Agenda of Ordinary Meeting - 10 December 2012

UNCONFIRMED MINUTES

OF THE ORDINARY MEETING OF PENRITH CITY COUNCIL HELD IN THE

COUNCIL CHAMBERS

ON MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2012 AT 7:34PM

NATIONAL ANTHEM

The meeting opened with the National Anthem.

STATEMENT OF RECOGNITION

His Worship the Mayor, Councillor Mark Davies read a statement of recognition of Penrith City’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage.

PRAYER

The Council Prayer was read by the Rev Neil Checkley.

PRESENT

His Worship the Mayor, Councillor Mark Davies, Deputy Mayor, Councillor Ross Fowler OAM and Councillors Jim Aitken OAM, Bernard Bratusa, Prue Car (arrived 8:25pm), Kevin Crameri OAM, Marcus Cornish, Greg Davies, Maurice Girotto, Ben Goldfinch, Jackie Greenow, Tricia Hitchen, Karen McKeown, John Thain and Michelle Tormey.

APOLOGIES

There were no apologies.

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES - Ordinary Meeting - 5 November 2012

359 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Ross Fowler OAM seconded Councillor Marcus Cornish that the minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of 5 November 2012 be confirmed.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Councillor Jim Aitken OAM declared a Non-Pecuniary Conflict of Interest – Less than Significant in Item 3 - Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide Local Environmental Plan of the Report and Recommendations of the Policy Review Committee Meeting held on 12 November 2012 as he owns properties in the vicinity of the area subject to the report.

Councillor Ross Fowler OAM declared a Non-Pecuniary Conflict of Interest – Less than Significant in Item 3 - Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide Local Environmental Plan of the Report and Recommendations of the Policy Review Committee Meeting held on 12 November 2012 as he is a Director, Auditor or Accountant of some properties in the area subject to the report.

His Worship the Mayor, Councillor Mark Davies declared a Pecuniary Interest in Item 5 - Public Exhibition of Environmental Assessment for Concept Plan for Mixed-Use Development Proposal and Stage 1 Project Application for Masters Home Improvement Store at Parkview Site, 164 Station Street, Penrith of the Report and Recommendations of the Policy Review Committee Meeting held on 12 November 2012 as he has a commercial agreement with the Masters organisation. The Mayor indicated he would leave the room and vacate the chair for consideration of this item.

Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM declared a Non-Pecuniary Conflict of Interest – Less than Significant in Requests for Reports and Memorandums Item 4 - Clean Soil - Llandilo RFS as he is the Deputy Captain of the Llandilo RFS.

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS

360 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Jackie Greenow seconded Councillor Greg Davies that Standing Orders be suspended to allow members of the public to address the meeting, the time being 7:55pm.

Mr Gregory Keightley

Item 8 – Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide Local Environmental Plan

Mr Keightley, an affected person, spoke against the recommendation and urged Council to consider the planning decisions made and the impact these have on both displaced fauna and the local volunteers. Mr Keightley spoke of the pressure that is placed on animals and that they will have their habitat destroyed and need to relocate, often to areas that are already urbanised.

Mr Keightley was particularly concerned that this development would seriously comprise a habitat which has little connectivity to other areas and urged Council to protect this rich bio-diversity area and maintain it as high priority conservation land. Mr Keightley also acknowledged that there is a high need for additional housing in our Local Government Area.

Mr Peter Mobbs

Item 8 – Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide Local Environmental Plan

Mr Mobbs, an affected person, spoke against the recommendation expressing concern around the rezoning of the land and the loss of valuable natural bushland which is incredibly rich in biodiversity. Mr Mobbs outlined that this area has been identified as an Important Bird Area and there are a number of threatened plant species which would be affected by the proposal.

Mr Mobbs continued by requesting Council take advantage of a unique opportunity to enclose the boundaries of the area and preserve a valuable corridor of land. Mr Mobbs urged and invited Councillors to inspect the area in question to witness the matters that he has outlined for themselves.

Mr Geoff Brown

Item 8 – Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide Local Environmental Plan

Mr Brown, representing the Western Sydney Conservation Alliance, spoke in opposition to the recommendation and for the need for the LEP to protect Penrith’s biodiversity through the creation of a Western Sydney Green belt to link corridors. Mr Brown stated that he believed the land in question is not currently adequately zoned for conservation and that all priority land should be zoned E2.

361 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Greg Davies seconded Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM that an extension of time be granted to enable the speaker to complete his address, the time being 8:05pm.

Mr Brown requested that Council take the opportunity to fix errors which were made in Stage 1 of the LEP and ensure changes are made to not undermine the Cumberland Plain Recovery Plan.

Mr Vince Hardy

Item 10 – Development Application DA11/1096 boundary adjustment Lot 9 and Lot 10 DP 234345 (No. 20) Forbes Street, Emu Plains

Mr Hardy, planning consultant for the applicant, spoke in opposition to the recommendation and claimed that the development satisfactorily complies with the relevant statutory framework. Mr Hardy stated that the DCP does not prohibit this development and that flood prone land should not be sterilised, but rather should be assessed on a merit based approach which considered all matters.

Mr Hardy continued by stating that he believes this application would not set a precedent in anyway and that there is an adequate low level flood area which could be used as an escape route with very little increase in resources required for emergency services.

362 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Jim Aitken OAM seconded Councillor Ross Fowler OAM that an extension of time be granted to enable the speaker to complete his address, the time being 8:10pm.

Mr Hardy urged Council to consider and approve this Development Application based on its merits.

RESUMPTION OF STANDING ORDERS

363 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Jackie Greenow seconded Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM that Standing Orders be resumed, the time being 8:10pm.

Mayoral Minutes

1 Congratulations to recipients of 2012 Council scholarships

Councillor Michelle Tormey left the meeting, the time being 8:11pm.

Councillor Michelle Tormey returned to the meeting, the time being 8:14pm.

Councillor Ross Fowler OAM spoke in support of the Mayoral Minute.

364 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Mark Davies seconded Councillor Ross Fowler OAM that the Mayoral Minute on Congratulations to recipients of 2012 Council scholarships be received.

