Your Say Randwick | Latest Forum Topics/News Articles

Do you have any comments on Council's projects for the coming year?

Randwick Administrator — 2013-04-29 15:58:50 +1000

Channel 10 News: Fallen Lifesavers Exclusive

Randwick Administrator — 2013-04-24 10:47:17 +1000

Daily Telegraph: Memorial set for lifesavers killed in war

Randwick Administrator — 2013-04-24 10:43:33 +1000

AUSTRALIAN lifesavers killed in war are to be commemorated with a national memorial in eastern Sydney.

In an Australian first, a bronze sculpture featuring a lifesaver and a soldier will be erected at Coogee Beach to honour lifesavers lost during conflicts.

Renowned Australian sculptor Alan Somerville, who produced soldier sculptures for the ANZAC bridge, has been recruited to produce the sculpture.

Randwick mayor Tony Bowen says the memorial will serve as a permanent tribute to the sacrifice of lifesavers.

"This national memorial will be a dignified place to honour fallen lifesavers from around our nation, and a beautiful place, looking out to Coogee Beach, for the whole community to reflect," Mr Bowen said in a statement.

A website has been launched where members of the public can share their own stories of fallen lifesavers and learn more about the memorial.

The memorial will also feature a wall of remembrance and terrace seating.

It is a partnership project between Randwick Council, the state and federal governments, RSL Australia and Surf Life Saving.

Alby Smith Playground

Randwick Administrator — 2013-03-11 14:52:29 +1100

This community consultation has now closed. Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas on the proposed designs.

You are invited to share your ideas on designing a playground for Alby Smith Reserve!

We are designing and building a new playground in Alby Smith Reserve for the children of Coogee. We want to know your ideas on making the best playground for our children with the funds available for this project.

Media Release: Plans announced for national memorial to honour fallen lifesavers 18 December 2012

Randwick Administrator — 2012-12-18 14:55:49 +1100

Plans announced for national memorial to honour fallen lifesavers

Details of a national memorial to honour Australian lifesavers from across Australiawho died in combat were announced at 12 noon today, Tuesday 18 December, by Randwick Mayor Tony Bowen, Member for Kingsford Smith Peter Garrett and Member for Coogee Bruce Notley-Smith.

The memorial will consist of an iconic bronze sculpture featuring a lifesaver and a soldier, a wall of remembrance, landscaping and terrace seating. It will be located overlooking the southern part ofCoogeeBeach. Internationally renowned sculptor Alan Somerville – perhaps best know for his bronze sculpture of a WWI Anzac soldier on theAnzacBridge– has been engaged to produce the sculpture.

A special consultation website www.yoursayrandwick.com.au/fallenlifesavers has also been established so people can find out more about the project and share stories about the 3,500 lifesavers who have died servingAustralia in war.

Mayor Tony Bowen paid tribute to the many Australian lifesavers who have given their lives in conflicts since World War I.

“There were more than 20 Surf Life Saving Clubs in Australia at the outbreak of World War I, and when the call went out for volunteers, a significant number of these volunteer club members signed up to defend our great nation and the freedoms we enjoy today.

“This national memorial will be a dignified place of reflection to honour fallen lifesavers from around our nation, and a beautiful place, looking out toCoogeeBeach, for the whole community to enjoy,” the Mayor said.

The Federal Member for Kingsford Smith Peter Garrett added, “It is timely that this crucial contribution to our local and national history is recognised, and I’m excited that the project is now on its way.”

The State Member for Coogee Bruce Notley-Smith described Coogee as the ideal spot for such a memorial.

“Coogee has some of the earliest links to Surf Life Saving Australia, so there is no better place than Coogee Beach for a memorial recognising great service to our community in both times of peace and war,” he said.

Media Enquiries:
Katie Moses      0420 277 567 katie.moses@randwick.nsw.gov.au
Josh Hay           0402 351 459 joshua.hay@randwick.nsw.gov.au

Premier announces light rail to be built starting 2014

Randwick Administrator — 2012-12-13 12:53:46 +1100

Barry O’Farrell MP
Premier of NSW
MEDIA RELEASE

Thursday 13 December 2012

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE:
LIGHT RAIL TO REDUCE CONGESTION AND REVITALISE SYDNEY

Premier Barry O’Farrell and Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian today announced light rail would be built through the Sydney CBD to Randwick and Kingsford to reduce congestion and revitalise the city.

