 25,000 new homes for Rosehill is on top of the 10,000
already planned in the area meaning a total of 35,000 homes planned. Refer to
the Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy.
2. Rosehill Racecourse aka Rosehill Gardens should be heritage listed.
Rosehill Gardens should be protected and should not be sacrificed for urban
development.
3. Land at Rosehill had been purchased by John Bennett in 1883 with the
view to building a racecourse. He set up the Rosehill Racing Club (RRC), which
later became the Rosehill Racecourse Company. By 1885 the racecourse at
Rosehill was finished, built at a total cost of £17,000.
4. Taken from the online petition:
Historical
Significance: Rosehill Gardens is not merely a
racecourse; it is a living archive of Australia's racing history. Closing its
gates would erase a significant chapter of our cultural heritage, leaving
future generations devoid of the profound experiences that this venue has
provided.
Community
Heart: Beyond racing events, Rosehill Gardens
serves as a vibrant community hub, fostering social connections and shared
experiences. Its closure would create a void in our local community, impacting
businesses and diminishing the quality of life for residents.
Economic
Impact: Rosehill Gardens contribute
substantially to the local economy, supporting jobs, businesses, and tourism.
The loss of this historic venue would not only affect the racing industry but
also have far-reaching consequences for various sectors intertwined with its
events.
Cultural
Symbol: Rosehill Gardens stands as a cultural
symbol, uniting people from diverse backgrounds in the shared passion for horse
racing. The demolition of this venue would represent the loss of a unifying
force that has brought joy and excitement to countless individuals.
5. Camellia-Rosehill
Place Strategy
Camellia-Rosehill | Planning (nsw.gov.au)
The
Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy has been finalised and will guide renewal of
the precinct over the next 20 years.
The
draft Place Strategy was exhibited for public comment from 17 December 2021 to
4 March 2022.
We’ve
responded to exhibition feedback by making a number of changes, including
increasing the amount of public open space and making it easier to get to.
Find
out more about how we have responded to feedback by reading the Finalisation
Report. You can see all the final documents on the NSW
Planning Portal.
The Place Strategy is a plan
for:
· a thriving town centre with an 18-hour
entertainment precinct
· up to 15,400 jobs
· 10,000 new homes supported by infrastructure and
new public open spaces
· improved transport connections including light
rail, road upgrades and cycling and pedestrian paths
· opening up the Parramatta River foreshore and
making it a centre of community activity
· enabling a new urban services precinct and
retention of heavy industrial land that will ensure Camellia-Rosehill advances
in its role as an employment powerhouse for Sydney and NSW.
6. The Place Strategy does not rezone land. A Ministerial
Direction requires any future planning proposals for the precinct to be
consistent with the Place Strategy.
Artist
Impression from Place Strategy
STAFF
RESPONSE
Unsolicited Proposal Process (USP)
7. The NSW government
and the ATC have entered into an MOU which is subject to the NSW
Government’s unsolicited proposals process.
8. Council has no role
in the unsolicited proposal process as it is commercial-in-confidence matter
between the private landowner (ATC) and the NSW government. This process
is subject to Cabinet-in-Confidence legislation.
9. According to
information (media release) published on 7 December 2023 on the NSW
Government’s website, under the ATC’s proposal:
· “ATC retains and develops the Rosehill Gardens site
for housing (potentially 25,000 homes), entertainment, green space and a new
school.
· The NSW Government explores the feasibility of
a new metro station at Rosehill to deliver reliable public transport for the
new Rosehill Gardens community.”
Council’s
Adopted Position on the Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy
10. Council
at its meeting on 14 March 2022 adopted a submission on the Camellia-Rosehill
Place Strategy, noting that:
“Council supports the renewal of the
Camellia-Rosehill precinct but objects to the draft Place Strategy
…”
requesting
for it to be further developed to address the matters identified in the
submission before its finalisation, including but not limited to insufficient
detail on the funding and provision of infrastructure, an inadequate
precinct-wide remediation strategy, untested proposed densities and inadequate
consideration of constraints.
11. The
submission requested the State Government ensure the Place Strategy is founded
on comprehensive evidence-based analysis and best practice urban design and
planning.
12. The
Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy was finalised by the State Government in
August 2022. It is the view of Council officers that the finalised
Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy inadequately addresses the concerns raised by
Council in its adopted submission of March 2022.
Current Situation –
Potential Metro Station at Rosehill
13. The
Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy identifies potential capacity for up to 10,000
dwellings for the entire precinct (approximately 320 hectares) including
partial redevelopment of ATC land on the periphery of the existing racecourse.
14. The
Place Strategy does not consider a metro station at Rosehill or the full
redevelopment of the ATC landholding of the racecourse and the land to its west
(approximately 86 hectares).
15. It
is understood that the State Government was working towards an exhibition of a
rezoning package aligned with the Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy. It is not
known whether this exhibition will now proceed.