His Worship the Mayor, Councillor Mark Davies presented an award to the recipients of the 2012 Council Scholarships.

Professor Kevin Dunn from the University of Western Sydney presented the Mayor with a certification of appreciation in recognition of Council’s support of the scholarship program.

2 Council recognised in LGSA Arts and Culture Awards

Councillors Ross Fowler OAM, Greg Davies and Ben Goldfinch all spoke in support of the Mayoral Minute and thanked Council staff, participants, children and all others involved.

365 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Mark Davies seconded Councillor Ross Fowler OAM that the Mayoral Minute on Council recognised in LGSA Arts and Culture Awards be received.

Reports of Committees

1 Report and Recommendations of the Local Traffic Committee Meeting held on 5 November 2012

Councillor Prue Car arrived, the time being 8:25pm.

366 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Greg Davies seconded Councillor Karen McKeown that the recommendations contained in the Report and Recommendations of the Local Traffic Committee meeting held on 5 November, 2012 be adopted.

2 Report and Recommendations of the Policy Review Committee Meeting held on 12 November 2012

367 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Greg Davies seconded Councillor Ben Goldfinch

That

1. The recommendations contained in the Report and Recommendations of the Policy Review Committee meeting held on 12 November, 2012 be adopted with the exception of Item 3 - Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide Local Environmental Plan and Item 5 - Public Exhibition of Environmental Assessment for Concept Plan for Mixed-Use Development Proposal and Stage 1 Project Application for Masters Home Improvement Store at Parkview Site, 164 Station Street, Penrith.

2. The Non-Pecuniary Conflict of Interest – Less than Significant declared by Councillors Jim Aitken OAM and Ross Fowler OAM be amended to reflect the interest being in Item 3.

Item 3 - Report and Recommendations of the Policy Review Committee Meeting held on 12 November 2012 (Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide Local Environmental Plan)

368 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Ben Goldfinch seconded Councillor John Thain

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide Local Environmental Plan (LEP) be received.

2. The report be submitted to the next Ordinary Council meeting.

In accordance with Section 375A of the Local Government Act 1993, a DIVISION was then called with the following result:

For	Against
Councillor Prue Car
Councillor Greg Davies
Councillor John Thain
Councillor Karen McKeown
Councillor Michelle Tormey
Councillor Jackie Greenow
Councillor Maurice Girotto
Councillor Jim Aitken OAM
Councillor Ross Fowler OAM
Councillor Ben Goldfinch
Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM
Councillor Tricia Hitchen
Councillor Bernard Bratusa
Councillor Marcus Cornish
Councillor Mark Davies

Item 5 - Report and Recommendations of the Policy Review Committee Meeting held on 12 November 2012 (Public Exhibition of Environmental Assessment for Concept Plan for Mixed-Use Development Proposal and Stage 1 Project Application for Masters Home Improvement Store at Parkview Site, 164 Station Street, Penrith)

Having previously declared a Pecuniary Interest, the Mayor, Councillor Mark Davies vacated the chair, the time being 8:27pm.

Deputy Mayor, Ross Fowler OAM took the chair for consideration of the item, the time being 8:27pm.

369 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Greg Davies seconded Councillor Ben Goldfinch

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Public Exhibition of Environmental Assessment for Concept Plan for Mixed-Use Development Proposal and Stage 1 Project Application for Masters Home Improvement Store at Parkview Site, 164 Station Street, Penrith be received.

2. Council make a submission to the Department of Planning strongly objecting to the Concept Plan and Stage 1 Project applications for the reasons outlined in this report.

3. Council objects to the proposal being dealt with under the former Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act as it does not fit the criteria required.

4. Council write to the Local Members advising them of the outcome of the Council meeting.

In accordance with Section 375A of the Local Government Act 1993, a DIVISION was then called with the following result:

For	Against
Councillor Prue Car
Councillor Greg Davies
Councillor John Thain
Councillor Karen McKeown
Councillor Michelle Tormey
Councillor Jackie Greenow
Councillor Maurice Girotto
Councillor Jim Aitken OAM
Councillor Ross Fowler OAM
Councillor Ben Goldfinch
Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM
Councillor Tricia Hitchen
Councillor Bernard Bratusa
Councillor Marcus Cornish

The Mayor, Councillor Mark Davies returned to the meeting and took the Chair, the time being 8:28pm.

DELIVERY PROGRAM REPORTS

A Leading City

1 Organisational Performance Report – Quarterly Review September 2012

370 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM seconded Councillor Marcus Cornish

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Organisational Performance Report – Quarterly Review September 2012 be received.

2. The Organisational Performance Report – Quarterly Review September 2012 as at 30 September 2012, including the revised estimates outlined in this report and detailed in Attachment 1 – Organisational Performance Report – Quarterly Review September 2012 be adopted.

3. The Common Seal of the Council of the City of Penrith be affixed to those documents that are necessary to finalise the funding deed for Round 1 of the Local Infrastructure Renewal Scheme.

2 The Annual Report for 2011 - 12

371 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM seconded Councillor Marcus Cornish

That:

1. The information contained in the report on The Annual Report for 2011 - 12 be received.

2. The Annual Report be forwarded to the Division of Local Government by 30 November 2012.

3 Future of Penrith Project

372 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM seconded Councillor Marcus Cornish

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Future of Penrith Project be received.

2. The establishment of the Committee for the Future of Penrith, Penrith of the Future project be noted and endorsed.

3. The Action Plan for the next phase of the project be reported to Council for consideration and endorsement.

7 Policy on the Payment of Expenses and Provision of Facilities to Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors

373 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM seconded Councillor Marcus Cornish

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Policy on the Payment of Expenses and Provision of Facilities to Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors be received.

2. Council adopt the Policy on the Payment of Expenses and Provision of Facilities to Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors.

3. Council forward a copy of the Council’s adopted Policy on the Payment of Expenses and Provision of Facilities to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors to the DLG.

9 Summary of Investments & Banking for the period 1 October to 31 October 2012

374 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM seconded Councillor Marcus Cornish

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Summary of Investments & Banking for the period 1 October to 31 October 2012 be received.

