June 2014 Newsletter

Next Meeting Tuesday 10 June

7.30pm at St Cecilias School
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Agenda
Introduction and Welcome
Apologies
Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Treasurer's Report
Visit by Michael Player from Health Infrastructure
NSW Proposed new hospital at Frenchs Forest
Other business matters:
DAs
Any other matters

Message from the Chair

Annual General Meeting
Despite competing with Joe Hockey presenting the budget
for 2014/15, we had a good turnout at our AGM and to hear
Jean Hay talk about a number of issues the residents asked
me to raise with her. The AGM was conducted by two staff
from the council and the following residents were nominated
and elected to be on the executive of the precinct:
Chair: Terry le Roux
Secretary: Leona Clarke
Treasurer: Michael Ford.
I am happy to serve as your chair for another twelve months
and I am very pleased to have two long standing Balgowlah
residents in Leona and Michael to be Secretary and
Treasurer.
Residents have come forward to volunteer for the roles of DA
Coordinator (Ian Sharp), Precinct Newsletter Preparation &
Website Manger (Wendy Springett) and Newsletter
Distribution (Leila Riffi).
Visit by Jean Hay and four Councillors
Jean Hay and Councillors Steve Pickering, Candy Bingham,
Alan Le Surf and Hugh Burns spent more than an hour talking
with the residents. This note is a record of what was
discussed a draft copy was sent to the mayor and
councillors attending the meeting and the record include
changes/amendments requested by the mayor. This record
represents the minutes of the May Meeting of the Precinct.
Manly2015 Plan: There was a lively and robust discussion of
the Manly2015 Strategic Plan and particularly the proposal to
demolish the Whistler Street Car Park and replace it with a
new car park under the Oval.

Jean and the Councillors have been made aware of the

precinct's opposition to the Oval Car Park Proposal and that
the residents attending the meetings of the majority of the
other precincts in Manly share our opposition. The
opposition comes from; 1. Serious concern that the capital
cost and revenue assumptions used in the financial analysis
are not reflective of reality and this poses a financial risk to
ratepayers, 2. Inadequate consultation with the community,
3. Opposition by many in the community to the concept of
knocking down the Whistler Street Car Park, 4. Lack of any
acknowledgement by the Council of the extent of community
concern and opposition and 5. No serious exploration by
Council of alternatives to the demolition of the Whistler St
Car Park and the Library. Jean assured the precinct that
Councillors will not vote to proceed with the relocation of the
car park unless she and the councillors were satisfied that
there was no financial risk to the residents. She and the
councillors were awaiting the review of the Manly2015 Plan
by the Office of Local Government this is expected within
the next month. She explained that there was growing
support for the Car Park Proposal from the Manly Chamber of
Commerce and that there was support for the car park under
the oval from; Marlin Rugby Club, Manly Tennis Club, the
Bowling Club and the Mounties Club.
It was pointed out by residents at the meeting with Jean and
after the meeting (to the precinct executive) that the
determination of the Council to proceed with the Car Park
Proposal was demonstrated by the fact that no reference to
any community concerns or opposition has been made in any
of the Bulletins on Manly2015 posted by the Council. In
addition, the decision to hire a Project Manager for the new
Car Park must assume that the Council is assuming approval
will be given by the majority of the Councillors. There is also
no reference to the community concerns and opposition in
the reports that are part of the Community Strategic Plan
Beyond 2024 in fact the financial forecasts in these reports
assume the new car park is to be built. There was also an
allegation made by one of the residents that in the Council's
report to the Office of Local Government referred to by the
mayor that the claim was made that there was minimal
opposition from the community to the Car Park Proposal.
Clr Pickering gave an assurance that he would not be
supporting any decision to proceed with the car park
proposal until and unless he was satisfied that there was a
robust financial case for the proposal.
Residents (well, the engineers among us) took exception to
the references made by the mayor and some councillors to
buildings and structures in Manly that had underground

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uncertainties and challenges that could be compared with

those that might be encountered when building a car park
under the oval. Engineers are very good at finding solutions
to problems (in fact we love challenges), but from our
experience the greater the challenge and the uncertainty the
higher the cost. There was even a reference at the meeting to
the Opera House yes it was a challenge and the problems
were elegantly solved. But, from an initial budget of $11
million, the final cost blew out to more than $100 million.
There was no problem with this cost blow-out, because the
public paid for it with a lottery and every member of the
public had a choice as to whether they wanted to contribute
to paying for the cost blow-out or not contribute to it. Manly
ratepayers will not have this choice.
The mayor reminded the residents that the Council under the
management of Henry Wong and her role as mayor, the rates
had never risen by more than the State Governments Rate
Cap and that Henry had demonstrated his commitment to
budgetary caution when he managed the building of the
council's offices and facilities in Balgowlah (between Quirk
and Rosebery Streets) for considerably less than the budget.
The residents expressed their gratitude at the conservative
and cautious management of the council's finances, but
pointed out that the Car Park Proposal presented greater
uncertainty and engineering risks than anything undertaken
by the council in the recent past.
The Chair asked that the mayor and the Councillors consider
the motion agreed by the North Harbour Precinct residents
and supported by Mike Baird at the precinct meeting in
March that: The Council proceeds with those parts of the
Manly2015 Plan that has support of the community (ie
upgrading the laneways) and delays a decision on the Car
Park Proposal while more detail work is done by the council
on improving the confidence levels on the key assumptions for
the oval (capex and revenue forecast) and also get
community acceptance of and confidence in demolishing the
Whistler Street Car Park, replacing it with a new one under
the oval and changing the village-like character of the oval.
The suggestion was also made by a resident that the precinct
executive seek assurance from the mayor and councillors
that when the Community Strategic Plan Beyond 2024 is
voted on at a council meeting that any acceptance or
endorsement of any part of the plan exclude acceptance of
any capital expenditure relating to the demolition of the
Whistler Street Car Park or construction of the car park under
the oval until there is broad community support for the Car
Park Proposal. There was support from other residents at the
meeting for the executive to inform the Council of this view.

