September Council meeting outcomes

17 September 2020 | Council News

17 September 2020

A bumper agenda was debated at this week's Council meeting. The agenda included the election for the Deputy Mayor with Councillor Elaine Keenan being re-elected for a term of around 12 months.

Councillor Keenan (pictured- above) has lived in Waverley for more than 30 years and has worked as a registered nurse in areas including HIV/AIDs and Community Health. The Greens Councillor currently works as a public servant in human resources.

In other exciting news, Council endorsed the preferred option of the Innovation Civic Hall for the Boot Factory in Spring Street Bondi Junction, and the design of fit-out of the building.

It follows the completion of the investigation of a Knowledge and Innovation Hub precinct within the Waverley local government area, as defined by the Council resolution in October 2017.

Officers will now proceed to work on the future operational management model for the Innovation Civic Hall (illustrated- below) with a report to come back to Council on final costings, programming, sponsorship and staffing. Officers will also further investigate a maker space at Waverley Library, with a report to come back to Council.

The Boot Factory, a former shoemaking factory at the rear of Norman Lee Place at 27-33 Spring Street, was completed in 1892 by William Sidaway and Son and was last restored by Council in 1986. It has been vacant since 2007, and in 2013, Council undertook significant remedial structural works to ensure the stability of the building until an alternative use could be found.

In welcome news for local business, Council voted to continue our $1 million per month Business Support Package to 31 March 2021 or until such earlier time as determined by Council.

Council voted to:

  • Continue to suspend rent for community tenants until 31 December 2020
  • Discount rents by 50% for community tenants from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021
  • Discount the licence fees for the Oxford Street Mall markets and the Roscoe Street markets by 50% from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021
  • Introduce a 50% discount COVID-19 Small Business Support category into Council’s Fees and Charges to apply to the footpath seating fee from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021, with the same criteria as the $0 (fee waiver) COVID-19 Small Business Support category

For more about our Business Support Package, or to apply for assistance, click here.

As part of our Business Support Package, the Council has partnered with the Bondi & District Chamber of Commerce on the Keep it Local initiative aimed at supporting local business during and beyond COVID-19. Click here for more or to sign up.

In Arts news, Council voted to establish a Cultural Advisory Committee to help guide the Council’s cultural initiatives into the future. Council also voted to extend the tenure of the current Waverley Studio artists Carolyn Craig, Julia Guttman, Laura Jade, Cameron Scott and Kirra Weingarth, from 31 January 2021 until 31 August 2021.

The call-out for the next round of studio artists will commence in May 2021, with the expected induction date of 1 September 2021. Keep an eye out for updates here on our website.

2020 Waverley Art Prize winner, Philjames (pictured above), of Sydney's east, is among the Waverley Artist Studios' alumni.

In transport news, Council approved the concept design for a temporary pop-up cycleway along Curlewis Street between Campbell Parade and Old South Head Road. Council officers will undertake broad community consultation in early 2021 on the pop-up cycleway and the possibility of the cycleway becoming permanent.

In technology news, Council voted to install a hybrid car park access system comprising both Automatic Number Plate Recognition and ticketing system technology, at the Eastgate, Hollywood Avenue and Library Council car parks. Waverley residents may be familiar with this type of technology which is used at Westfield Bondi Junction.

In great news for young families, Council voted to install a pathway access to the Clarke Reserve children’s playground from the existing pathway between Jensen Avenue and Christison Park. This is in response to waterlogged grass surrounding the playground. Click here for a map of play spaces in Waverley, or for more about our playgrounds, click here.

And finally, ever wanted to know more about how planning decisions are made in Waverley? Council passed a resolution for Council officers to produce a range of planning webinars. These webinars will be published on our website and include an explanation of the following:

The hierarchy and relationships between:

* Waverley Community Strategic Plan

* Local Strategic Planning Statement

* Housing Strategy

* Bondi Junction Urban Design Review

* Our Liveable Places Centres Strategy (formerly known as the Village Centres Strategy)

* Local Character Strategy

* Open Space Strategy

* Heritage Assessment Strategy

* Waverley’s Local Environment Plan (WLEP)

* Waverley’s Development Control Plan (WDCP)

And also:

* The process for assessing and determining planning proposals (PP) and development applications (DA) where a voluntary planning agreement (VPA) is lodged alongside the PP or DA, how and when this would occur, and how the VPA is assessed and endorsed.

Each webinar will be accompanied by a Frequently Asked Questions document that will help answer the question from different sectors of the residential and business community ‘what does this mean to me?’.

For more information about items debated at Council, please click here to view Council meeting agendas and minutes.

You can also live-stream Council meetings which commence at 7pm on the third Tuesday of each month. To tune in, click here.