2. The Certificate of the Responsible Accounting Officer and Summaries of Investments and Performance for the period 1 October 2012 to 31 October 2012 be noted and accepted.

3. The graphical investment analysis as at 31 October 2012 be noted.

4 Changes to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act regarding the Local Environmental Plan making process

375 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Karen McKeown seconded Councillor Greg Davies

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Changes to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act regarding the Local Environmental Plan making process be received.

2. Council write to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure accepting delegation of the Minister’s functions under Section 59 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979 as set out in the Minister’s letter of 31 October 2012.

3. Council nominate the General Manager, Mr Alan Stoneham

as its delegate to exercise the Minister’s functions under Section 59 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979 where Council has considered submissions following public exhibition and has resolved to support the finalisation of a Draft Local Environmental Plan.

4. Council write to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure expressing disappointment that the changes to the LEP making process did not reflect Council’s strong objection to the review elements on the plan making process.

5. Council write to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure asking for clarification as to whether the Minister will take legal responsibility for outcomes of an LEP where the decision making is taken out of Council’s hands through the new review process.

In accordance with Section 375A of the Local Government Act 1993, a DIVISION was then called with the following result:

For	Against
Councillor Prue Car
Councillor Greg Davies
Councillor John Thain
Councillor Karen McKeown
Councillor Michelle Tormey
Councillor Jackie Greenow
Councillor Maurice Girotto
Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM
Councillor Jim Aitken OAM
Councillor Ross Fowler OAM
Councillor Ben Goldfinch
Councillor Tricia Hitchen
Councillor Bernard Bratusa
Councillor Marcus Cornish
Councillor Mark Davies

5 Sponsorship of the 2012 Nepean District Tennis Association Tie Break Shoot Out

376 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Jim Aitken OAM seconded Councillor John Thain

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Sponsorship of the 2012 Nepean District Tennis Association Tie Break Shoot Out be received.

2. Council approve sponsorship of $1,000 from the City Marketing and Event Sponsorship budget.

3. An amount of $700 from each ward’s Voted Works be allocated to the sponsorship of the 2012 Nepean District Tennis Association Tie Break Shoot Out.

6 Australian Local Government Women's Association 2013 NSW State Annual Conference

377 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor John Thain seconded Councillor Marcus Cornish

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Australian Local Government Women's Association 2013 NSW State Annual Conference be received.

2. Council nominate Councillors Karen McKeown, Jackie Greenow, Tricia Hitchen, Michelle Tormey and Prue Car to attend ALGWA’s 60^th Annual NSW State Conference, to be held in Gosford from Thursday 14 to Saturday 16 March 2013.

8 Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide Local Environmental Plan

A MOTION was MOVED by Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM seconded Councillor Michelle Tormey

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide Local Environmental Plan be received

2. The Deerubbin land subject of the report be zoned as E2 land as opposed to RU4 and the proposal be forward to the Gateway and placed on exhibition.

3. Council make representations to the Local Members, Minister for Planning and Infrastructure and the Department of Planning seeking an extension to the consultation period from 28 days to 8 weeks.

An AMENDMENT was MOVED by Councillor Ross Fowler OAM seconded Councillor Greg Davies

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide Local Environmental Plan be received

2. Council endorse the recommendations in Attachment 1 to complete the policy platform on which the Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide LEP will be based.

3. Council endorse the enclosed Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide LEP to be forwarded to the Department of Planning & Infrastructure seeking a revised Gateway Determination under s56 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

4. The Council note that the Planning Proposal (including the associated map series) will continue to be refined and finalised before it is submitted to the Department of Planning & Infrastructure seeking the revised Gateway Determination.

5. Council seek approval from the Gateway to publicly exhibit the Planning Proposal for Penrith City-wide LEP in accordance with the community consultation requirements under s57 of the EP&A Act, and in a form consistent with any revisions of the Planning Proposal directed by the Department of Planning & Infrastructure as part of the s56 Gateway Determination.

6. Council seek urgent discussions between the Office of Environment and Heritage, Deerubbin Aboriginal Land Council and Penrith City Council regarding potential State Government acquisition of the remaining bulk of the proposed E2 zoned land owned by the Deerubbin Aboriginal Land Council in Castlereagh and Council seek the support of the Local Member to facilitate these discussions.

7. Council make representations to the Local Members, Minister for Planning and Infrastructure and the Department of Planning seeking an extension to the consultation period from 28 days to 8 weeks.

378 On being PUT to the meeting, the AMENDMENT was CARRIED and on becoming the MOTION was also CARRIED.

In accordance with Section 375A of the Local Government Act 1993, a DIVISION was then called with the following result:

For	Against
Councillor Prue Car	Councillor Michelle Tormey
Councillor Greg Davies	Councillor Maurice Girotto
Councillor John Thain	Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM
Councillor Karen McKeown
Councillor Jackie Greenow
Councillor Jim Aitken OAM
Councillor Ross Fowler OAM
Councillor Ben Goldfinch
Councillor Tricia Hitchen
Councillor Bernard Bratusa
Councillor Marcus Cornish
Councillor Mark Davies

18 Council Meeting Calendar for 2013

379 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Jackie Greenow seconded Councillor John Thain

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Council Meeting Calendar for 2013 be received.

2. The draft Meeting Calender for 2013 be adopted with the inclusion of an additional Ordinary Council Meeting being held on 30 September 2013.

A City of Opportunities

10 Development Application DA11/1096 boundary adjustment Lot 9 and Lot 10 DP 234345 (No.20) Forbes Street, Emu Plains Applicant: Freeburn Surveying; Owner: RK McGarrity

380 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Greg Davies seconded Councillor Ross Fowler OAM

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Development Application DA11/1096 boundary adjustment Lot 9 and Lot 10 DP 234345 (No.20) Forbes Street, Emu Plains be received.

2. A report be presented to the next Ordinary Council meeting detailing conditions that would be imposed if the Development Application was to be recommended for approval.