Dates for the Diary

Bush Care, Saturday 9am
June Meeting
Food and Wine Sustainability Festival

7/6
10/6
31/5-1/6

Next Meeting Guest Speaker

Michael Player from Health Infrastructure NSW has
requested to address our June Meeting regarding the
proposed new hospital at Frenchs Forest. This is a good
opportunity for residents to find out more about the hospital
and to ask Michael questions you might have about the
services offered.

Bushcare Continues
Bushcare continues to be a monthly affair and would benefit
from more volunteers. Please consider spending an hour this
June long weekend to help keep North Harbour Bushland
looking its best. Bring your gardening gloves - the council
provides the implements
Saturday 7th June @ 9am. Meet at the end of King St.

Street Tree Inventory Project

Substantial progress is being made to collect and record data
in respect of street trees in our precinct. The following
streets have been completed - Wanganella, Seaview,
Woodland, Condamine, Lower Beach, Bungaloe, Beach,
Clarence, Burton, Orchard, Bentley Boyle and Jackson.
A spreadsheet has been established to record this data for
submission to council and will enable our precinct to have
better input into the future planning of our streetscapes.
We aim to have the project complete by the end of June.
Thank you to our enthusiastic volunteers and for the
encouragement we have received while enjoying perfect
walking weather.
Please email info@northharbourprecinct.com.au or contact
Wendy Springett 0412 470 583 if you would like to be
involved.

There is insufficient space in the Newsletter to cover the

other issues we discussed with the mayor, but you can
find the record of all the discussions at
http://www.northharbourprecinct.com.au/minutes.html
The chair and residents thanked the mayor and councillors
for coming to our meeting and for the opportunity for an
frank and open discussion on the Manly2015 Plan.
Terry
le
Roux,
Chairperson.
terry.leroux@bigpond.com

0414

385

732,

Pioneer Clubhouse supports individuals living with the effects of mental illness. Thanks to the Clubhouse for printing this newsletter.

Re-establishment of Alcohol Free Zone

Manlys Alcohol Free Zone (AFZ) has used an early
intervention tool to prevent the escalation of irresponsible
street drinking, which can lead to incidents involving serious
crime. The AFZ applies to public roads, footpaths and public
carparks and is in force 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.
Council is required to consult with the community and
relevant stakeholders every four years to reestablish the
AFZ.
Council proposes to reestablish the AFZ for a further four
year until July 2018 within the existing boundaries.
Any submissions on this proposed extension are to be
received in writing by 5pm, 2 June 2014 to: General Manager,
Manly Council, PO Box 82, Manly, NSW 1655 or by email
records@manly.nsw.gov.au marked as Alcohol Free Zone
submission.
Enquiries may be directed to Councils Community Safety Co
ordinator on 99761567.

Manly Art Gallery & Museum

The Course of Objects: The Fine Lines of Inquiry
2 May 8 June
This exhibition aims to map recent ceramic practice in
Australia that explores or embodies pertinent ideas. Curated
by Susan Ostling and featuring 26 contemporary artists, the
exhibition considers the possible transient affinities and
correspondences between selected works.
501 Little Dishes: A Childhood Memoir
2 May 8 June
Christine Ball takes us on a journey through her Northern
Beaches childhood from 1952 until her final year of school in
1970. The images sometimes abstract, sometimes figurative,
are mapped on small hanging dishes, creating a dynamic
installation exploring memory and place.

Little Penguins
Our local population of Little Penguins are just arriving back
to start nest building and breeding season. This is an exciting
time and we wish them the best of luck for the season ahead.
The most recent monitoring numbers (not yet published)
indicate the 2012/13 season was one of the best years for
our Little Penguins in quite some time. Many of the breeding
pairs had successful clutches and some young penguins bred
successfully for the first time. This is partly due to the efforts
and care from so many within the community. A pat on the
back for all of us, this should be seen as a validation of our
combined efforts! Lets keep it up to ensure the persistence
of the only breeding colony of Little Penguins on mainland
NSW.

Robyn Phelan, Once Upon A Time My Father went to Hanging

Rock, 2014
hand-pinched Southern Ice Porcelain & Keanes 33, stoneware
glaze, hand-painted stains & oxides, fired to 1280C

Autism Support Group

Jan Brenton is commencing a Support Group for parents who
have children somewhere on the Autism spectrum including
nd
th
ADHAD and Asperger. Every 2 and 4 Friday of the month
during term time 10.30 12.30 at Balgowlah Uniting Church
122 Condamine St. Contact Jan on 0414 805 864
Pioneer Clubhouse supports individuals living with the effects of mental illness. Thanks to the Clubhouse for printing this newsletter.

Pioneer Clubhouse supports individuals living with the effects of mental illness. Thanks to the Clubhouse for printing this newsletter.