The estimated $1.6 billion 12 kilometre light rail project will link Circular Quay and Central via George Street, the Moore Park sporting and entertainment precinct including the Sydney Cricket Ground and Allianz Stadium, Randwick Racecourse, the University of NSW and Prince of Wales Hospital at Randwick.

Light rail will be built in parallel with the implementation of a redesigned bus network to significantly reduce the number of buses clogging the CBD during the peak.

Around 40 per cent of George Street will be pedestrianised, between Bathurst Street and Hunter Street, for light rail – meaning 60 per cent of George Street will still be accessible to private vehicles.

“This is a once-in-a-generation project to revitalise the centre of Sydney by reducing congestion and offering a fast, attractive public transport option to key locations,” Mr O’Farrell said.

“The NSW Government is getting on with the job of building for the future.”

Ms Berejiklian said light rail forms part of an integrated transport solution to fix congestion in the CBD which includes a redesigned bus network and train improvements outlined in Sydney’s Rail Future.

“Congestion on roads in the Sydney CBD and surrounding areas will only get worse as the number of jobs in the city grows and the population increases – we have to act and in a significant way,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“With the introduction of light rail and the redesigned bus network announced today, we will be able to significantly reduce the number of buses clogging the city’s streets and provide fast and reliable links for people to key destinations like the Prince of Wales Hospital, University of NSW, SCG, Allianz Stadium, Moore Park, Central and Circular Quay.”

Bus improvements to be rolled out include improved bus interchanges in the city, more cross-city Metro style routes, reconfigured bus stops and higher priority for buses to move people through the city faster.

Key benefits of light rail and the redesigned bus network include:
-A 97 per cent reliability rate for light rail, compared with buses in the CBD which currently only arrive within two minutes of the timetable 19 to 34 per cent of the time;
-Journey times of 24 minutes to travel from Kingsford or Randwick to Central and 15 minutes from Central to Circular Quay. It can take buses more than 30 minutes to travel from Central to Circular Quay in the peak today;
-A reduction per hour of more than 220 buses entering the CBD in the morning peak, benefiting customers who travel from the North, North-West and West on buses and are currently delayed due to congestion;
-The introduction of brand new light rail vehicles that can carry up to 300 people each, compared with 60 people on a standard bus;
-Light rail can carry 9,000 people per hour in each direction;
-The potential to join two light rail vehicles for special events at Moore Park to move up to 18,000 people per hour in each direction.

Customers will be able to use their Opal card on light rail, meaning a seamless transfer from other modes.

The NSW Government will construct light rail down George Street and to the south east as a single project to speed up delivery of this crucial infrastructure and save significant costs.

Detailed work will now be undertaken to determine the final timetable for construction, which early analysis suggests will take five or six years. Work is expected to begin in 2014. It will be funded from the transport budget, third party contributions and a PPP arrangement, subject to testing the business case.

All east-west roads in the city will remain open and small delivery trucks and property owners will retain access to the pedestrianised zone on George Street at all times. The Government will examine how to best provide access for taxis and hire cars at night to support the night time economy.

“Building the spine of a new network through a major city like Sydney will obviously cause significant disruption, but through the planning process we’ll be working closely with retailers, businesses, councils and customers to manage these impacts,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“The NSW Government is committed to investing in quality infrastructure and taking action that will give the people of Sydney the world class, reliable public transport system they deserve.”

Work continues on the 5.6 kilometre Inner West Light Rail Extension from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill, with construction on track to be completed in 2014. The current light rail line is about 7km.

The full NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan and Sydney’s Light Rail Future is available at www.transportmasterplan.nsw.gov.au

MEDIA: Mark Tobin (Premier) 9228 5239
Brett Cox (Minister Berejiklian) 0409 123 383

The Government has announced it will build light rail starting in 2014 from Circular Quay to Randwick. What do you think of the proposed route?

Randwick Administrator — 2012-12-13 12:30:35 +1100

Randwick Draft DCP

Randwick Administrator — 2012-12-12 12:09:22 +1100

This community consultation has now closed. Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment or send us a submission. We wanted your comments on our Draft Randwick Development Control Plan (DCP) and we will post a copy of all submissions on the special website when they have been collated.