In accordance with Section 375A of the Local Government Act 1993, a DIVISION was then called with the following result:

For	Against
Councillor Prue Car
Councillor Greg Davies
Councillor John Thain
Councillor Karen McKeown
Councillor Michelle Tormey
Councillor Jackie Greenow
Councillor Maurice Girotto
Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM
Councillor Jim Aitken OAM
Councillor Ross Fowler OAM
Councillor Ben Goldfinch
Councillor Tricia Hitchen
Councillor Bernard Bratusa
Councillor Marcus Cornish
Councillor Mark Davies

A Liveable City

11 Floodplain Management Association National Conference - 28 May 2013 to 31 May 2013

Councillor Marcus Cornish left the meeting, the time being 9:12pm.

Councillor Marcus Cornish returned to the meeting, the time being 9:15pm.

381 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Ross Fowler OAM seconded Councillor Ben Goldfinch

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Floodplain Management Association National Conference - 28 May 2013 to 31 May 2013 be received.

2. Council nominate Councillors Jim Aitken OAM, Michelle Tormey, Jackie Greenow, Greg Davies, Kevin Crameri OAM and any other interested Councillors to the 2013 Floodplain Management Association Conference and Workshops, to be held at Tweed Heads from 28 May 2013 to 31 May 2013.

12 The Northern Road, Cranebrook - Widening between Borrowdale Way & Andromeda Drive

382 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM seconded Councillor John Thain

That:

1. The information contained in the report on The Northern Road, Cranebrook - Widening between Borrowdale Way & Andromeda Drive be received.

2. A further report be brought back to a future Council meeting which provides a traffic assessment of the area and addresses the current issues and expected future issues which may occur when the works cease at Borrowdale Way.

13 Status Report on Memory Park Improvement Project

383 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Ross Fowler OAM seconded Councillor Karen McKeown that the information contained in the report on Status Report on Memory Park Improvement Project be received.

14 Status Report on Tender Reference 11/12-12 - Roof Replacement and Rectification at Ripples Aquatic Centre

384 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Greg Davies seconded Councillor Jim Aitken OAM that the information contained in the report on Status Report on Tender Reference 11/12-12 - Roof Replacement and Rectification at Ripples Aquatic Centre be received.

15 Tender Reference 12/13-02 for the Provision of Graffiti Removal Services

385 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Greg Davies seconded Councillor Jim Aitken OAM

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Tender Reference 12/13-02 for the Provision of Graffiti Removal Services be received.

2. The tender from NT Barnes Pty Ltd (trading as Wundaguard) be accepted for Graffiti Paint Out and Removal Services for a period of two (2) years with an option to extend for a further two (2) x (1) year periods, allowing for rise and fall provisions.

A Vibrant City

16 2012 - 2013 Heritage Assistance Fund

386 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Jackie Greenow seconded Councillor Greg Davies

That:

1. The information contained in the report on 2012 - 2013 Heritage Assistance Fund be received.

2. The successful applicants for the 2012/2013 Heritage Assistance Fund outlined be endorsed by Council and advised accordingly.

3. The unsuccessful applicants for the 2012/2013 Heritage Assistance Fund outlined be advised accordingly.

17 Development Application DA12/0308 Dwelling at Lot 1 DP 237071 (No. 265) Seventh Avenue, Llandilo Applicant: Sharon Jones Architectural Design; Owner: Adam John McBurney and Tennille Gay McBurney DA12/0308

Councillor Greg Davies left the room, the time being 9:33pm.

387 RESOLVED on the MOTION of Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM seconded Councillor Ben Goldfinch

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Development Application DA12/0308 Dwelling at Lot 1 DP 237071 (No. 265) Seventh Avenue, Llandilo be received.

2. The matter be deferred until the next Ordinary Meeting of Council.

3. A site inspection be organised as soon as possible for Councillors, Council staff, the owner and the applicant.

In accordance with Section 375A of the Local Government Act 1993, a DIVISION was then called with the following result:

For	Against
Councillor Prue Car
Councillor John Thain
Councillor Karen McKeown
Councillor Michelle Tormey
Councillor Jackie Greenow
Councillor Maurice Girotto
Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM
Councillor Jim Aitken OAM
Councillor Ross Fowler OAM
Councillor Ben Goldfinch
Councillor Tricia Hitchen
Councillor Bernard Bratusa
Councillor Marcus Cornish
Councillor Mark Davies

REQUESTS FOR REPORTS AND MEMORANDUMS

Councillor Michelle Tormey left the meeting, the time being 9.33 pm.

RR 1 Union Lane Car park

Councillor Marcus Cornish requested a report to the Local Traffic Committee concerning Union Road car park and in particular the newly marked lines which appear to be too narrow for two way traffic and causing minor accidents.

RR 2 1A Leonay Parade, Leonay - Access

Councillor Marcus Cornish requested a report to the Local Traffic Committee which assesses the danger of the driveway access to this block and suggested a site inspection by the Committee.

RR 3 Neighbourhood Notification Process

Councillor Ben Goldfinch requested a report to a Councillor Briefing concerning the current requirements for notifying neighbours regarding Development Applications which are before Council, the report to include all types of Developments and what methods and timeframes are required for notice and how the notification process is carried out.

Councillors Greg Davies and Michelle Tormey returned to the meeting, the time being 9:36pm.

RR 4 Clean Soil - Llandilo RFS

Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM requested that Council provide 5 tonne of clean soil to the Llandilo RFS to allow them to fill and level around the pump out tank and a few low spots around the hall.

Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM declared a Non-Pecuniary Conflict of Interest – Less than Significant in this matter as he is the Deputy Captain of the Llandilo RFS.

RR 5 Thank You from Resident

Councillor Jackie Greenow wished to pass on to Council the thanks of a local resident for the activities and services Council provides for young people in the City.

RR 6 St Marys Corner

Councillor Jackie Greenow wished to pass on to Council that the function and activities held on Sunday, 18 November 2012 at the St Marys Corner attracted a large number of patrons.

RR 7 Russell St, Leonay - Land Buy Back

Councillor John Thain requested Council write to the Local Member and Lobby for the RMS to buy back the land in this area to allow for an off ramp.

