News and Events

• In the News
  
  
• Coming Events
  
  
• Calendar of
  Events
  
  
• Getting to Know You - Glebe Society Social Activities
  
  

Meeting with the Deputy Lord Mayor

The Deputy Mayor John McInerney met the Society and Glebe precincts on Thursday 17 March at Benledi to address residents' concerns

John McInerney is the City of Sydney's Deputy Lord Mayor and Chair of the Planning Committee. He also sits on the Central Sydney Planning Committee, which deals with larger developments and planning instruments. Cr McInerney is a highly qualified planner and architect with considerable depth of experience. It is unusual for elected councilors to be so professionally well qualified. He began his planning career in the City of Heidelberg, an area of north-eastern Melbourne that gave its name to Australia's first school of impressionists. He also worked as a planner for the City of Sydney before setting up in private practice, and became President of the Australian Planning Institute.

When I invited John to speak to The Glebe Society and local precincts he asked for a list of topics we would like him to address. I canvassed the Committee and sent him the resulting list, focusing as far as possible on his main areas of expertise. He addressed virtually all the topics, and invited questions and discussion after each one, assisted by Crs Robyn Kemmis and Chris Harris. Consequently the meeting lasted a full two hours before we could reach for refreshments, but the audience of forty contributed a great deal and listened intently both to the comments on topics and the debate that followed.

I will do my best to report what was said, dealing with the topics in order, but if I miss something or make a mistake I apologise in advance.

Council Structure

Council has a new CEO, Peter Seamer from Melbourne, and a new structure that for the first time includes Strategic Planning and Community Services. The Councilors were clearly very pleased they had managed to reform the City's structure in such a short time. It bodes well for the Society, which devoted a lot of energy to producing a Strategic Plan for Glebe.

In response to questions about environmental planning, John said Sydney was behind Melbourne. Canada and Europe, especially Sweden, were ahead on sustainability, but BASIX, the new State Government checklist to improve sustainability, will make a difference to water and energy consumption. The City was committed to using grey water for its parks.

Tramsheds
The Tramsheds had been included as a potential development site in the list of topics, but in the meantime the current application had been lodged. Council has checked the cost of the proposal, and because it is over $50 million it will definitely go to the Central Sydney Planning Committee, on which there is a majority of State government appointees. John believes the issues raised by the application are legally complex. He was concerned that if the CSPC refused the application on the grounds the site was zoned Open Space, the City could be liable to pay compensation. (Note: Ted McKeown has since questioned this possibility, but it shows the legal nature of the arguments. The City is seeking specialist legal advice. The application may well be determined in court, in 2-4 months time.) Cr Harris reported the City's Traffic Committee was not concerned about the implications of the proposal for surrounding streets.

Not surprisingly, a lot of questions were asked at this point, all well-informed. Cr McInerney said the Society's objections and research were very welcome and had been passed on to the CSPC. If the matter goes to the Land and Environment Court, it will be the first time for the CSPC, which would rely on the City's resources in presenting the case for refusal.

Social Problems
The issues of crime and other social problems were addressed mainly by Cr Robyn Kemmis. She expressed confidence that the interagency group chaired by the Police Commander would be effective in reducing both. The number of instigators of crime is very small.

Council Planners and Resident Objections
The Society is concerned that the objections of resident groups to development proposals, which are usually well founded, are not being given sufficient weight, a result of City Planners being geared to the CBD and unaccustomed to resident objections. Cr McInerney gave an undertaking that in future, planners' reports to Council will clearly identify and summarise residents groups' comments.

Adaptive reuse of heritage buildings
To some extent events have overtaken Cr McInerney's answer. Lyndhurst has been sold to a Society member for a private residence: Rosebank (2a Hereford Street) went at auction for a backpackers' hostel. We await the DA, which will enable conditions of use to be set. Work on the restoration of Bellevue should begin in September.

Mack Williams raised the question of the Griffin Incinerator, including its future use. Cr McInerney stated he was a member of the Griffin Society, which believed the incinerator was of world significance and which would monitor the restoration closely. The sheds would be reconstructed, the garden reinstated, and a community, as opposed to a commercial, use was proposed. This may include displays of important Griffin/Mahony and Glebe memorabilia.

Planning Controls
John McInerney covered a wide range of issues.

A Development Control Plan for phone towers will be in place before the end of 2005. Strong controls will hopefully be enough to shame telecom authorities into compliance.
He indicated that Glebe would be the first City area to receive a new Town Plan, building on the foundation of LEP 2000 but including updated Heritage controls, covering more issues and with a stronger vision for the future. The Society's Strategic Plan would be a crucial element in this revision, and Glebe would be the model for other parts of the City.

In response to John Buckingham and others, Cr McInerney committed the City to ongoing public consultation in preparing a new plan. Other issues raised by the Society, especially Wentworth Park, would continue to be major concerns. The removal of the grandstand, track and parking were priorities.

World Heritage Listing for Sydney Harbour, and the Extension of Light Rail to the Quay, would be pursued.

The Gateway concept for Broadway was being reviewed. Council was interested in proposals to improve the design and facilities at Minogue Reserve.

John believed that the transfer of land that would enable the remainder of the Plan for Orphan School Creek to be implemented was imminent.

Tenders would be called for work on the remainder of the Foreshore Walkway in June, and for the Glebe High section by 2006.

The meeting indicated its warm appreciation of Cr McInerney's address. The informal discussion that accompanied refreshments was equally stimulating.

-- Neil Macindoe