A DCP is a written document with supporting maps and diagrams made by Council in consultation with the community. It has planning and design guidelines for new development, which need to be considered in preparing a Development Application.

At present Randwick has 26 site specific and issues based DCPs as well as a number of planning related policies. These have been reviewed and updated and consolidated into the draft DCP.

City Plan Review

Randwick Administrator — 2012-12-11 16:01:43 +1100

Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas. This community consultation has now closed. We want your ideas on our updated Plan for Randwick City and our Resourcing Strategy.

The Randwick City Plan is a 20-year strategic plan that reflects our community’s vision and long term goals. Underpinning the Randwick City Plan is a Resourcing Strategy.

The Resourcing Strategy shows how we will deliver services to the community in a cohesive and sustainable way. It includes modelling options for future rates and revenue forecasts. The Resourcing Strategy is based setting an Integrated Planning Rate of 3.59 per cent over the next four years. We are keen to have your comments on this aspect of the Resourcing Strategy.

Fallen lifesavers

Randwick Administrator — 2012-12-06 15:50:04 +1100

Fallen lifesavers from Surf Life Saving Clubs across Australia are being remembered in a National Memorial to be built by Randwick City Council at Coogee Beach, NSW.

Share your stories and memories, learn more about this important project and help us collect historic information about those being honoured.

Tell us the stories of lifesavers you know of who have served and fallen in combat through our guest book.

You can also share photos of lifesavers who served Australia through this site.

Communications survey

Randwick Administrator — 2012-11-20 11:41:42 +1100

Thank you to everyone who took part in the communications survey. Over 1170 people completed the survey and once we have processed all the information you gave us, we will post the results on this site. The survey is now closed.

We want to make sure that the communication we are doing is working and that you as a local resident are being kept informed.

We use a number of different communication methods to keep you updated about events, projects and upgrades in your suburb. This includes advertising, flyers, signs, newsletters, social media, websites, apps, banners and more.

If it’s not working – we need to change it!

Media Release: National Monument to honour fallen lifesavers 25 June 2012

Randwick Administrator — 2012-10-09 14:54:38 +1100

National Monument to honour fallen lifesavers

Randwick City Council will consider a proposal to establish a national monument at Coogee Beach honouring the sacrifices of Australian lifesavers in war.

Randwick Mayor Councillor Scott Nash will table a Mayoral Minute at the Council meeting tomorrow night outlining the proposal.

If the proposal is adopted, Council will call upon the State and Federal governments to assist with funding and a Trust would be established to oversee all aspects of the project and monitor and add to the monument as required.

The memorial would consist of an appropriate monument or sculpture, a wall of remembrance listing names of all the fallen lifesavers, and terrace seating.

Mayor Scott Nash paid tribute to the many Australian lifesavers who have given their lives in conflicts since World War I.

“There were more than twenty Surf Life Saving Clubs in Australia at the outbreak of World War I, and when the call went out for volunteers, a significant number of these volunteer club members signed up to defend our great nation and the freedoms we enjoy today.

“In addition to an appropriate national monument, I also propose an annual event a tCoogee Beach at the beginning of each surf life saving season would be a fitting and dignified manner in which to honour our fallen lifesavers.”

Randwick City Council will consider the Mayoral Minute at the Council Meeting tomorrow, Tuesday 26 June.

Randwick Mayor welcomes plans for light rail extension to UNSW

Randwick Administrator — 2012-10-09 09:23:16 +1100

MEDIA RELEASE

3 October 2012

Randwick Mayor Tony Bowen has welcomed today’s announcement from Infrastructure NSW of a $500 million extension of Sydney’s light rail network from Central to the Moore Park precinct and University of NSW.

“Randwick City Council has supported the return of light rail to the eastern suburbs for many years and it’s pleasing to see Infrastructure NSW prioritising this project for the next five years,” Mayor Bowen said.

“In short, light rail to Randwick provides a lot of bang for your buck. This will make it easier to get to the footy or cricket while also helping tens of thousands of commuters, workers and students.