RR 8 WSROC Request by Council - Dam Wall

Councillor John Thain requested a report to Council detailing the number of requests Council has made to the State Government and WSROC over the last 10 years concerning raising the Warragamba Dam Wall.

RR 9 Culverts - Torkington Creek

Councillor Marcus Cornish requested a memo to update all Councillors on when the culverts that were involved in the Torkington Creek floods will be cleaned.

RR 10 Events in Council Calendars

Councillor Kevin Crameri OAM requested that where possible tentative events be placed in Councillors’ calendars for 2013 to allow them to plan.

There being no further business the Chairperson declared the meeting closed the time being 9:45pm.

Ordinary Meeting 10 December 2012

A Liveable City

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
Penrith Valley Community Safety Partnership MEETING

HELD ON 21 November, 2012

PRESENT

Sonia Dalitz, Penrith City Council; Julie Page, Needle and Syringe Program; Gai Hawthorn, Penrith City Centre Association; Jason Green, St Marys Police; Darryl Jobson, St Marys Police; Grant Healey, Penrith Police; Ken Innes, Glenmore Park Action Group; Julie Graham, Penrith Police; David Burns, Penrith City Council; Yvonne Perkins, Penrith City Council; Olivia Kidon, Penrith City Council; Allison Kyriakakis, Penrith City Council; Erin Davidson, Penrith City Council.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE

Leave of absence was previously granted to Councillor Maurice Girotto for the period 20 November 2012 to 5 December 2012 inclusive.

APOLOGIES

His Worship the Mayor, Councillor Mark Davies; Councillor Karen McKeown; Katerina Tahija, Penrith City Council; Ben Feszczuk, Penrith Local Area Command; Murray Halls, Penrith City Council; Katie Mason, Department Juvenile Justice; Christine Donzow, Department Juvenile Justice; Gina Field, Penrith Valley Chamber of Commerce; Dimitri Hondros, RailCorp; Glenn Cooper, University of Western Sydney; Kylie Chang, St Marys Police; Rino Matarazzo, RailCorp.

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES - Penrith Valley Community Safety Partnership Meeting - 27 June 2012

The minutes of the Penrith Valley Community Safety Partnership Meeting of 27 June 2012 were confirmed.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Nil.

DELIVERY PROGRAM REPORTS

A Liveable City

David Burns welcomed everyone to the first daytime meeting. It is anticipated the change in meeting time will attract a higher attendance. Early next year Council will be seeking new membership onto the Partnership.

1 Update on the development of the new Community Safety Plan

1. Community Safety Survey

Prior to presenting a PowerPoint presentation with the results from the Community Safety Survey, Olivia Kidon provided background into the progress of the development of the new Community Safety Plan for the next three years.

No new information has been received from the NSW Department of Attorney General and Justice regarding guidelines for the development of a new Community Safety Plan. Previous advice received earlier this year advised that these new guidelines are expected in February 2013; in the meantime Council was advised to continue developing the new Plan using the current guidelines.

Community consultations commenced in June with the promotion of the online survey. Printed copies of this survey were also available and distributed to businesses along High Street, Penrith and Queen Street, St Marys, community groups and local networks.

518 responses were received by the closing date and the hard copy surveys were popular.

It is anticipated that the new draft Community Safety Plan will be completed by end of March 2013.

The top four (4) issues relevant to the Penrith LGA identified by survey respondents were harassment and anti social behaviour, alcohol related offences, malicious damage and domestic and family violence.

The above identified issues from the survey are similar to the findings of the community consultations from the previous Community Safety Plan 2007-2011.

Community Safety staff are continuing with consultations, attending various interagencies and networks across the LGA to discuss findings and identify any additional issues. Allison advised that transport issues have been raised as an issue throughout the consultations as well as activities for young people, especially for low income earners. A youth version of the survey has also been prepared and will be distributed shortly.

2. Achievements from the previous Community Safety Plan 2007 - 2011

Allison Kyriakakis provided a PowerPoint presentation to the Partnership highlighting the key projects and achievements from the last Community Safety Plan 2007 – 2011.

Key projects developed and implemented under the Community Safety Plan 2007 – 2011 included:

· Citywide Graffiti Minimisation Strategy

The Graffiti Minimisation Project encompassed three (3) components - education, prevention and removal. This included the Warner Group Graffiti Education Program, implementation of the free graffiti removal hotline and removal of graffiti from the public space and private space when accessible from the public space.

Allison reminded Partnership members that there will be a presentation from Warner Group on the progress and success of the program on Wednesday 28 November. All Partnership members are invited to attend.

· Domestic Violence Projects and Initiatives

An Information and Referral Guide was developed for workers on the Domestic Violence Resource Project to assist them identify clients experiencing domestic violence and assist workers with referral pathways. In addition to this resource, a number of training programs were held to assist training needs of local workers. The project was awarded a highly commended at the LGMA Management Excellence Awards in August 2012.

The Domestic Violence Help Online website has also undergone a revision of content and update of the look of the website. The website has information and advice on how to access help and what you can do if you are experiencing domestic violence.

A White Ribbon Day BBQ Lunch was held on Tuesday 20 November in the Mondo, which raised awareness around domestic violence and the elimination of violence against women. There was a significant attendance at the event and many staff, including outdoor staff, participated in the swearing of the White Ribbon Oath and signing the banner. This is the second year Council has hosted a White Ribbon Day event in Penrith with community members and local businesses invited. It is anticipated that a White Ribbon Day event will be an annual event.

Council has supported the Nepean Domestic Violence Network (NDVN) to host numerous family fun days and events to raise awareness around domestic violence. The NDVN is also hosting its third Outback Steakhouse Christmas Luncheon in December for women and children who have experienced domestic violence.

· Educational Resources

Community Safety staff have developed a number of resources to support projects and for distribution to residents seeking further community safety information. These include the Report It, Don’t Ignore It Kit, HOST’s Pack, Graffiti Information Kit and the Disposal of Community Sharps brochure.

· Community Safety Audits

A number of community safety audits have been conducted under the Penrith Valley Community Safety Plan 2007 – 2011. In 2008 railway and transport interchanges at Penrith, Kingswood and St Marys Stations were assessed resulting in a number of upgrades to enhance the amenity and safety of each location.