16. On 7 December 2023 the State
Government announced a commitment to explore a metro station at Rosehill and
consider an unsolicited proposal for potentially 25,000 homes at the ATC.
17. The opportunity now exists to
reconsider the approach that has been taken to date with the Camellia-Rosehill
Place Strategy, address its shortcomings in a new Place Strategy that includes
full consideration of a metro station and full redevelopment of the ATC (should
these wholly or partly progress) and the broader peninsula to deliver the best
outcome possible.
18. The importance of
Camellia-Rosehill and the broader peninsula warrants consideration of the
establishment of a dedicated delivery authority to lead the planning,
remediation and redevelopment of the precinct, supported by appropriate
legislation, with Council having an integral and embedded role in the planning
and delivery process.
FINANCIAL
AND RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS
19. There
are no financial implications arising from this Motion.
Michelle
Garrard
Councillor
Garrard
Jennifer
Concato
Executive
Director City Planning and Design
Gail Connolly
Chief
Executive Officer
Attachments:
|
1⇩ 
|
Attachment 1 - Council's Submission on
the Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy March 2022
|
|
|
|
Item 14.2 -
Attachment 1
|
Attachment 1 - Council's Submission on the
Camellia-Rosehill Place Strategy March 2022
|
Council 11 March 2024 Item
15.1
ITEM NUMBER 15.1
SUBJECT Funds
and Voluntary Planning Agreements Remitted to Council After the 2016 Council
Amalgamations - Wentworth Point
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09340234
FROM Deputy Lord Mayor Clr Dr Patricia Prociv
QUESTIONS
1. What
Voluntary Planning Agreements for Wentworth Point, if any, were transferred
from Auburn Council to the City of Parramatta Council at amalgamation?
2. Did
Council receive from the State Government any monetary contributions or assets
for Wentworth Point?
3. Please
provide the value of the monetary (or other) contributions, how they were
spent, and the assets delivered for Questions 1 and 2 above.
Executive Director, City Planning &
Design and Executive Director, Finance & Information response:
At amalgamation
(May 2016) City of Parramatta Council inherited two (2) Planning Agreements relating to Wentworth Point (as outlined in Table 1 below). Both
Planning Agreements have been completed through delivery of assets by the
relevant Developer as outlined in the Agreement. These assets included the
delivery of the bus/pedestrian/cycle bridge connection between Wentworth Point
and Rhodes and the Wentworth Point Library and Community Centre (cold shell)
and 10 basement parking spaces. These Planning Agreements did not include
any monetary contribution components and as such no money was transferred from
the former Auburn Council in relation to the Planning Agreements.
Table 1:
Executed Planning Agreements- Wentworth Point Precinct at Amalgamation (May
2016)
|
Executed
VPA
|
Value
|
Parties
|
Deliverables
|
Status
|
|
Burroway
Road Precinct -
|
$60 million
|
Billbergia
(Fairmead) and
Roads and
Maritime Services
|
Bus/cyclist/pedestrian
Bennelong Bridge connecting Rhodes to Wentworth Point
|
Delivered
|
|
3
Burroway Road (Block B) –
|
$3.5 million
|
Billbergia
(Fairmead) and
Auburn City
Council (now City of Parramatta)
|
· 3 200 sqm library and
community facility cold shell
· 10 basement parking spaces
· Fit out not included
|
Delivered
|
As outlined in the Annual Financial Statement for 13 May 2016 to 30 June 2017 the former
Auburn Council transferred the following funds to City of Parramatta:
· $163,602,000
- Non-cash Assets being Infrastructure, Property, Plant and Equipment
(including roads, footpaths, bridges, stormwater drainage, buildings etc)
· $10,196,000
- Accounts Receivable - for services performed by the Council
· $10,085,000
- Development Contribution for Homebush West Precinct (now known as Wentworth
Point)
· $111,000 - Development Contributions (Traffic Management) for the
Carter Street Precinct
Table 2 outlines the development contributions transferred from the
former Auburn Council in relation to Homebush Bay West (Wentworth Point), and
additional income earned to date ($16.737m).
Council has spent $13.481 million on projects within and in the
immediate vicinity of Wentworth Point. Key projects include the fit-out and
resourcing of the Wentworth Point Library and Community Centre and the traffic
upgrade of Bennelong Parkway and Hill Road. The remaining funds have been
allocated to future projects, including primarily the Newington Reserve upgrade
to a district level park.