“I’m also pleased to see the Government considering an extension of the eastern suburbs heavy rail line to Randwick and Maroubra as the next train line to be built,” Mayor Bowen said.

“Randwick City is unique – no other area in Sydney contains four major hospitals, a leading university and TAFE, a nationally significant racecourse, major sporting stadiums and parklands and yet has no dedicated rail transport.

“While the proposal is welcome, I would like to see the Government commit to maintaining or improving the current bus services in the eastern suburbs and also consider providing a dedicated bicycle path alongside the light rail route.

“Light rail to Randwick will benefit not just the 11,000 workers who travel to the Sydney CBD each day, but also for our 42,000 UNSW students, 13,200 hospital and uni workers, 7,000 TAFE students, 400,000 race-goers and the millions more who go to concerts, games and events at Moore Park, Centennial Parklands and sporting stadiums each year.

“I’m pleased Randwick City Council’s ongoing partnership with the University of NSW, the Australian Turf Club, The Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust and the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service is now paying off,” Mayor Bowen said.

Infrastructure NSW recommends major CBD bus and light rail improvements.

Randwick Administrator — 2012-10-03 16:26:50 +1000

The State Infrastructure Strategy has called for the introduction of an underground Bus Rapid Transit system and two major interchanges to revolutionise the Sydney CBD among eight key recommendations for bus and light rail released today.

The 20-year Strategy, prepared by Infrastructure NSW for the NSW Government, focuses on both the Sydney CBD and suburban areas where bus services are the only available public transport option and are being adversely affected by traffic conditions.

Infrastructure NSW Chief Executive Paul Broad said addressing congestion in Sydney’s CBD was a major objective of the Strategy, which sought to put NSW in the best position possible for economic success.

“We need to decongest our global city if we are to increase productivity and grow the economy. What the Sydney CBD needs is transformation through a mixture of operational reforms and capital investment in public transport,” Mr Broad said.

Key bus and light rail recommendations include:

A CBD Transit Improvement Plan that involves construction of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bypass tunnel for CBD bus services to take most peak buses off congested streets, delivering better travel times for passengers. It would also involve providing bus/rail underground interchanges at redeveloped Wynyard and Town Hall stations.
A $500 million extension of light rail from Central through the Moore Park precinct to the University of NSW.

To see the full text of the Media release go the library on this site.

Maroubra Beach Town Centre

Randwick Administrator — 2012-09-24 11:59:13 +1000

This community consultation has now closed.

What is important to you about the Maroubra Beach Town Centre?

What you would like to see in a Development Control Plan (DCP) for this area?

Over the last two years a working group of property owners, precinct representatives, local residents and business people has worked with Randwick City Council and AllenJack+Cottier Architects looking at controls for the area. Randwick Council has now adopted new height limits and land use zones to be incorporated into the new LEP (Local Environment Plan).

The next step is to develop the detailed rules to guide new development and these will be in the DCP and we are keen to hear your ideas.

Randwick Environment Park

Randwick Administrator — 2012-09-24 11:50:24 +1000

This community consultation has now closed.

We want to hear what you value about the Randwick Environment Park.

This 14ha park was established to protect the unique Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub - a high value Endangered Ecological Community. In addition to this vegetation, the Park includes an open space recreation area with picnic facilities, pathways and a number of viewing decks.

Randwick City Council is currently reviewing how best to manage this valuable community asset. You can let us know your thoughts through our on-line survey.

There is also a photo competition for young people where they can send their favourite photo of the park and tell us what they like about the park.

Your thoughts on our pilot WiFi hot spots project!

admin — 2012-09-21 15:04:46 +1000

This community consultation has closed.

We want to hear your thoughts on our pilot WiFi hot spots project.

Council will be starting free WiFi at The Spot and High Cross Park - and we want to know whether you think the third site should be Clovelly or Coogee. We are also keen to hear what time you think the WiFi service should be switched off at night.

Tell us your thoughts on WiFi hot spots today!

Conflicting media interpretations - 5 September 2012

Randwick Administrator — 2012-09-05 11:50:29 +1000

Extract from a Sydney Morning Herald article by Jacob Saulwick:

“The plan endorses a light-rail line down George Street in the CBD and to Randwick but Ms Berejiklian said a decision on whether to build it was pending.