Council received a $60,000 grant from the NSW Attorney General’s Department to upgrade the Jane Street (East) commuter car park adjacent to Penrith Station. Works included the installation of low level black security fencing, landscaping works, new line markings and signage and general tidy up of the area.

A recommendation of the Kingswood Audit identified that Red Cross Anniversary Park required additional lighting. Bollard lighting was installed along the pathway to assist with lighting levels and the Community and Cultural Development Department completed a public art project to beautify the area with an art installation.

Council was successful in receiving a $200,000 grant from Federal Attorney General’s Department (under Safer Suburbs funding) to provide youth engagement programs and CCTV upgrades in the Green Space (the Mondo).

· Public Spaces CCTV Program

Council has adopted a Code of Practice for the Public Spaces CCTV Program and has over 60 cameras operating at Council managed sites and facilities which are managed by Community Safety Staff.

· Pedestrian Laneway Bollard Upgrades

A number of pedestrian laneways have been upgraded across the LGA. Blue coloured metal bollards have been installed to deter trail bike riders and enhance safety within the laneway. Signage has also been installed with the laneway name and emergency contact details for police.

· Solar Lighting and Portable CCTV Camera Trials

Solar lighting and portable CCTV have been installed at various locations throughout the city to trial and test new forms of technology and deter anti social behaviour. Solar powered lighting is being trialled as a sustainable alternative to powered lighting.

· Cranebrook Street Lighting Upgrades

Council received a $300,000 grant from the Federal Attorney General’s Department under the Safer Suburbs Plan for the installation of lighting in Cranebrook, off Pendock Road and surrounding streets, following a recommendation from the Cranebrook Audit conducted in 2008. This project aimed to improve safety in walkways within the area of Cranebrook.

· Operation Bounce Back

Council was successful in receiving funding in 2006 and 2011 to run the Operation Bounce Back program. The project involved the free fitting of engine immobilisers to older model vehicles.

RECOMMENDED that the information contained in the report on Update on the development of the new Community Safety Plan be received.

Regular Items

A) Police Statistics

Penrith Local Area Command Crime Statistics

August 2012 to October 2012

Crime Category	August 2012	September 2012	October 2012
Assault	69	74	79
Robbery	2	7	7
Break & Enter	35	45	56
Stealing	97	134	115
Steal Motor Vehicle	24	20	33
Malicious Damage	87	67	95
Drug Detection	16	125	21
Traffic Offences	n/a	n/a	n/a
Motor Vehicle Accident	79	55	65

Detective Inspector Grant Healy provided an overview of the Penrith Local Area Command crime statistics. This will be the first summer without the two nightclubs in operation which should have an impact on crime statistics.

St Marys Local Area Command Crime Statistics

November 2011 to February 2012

Crime Category	August 2012	September 2012	October 2012
Assault	95	67	114
Robbery	6	7	10
Break & Enter	54	55	64
Stealing	131	121	136
Steal Motor Vehicle	27	26	36
Malicious Damage	107	95	110
Drug Detection	23	22	40
Traffic Offences	536	552	604
Motor Vehicle Accident	61	67	63

Inspector Jason Green provided an update on crime statistics for St Marys police. Trade vehicles such as utes and vans have had high steal from motor vehicle statistics in the last quarter. A newspaper article with the St Marys Crime Prevention Officer will be in this week’s paper to raise awareness and remind vehicle owners to remove valuable items from their vehicles and park securely.

Penrith Panthers players also partnered with St Marys Police for ‘Operation Enough’ which targeted young people on the streets at night without their parents’ knowledge of where they are.

What’s in the Media?

July - September 2012

GENERAL BUSINESS

GB 1 Julie Page – Needle and Syringe Program

Julie Page advised that there are no new hot spots within the Penrith area where needles are being discarded.

The public toilet amenities building in East Lane, St Marys, where the needle and syringe bin is located, is to be programmed for replacement. Julie asked if the needle bin can remain and be included in the redevelopment as this bin has the third highest usage in the Penrith area.

GB 2 Gai Hawthorn – Penrith City Centre Association

Gai Hawthorn advised that she regularly has meetings with the businesses along High Street and there have been no issues raised.

Gai also suggested that the Partnership consider the Penrith festivals for promoting projects and events.

GB 3 Olivia Kidon – Alcohol Free Zones and Alcohol Prohibited Areas

Olivia advised that a report went to Council two (2) weeks ago for the approval of additional Alcohol Free Zones (AFZ) and Alcohol Prohibited Areas (APA). These locations included:

Alcohol Free Areas

1. Car Park and footpath that incorporates a bus stop (adjacent to Progress Way) located on Pendock Road, Cranebrook

2. Carson’s Lane Car Park, Carson’s Lane, St Marys, incorporating the section referred to as ‘Bowler’s Place Car Park’

3. The area of Melville Road, St Clair from Moore Street to Onslow Street

4. The area of Moore Street, St Clair, from Melville Road to Macarthur Street

5. The area of Macarthur Street, St Clair, from Moore Street to Onslow Street

6. The area of Forrester Road, St Marys, from Glossop Street to St Marys Station.

Alcohol Prohibited Areas

1. Victoria Park, Great Western Highway, St Marys. This location has been extended to 24 hours

2. Park located on Illawong Avenue, North Penrith

3. Jack Jewry Reserve, Waratah Street, St Marys

4. Werrington Creek Park, Werrington. This location has been extended to 24 hours

5. Allsopp Oval, Oxford Street, Cambridge Park. This location has been extended to 24 hours.

All Alcohol Free Zones and Alcohol Prohibited Areas are due to be reviewed next year. Council will be consulting with stakeholders and Police during this process for support in renewing existing locations, removing any that are now not required, and seeking feedback in the establishment of any new locations.

There being no further business the Chairperson declared the meeting closed the time being 4.30pm.

RECOMMENDATION

That the recommendations contained in the Report and Recommendations of the Penrith Valley Community Safety Partnership meeting held on 21 November, 2012 be adopted.