Table 2:
Development contributions income and expenditure (Auburn Contribution Plan – Part C
– Homebush Bay West)
|
Auburn
Contribution Plan – Part C – Homebush Bay West
|
Transferred
from Auburn Council*
|
Additional
income/ interest/ repayment since amalgamation*
|
Expenditure
to date (and key projects)*
|
|
Open Space (HBW)
|
$5,039
|
$8,846
|
$2,052
Upgrade works Newington Reserve
(also includes borrowing for Rydalmere
Park since repaid back)
|
|
Community
Facilities (HBW)
|
$4,486
|
$3,933
|
$7,477
Wentworth Point Library and Community
Facility fit out and resources
|
|
Traffic
Management (HBW)
|
$560
|
$2,984
|
$3,188
Traffic intersection upgrade Hill Road
& Bennelong Parkway; and local cycleway upgrades
|
|
Plan
Administration (HBW)
|
$0
|
$974
|
$764
Administration costs associated with
Managing the Plan
|
|
TOTAL
|
$10,085
|
$16,737
|
$13,481
|
*-
shown in thousands ($000)
Patricia Prociv
Deputy Lord
Mayor Clr Dr Patricia Prociv
Jennifer
Concato
Executive
Director City Planning and Design
John Angilley
Executive
Director Finance & Information
Gail Connolly
Chief
Executive Officer
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.
Council 11 March
2024 Item
15.2
ITEM NUMBER 15.2
SUBJECT Questions
taken on Notice at the 26 February 2024 Council Meeting
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09345241
REPORT OF Council Secretariat & Policy Officer
Questions taken on Notice
Councillor Bradley asked a question on Item 13.1 Quarterly
Budget Review - December 2023 which was take on notice.
· How does Council calculate depreciation?
Executive Director Finance and
Information Response:
Land, bulk earthworks, trees, and heritage
assets are not depreciated. Depreciation on other assets is calculated
using the straight-line method to allocate their cost, net of their residual
values, over their estimated useful lives as outlined in the following table
(noting that the asset residual values and useful lives are reviewed and
adjusted if appropriate at each reporting date) as shown in the table below.
Depreciation for previous and future
financial years is budgeted as follows:
2022/23: $60.9M (actual)
2023/24: $63.4M
2024/25: $67.0M
Currently, the LTFP indicates that
depreciation is estimated to rise to $99.8M as at 2033/34.
_______________________________________________________________
Councillor Pandey asked a question on Item 16.1 myWorkplace -
9 Wentworth Street Project Update which was taken on notice.
Answer provided in the Confidential
Attachment attached to this report, noting also that officers are preparing a
comprehensive report to Council following the recent receipt of updated pricing
for additional works approved by Council in 2023.
Attachments:
|
1
|
Attachment 1 - Questions taken on Notice
- Closed Session - Ordinary Council Meeting 26 February 2024 (confidential)
|
|
|
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Council 11 March
2024 Item
15.3
ITEM NUMBER 15.3
SUBJECT Solar
Panels on Council Facilities
REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09349635
FROM Councillor Kellie Darley
QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
1. What proportion
of Council owned buildings are suitable to have solar panels?
Executive
Director City Assets & Operations Response:
The proportion of council-owned buildings suitable for solar panels
varies due to factors like the size, structure and orientation of roof,
building redevelopment plans, operational changes, and shading (from trees or
adjoining development). Currently, 11 potential sites are identified, with 4
completed last year, 2 planned for this financial year, and the rest are under
detailed design and feasibility.
2. How many Council
owned buildings currently have solar panels and what proportion is this of all
Council owned buildings?
Executive
Director City Assets & Operations Response:
Currently, the City of Parramatta has rooftop solar PV installations on
21 facilities, totalling 648 kW in installed capacity.
Considering that 125 buildings are viable for solar installation,
presently around 16.8% of Council buildings have solar PV installed. However,
it's crucial to note that not all buildings are suitable for solar
installation.
3. Currently what
is the plan for installing solar panels on the remainder of suitable Council
own buildings (i.e. how many buildings per year will have solar panels
installed)?
Executive
Director City Assets & Operations Response:
With a current
annual budget of $100,000 available, we anticipate delivering approximately 2-3
projects per year at 10-50kw capacity each.
4. What is the
estimated total cost to install the remaining solar panels?
Executive
Director City Assets & Operations Response:
Determining the
estimated total cost to install the remaining solar panels requires a detailed
site analysis taking into consideration various factors such as consumption
patterns, system size, as well as site conditions like shading and roof
structure. Comprehensive energy consumption analysis and investigation of
individual sites are necessary to provide accurate cost estimates and return on
investment. Conducting this analysis entails significant effort and will
necessitate additional time and resources.
5. What roughly
would be the savings to Council once solar panels are installed on all suitable
locations?
Executive
Director City Assets & Operations Response:
In FY 2023, the
Council generated approximately 544 MWh of renewable energy from its current
rooftop solar PV installations, based on a utilisation rate of around 70% this
resulted in estimated cost savings of around $77,000.
Kellie Darley
Councillor
George Bounassif
Executive Director City
Assets and Operations
Gail Connolly
Chief Executive Officer
Attachments:
There are no attachments for this report.