The plan scotches a proposed light-rail line along Broadway from Central Station to Sydney University and talks of a redesigned bus network that would require more peopie to change buses but offer more regular services.”

Extract from a Daily Telegraph article:

“A plan to build light rail to the SCG and University of NSW appears to be out of favour with little mention of the proposal in the draft transport plan.

The only reference to the project is more study into the prospect of running a line through George St to the eastern suburbs….

The plan simply spoke about planning work and a strategic plan and said: "Expansion of light rail services in Sydney will be subject to NSW government consideration"."

Draft Transport Master plan released

Randwick Administrator — 2012-09-04 14:22:51 +1000

The draft NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan (draft Master Plan) was released today by the Minister for Transport, Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Roads and Ports, Duncan Gay.

The draft Master Plan sets the direction for transport planning for the next 20 years, providing a framework for transport policy and investment decisions that respond to key challenges.

To see the draft Master Plan and see what it says about light rail. Go to: http://haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/transportmasterplan

Update on the LATM study

Randwick Administrator — 2012-05-29 15:53:10 +1000

Council is currently developing the draft terms of the consultants brief to undertake the LATM study, with input coming in from a number of stakeholders.

Once the draft brief has been finalised, it will be referred to a Council meeting, most probably in July 2012. Depending on the Council resolution, Council staff will then send the brief out to a number of contractors requesting them to bid for the project.

The contractors’ bids will include likely timelines and future scheduling of the study.

The consultants will use the information provided by residents through the community conversation on Kenso traffic as part of the study.

Have your say about waste

Randwick Administrator — 2012-05-02 09:55:43 +1000

In all 995 residents undertook the survey and the preliminary results have been posted in the waste survey site library.

This community consultation has closed.

Have your say on waste and you could win one of 3 fantastic prizes.

Sydney is running out of landfill space and government fees for taking waste to landfill will rise by about 50% over the next four years.

If we can increase recycling and take less garbage to landfill, Randwick Council can save money for residents and protect our environment.

Your feedback through our special waste survey will help us understand how we can reduce household garbage going to landfill.

What do you think of the different routes to bring light rail to Randwick?

Randwick Administrator — 2011-12-08 15:52:36 +1100

The State Government has just released the options for the routes to bring light rail to Randwick. We are keen to hear what people think of these possible routes.

NSW government announces options for light rail to Randwick

Randwick Administrator — 2011-12-08 09:31:35 +1100

The Sydney Morning Herald today reported that the NSW Minister for Transport announced options for bringing light rail to Randwick.

The government is considering running trams from Central Station through Devonshire Street to Anzac Parade but is also looking at a tunnel between the station and Anzac Parade.

The identified routes mark the first stage of the government's light rail feasibility study.

Identified options

One of the four proposed routes linking George Street to Anzac Parade extends from Sydney Town Hall and along either Oxford or Campbell streets.

And two options run directly from Central through Moore Park to Anzac Parade. One is a surface line along Devonshire Street and another would be a tunnel.

Earlier documents released by the government show it is aiming to award tenders for any extension of the light rail network by the start of 2014.

Transport Minister's media release

Posted: 8 December 2011.

Traffic in Kensington and West Kingsford

Randwick Administrator — 2011-10-14 16:29:08 +1100

Following concerns expressed by residents about traffic in Kensington and West Kingsford, Council is doing a Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) study.

You may see traffic counting in your area, either by people with counters or by rubber tubes stretched across the roads. These traffic counts will result in information on local traffic flow - including speed, volume, vehicle-type and the routes chosen by motorists.

Community consultation and traffic data gathering are vital components of the Council's staged approach.

This website will be regularly updated with the latest information. We will be asking questions and taking quick polls regularly. The document library has all Council's documents relating to traffic management in Kensington from 1995 to the present.

Please log on, join the community conversation and share your ideas with Council and your fellow residents.

Have you experienced any traffic problems in Kensington and West Kingsford?

Randwick Administrator — 2011-10-12 09:55:43 +1100

We want to hear if residents are experiencing traffic problems in their area and where these problems are happening.

Traffic problems can include:

speeding vehicles
high traffic volumes
lack of traffic controls
difficulties for pedestrians

Tell us about your experiences!