Ordinary Meeting 10 December 2012

A Liveable City

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
Local Traffic Committee MEETING

HELD ON 3 December, 2012

PRESENT

Michael Alderton – Road Network Services Engineer (Chairperson), David Drozd – Senior Traffic Engineer, Wayne Mitchell – Group Manager City Infrastructure, Councillor Marcus Cornish, Senior Constable Mark Elliott – St Marys Police, Sergeant Matthew Shirvington – Penrith Police, James Suprain – Roads and Maritime Services, Rick Cortese – Representative for the Member for Mulgoa, Daniel Davidson – Road Safety Co‑ordinator, Ruth Byrnes - Senior Traffic Officer, Emma Lawton – Trainee Engineer, Lorne Gurney.

IN ATTENDANCE

Steven Purvis – Senior Ranger.

APOLOGIES

Apologies were accepted from Councillor Jackie Greenow, Mr Bart Bassett MP – Member for Londonderry, Adam Wilkinson – Engineering Services Manager.

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES - Local Traffic Committee Meeting - 5 November 2012

The minutes of the Local Traffic Committee Meeting of 5 November 2012 were confirmed.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest.

DELIVERY PROGRAM REPORTS

A Liveable City

1 Local Traffic Committee - Meeting Dates for 2013

RECOMMENDED

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Local Traffic Committee - Meeting Dates for 2013 be received.

2. The above dates be confirmed for 2013.

2 St Marys 40km/h High Pedestrian Activity Area Scheme - Design Plan Endorsement

RECOMMENDED

That:

1. The information contained in the report on St Marys 40km/h High Pedestrian Activity Area Scheme - Design Plan Endorsement be received.

2. Design Plans numbered 9597/CC01-CC05 dated 23-11-12 produced by J Wyndham Prince be finalised and endorsed for construction.

3. The cost of the devices be funded from the Roads and Maritime Services and Council’s joint 40km/h High Pedestrian Activity Area Scheme budget.

4. Council advise businesses, property owners and key stakeholders, who are directly affected by the installation of the devices, before the commencement of construction and consult with affected residents and/or business owners regarding the loss of any on-street parking.

5. Council notify the St Marys Town Centre Association and the newly-formed St Marys Town Centre Management Corporation of Council’s resolution.

3 Burton Street, Werrington - Proposed Provision of a Pedestrian Refuge Facility

RECOMMENDED

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Burton Street, Werrington - Proposed Provision of a Pedestrian Refuge Facility be received.

2. The project for a pedestrian refuge facility in Burton Street, Werrington be entered into Council’s Traffic Facilities Prioritisation Process. When the project receives priority against other listed sites, Council’s Design Co‑ordinator be requested to prepare a design for the facility, with a further report submitted to the Local Traffic Committee for design plan finalisation and endorsement.

3. The resident be advised of Council’s resolution.

4 O'Connell Street & Second Avenue, Kingswood - Proposed Provision of Curve Alignment Markers

RECOMMENDED

That:

1. The information contained in the report on O'Connell Street & Second Avenue, Kingswood - Proposed Provision of Curve Alignment Markers be received.

2. Three curve alignment markers be installed on the north-western kerb return of the intersection of O’Connell Street and Second Avenue, Kingswood, and the curve alignment marker sign located on the northern approach to the intersection on O’Connell Street be removed.

3. The Committee note that the power pole on the north-western kerb return of the intersection has been relocated and hence the temporary water-filled barriers be recommended for removal.

5 Endeavour Avenue, St Clair - Request for Provision of Parking Restrictions

LTC Comment

The Police representative advised that the subject location is used as a Random Breath Test location and, as such, the provision of parking restrictions in this location would affect Police enforcement of drink driving.

RECOMMENDED

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Endeavour Avenue, St Clair - Request for Provision of Parking Restrictions be received.

2. Parking restrictions not be implemented in Endeavour Avenue, St Clair, at the entry point to the St Clair Shopping Centre.

3. Councillor Greg Davies be advised of Council’s resolution.

6 Pullman Place & Russell Street, Emu Plains - Implementation of "No Stopping" Restrictions

RECOMMENDED

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Pullman Place & Russell Street, Emu Plains - Implementation of "No Stopping" Restrictions be received.

2. The implementation of “No Stopping” restrictions, 10m from both corners at the intersection of Pullman Place and Russell Street, Emu Plains, be noted.

7 Sydney International Regatta Centre - AAGPS "Head of the River" - Saturday 9 March 2013

RECOMMENDED

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Sydney International Regatta Centre - AAGPS "Head of the River" - Saturday 9 March 2013 be received.

2. The event applicant be advised that this is a Class 2 Event under the “Guide to Traffic and Transport Management for Special Events” and that all conditions and requirements specified in the Guide must be complied with prior to the event.

3. The Traffic Management Plan submitted by event applicant detailing the proposed temporary road closures for the event to be held on Saturday 9 March 2013 be endorsed.

4. A Traffic Management Plan including a Risk Management Plan be lodged by the event applicant with the Roads and Maritime Services for concurrence, prior to the event. A copy of the Roads and Maritime Services’ concurrence must be submitted to Council prior to the event.

5. The event applicant obtain separate approval from the NSW Police and submit a Schedule 1 Form under the Summary Offences Act to the NSW Police prior to the event. A copy of the NSW Police approval must be submitted to Council prior to the event.

6. The event applicant submit to Council a copy of Public Liability Insurance (usually a Certificate of Currency) of minimum $10 million, prior to the event. In addition, the event applicant indemnify Council in writing against all claims for damage and injury which may result from the proposed event.

7. A detailed Traffic Control Plan be prepared by a qualified and certified professional and submitted to Council, the Roads and Maritime Services and NSW Police prior to the event should traffic management arrangements be put in place.

8. The event applicant arrange to place barricades and provide Roads and Maritime Services accredited Traffic Controllers where required by the endorsed Traffic Management Plan. Where the Traffic Management and Traffic Control Plans indicate, Traffic Controllers are to be used. All Traffic Controllers must have current Roads and Maritime Services certification.

9. The event applicant provide variable message signs (VMS) in appropriate locations as detailed in the Traffic Management Plan. VMS boards should be located in accordance with the Roads and Maritime Services Technical Direction TDT2010/07.

10. The event organiser notify ambulance and fire brigade (NSW Fire Brigade and Rural Fire Services) and the SES of the proposed event and submit a copy of the notification to Council prior to the event.

11. The event applicant notify private bus companies of the proposed event and submit a copy of the notification to Council prior to the event. Bus companies shall be requested to advertise the changed route for affected buses at least one week prior to, and during, the event.

12. Should the consultation process resolve to temporarily relocate bus stops or bus routes that were not indicated in the original Traffic Management Plan, a further report be required to be submitted to the next available Local Traffic Committee meeting.

13. The event applicant ensure that noise control measures are in place as required by the protection of the Environment Operations (Noise Control) Regulation 2000.

14. All works as part of this approval be conducted at no cost to Council.

15. The applicant be advised of Council’s resolution.

16. Council reserve the right to cancel this approval at any time.

GENERAL BUSINESS

GB 1 Sunflower Drive, Claremont Meadows - Proposed Installation of Flagged “Children’s Crossing” Adjacent to Claremont Meadows Public School (Raised Council)

The purpose of this item is to consider the proposed upgrade of existing pedestrian facilities adjacent to Claremont Meadows Public School on Sunflower Drive, Claremont Meadows.

Representations were received from (then) Councillor Malkoc requesting an investigation into the provision of a marked footcrossing at the existing pedestrian refuge island on Sunflower Drive, Claremont Meadows, approximately 200m north-west of the intersection with Vivaldi Crescent.

Claremont Meadows Public School is situated on Sunflower Drive, Claremont Meadows, with the school’s front entrance gate also on Sunflower Drive. The existing pedestrian refuge is north-west of this location providing a protected two-stage crossing for pedestrians crossing north to south at Sunflower Drive.

An investigation has been undertaken by Council’s Traffic Section officers. This included pedestrian counts, as well as a review of previous speed and traffic count data, for the provision of a crossing in this location.

The investigation, undertaken by Council’s Traffic Section officers, included pedestrian counts as well as a review of speed and traffic count data for this location. The potential for the provision of a marked footcrossing was investigated, with the justification for any type of marked footcrossing being that it meets warrants as set out by Roads and Maritime Services (RMS).

Depending on the location of a proposed pedestrian crossing, either a normal warrant or reduced warrant can be used. The justification for any type of marked footcrossing is that it meets warrants as set out by the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS). A normal warrant for a marked footcrossing requires that:

(a) the product of the measured pedestrian flow per hour (P) and the measured vehicular flow per hour (V), PV, is equal to or greater than 60,000; and

(b) the measured flows, P and V are equal to or greater than 30 and 500, respectively; and

The results show that the location on Sunflower Drive does not meet the current minimum PV requirements set by the RMS.

It was found that, whilst there are sufficient vehicle and pedestrian numbers for the provision of a full-time marked footcrossing under reduced warrants, the facility will be used predominantly by school children during school zone hours. To install a full-time marked footcrossing at this location would require a significant upgrade in lighting for a facility which, according to all available evidence, would only be used during daylight hours by school children and their carers. Therefore, it is recommended that a part‑time flagged “Children’s Crossing” be installed to correspond with school speed zone days and times.

The results of the pedestrian and vehicle counts are shown in Table 1, below.

Table 1

Sunflower Drive, St Clair at Existing Pedestrian Refuge -
Results of Pedestrian & Vehicle Count

Day: Tuesday	Vehicle Movement		Pedestrian Movement
Date: 28/08/12	Vehicle Movement		Pedestrian Movement
Time (am)	V1	V2	P1	P2
8:30	0	0	0	0
8:45	45	67	10	0
9:00	64	77	19	5
9:15	26	34	2	8
9:30	12	15	0	0
Totals	147	193	31	13
Time (pm)	V1	V2	P1	P2
2:30	0	0	0	0
2:45	15	15	2	0
3:00	26	28	11	0
3:15	77	58	4	31
3:30	27	24	0	3
Totals	145	125	17	34

PV (8:30am – 9:30am) = 14,960

PV (2:30pm – 3:30pm) = 13,770

Flagged ‘Children’s Crossings’ are intended to be located near schools in order to assist children crossing the road. As per Australian Standard Manual of uniform traffic control Part 10: Pedestrian control and protection (AS 1742.10-2009), the following conditions must be met for a children’s crossing to be installed:

(a) No more than one lane of moving traffic in any one direction shall be encountered by a pedestrian using the crossing, unless the crossing is operated by trained adult supervisors.

(b) There shall be adequate sight distance between approaching vehicles and pedestrians…

(AS 1742.10-2009)

Previous standards state that traffic flow, for the installation of a children’s crossing, must be greater than 50 vehicles and the 85^th percentile speed of traffic must not exceed 60km/hr. As such traffic speed count data was examined in association with this proposal. The results are as follows:

Results of Previous Traffic Speed Count -
Sunflower Drive, Claremont Meadows, near House No. 84

Date of Survey: Wednesday 2 June 2010 to Wednesday 9 June 2010

Bidirectional

· 50^thpercentile speed 41km/h

· 85^th percentile speed 48km/h

Northbound

· 50^thpercentile speed 40km/h

· 85^th percentile speed 47km/h

Southbound

· 50^thpercentile speed 43km/h

· 85^th percentile speed 49km/h

Table 2

Number & Percentage of Vehicles Per Day

	Northbound			Southbound
	50-60km/h	60-70km/h	>70km/h	50-60km/h	60-70km/h	>70km/h
Monday	20(3%)	0(0%)	0(0%)	56(9%)	1(0%)	0(0%)
Tuesday	16(3%)	1(0%)	0(0%)	43(7%)	0(0%)	0(0%)
Wednesday	24(4%)	2(0%)	0(0%)	48(8%)	0(0%)	0(0%)
Thursday	11(2%)	0(0%)	0(0%)	20(3%)	0(0%)	0(0%)
Friday	13(2%)	0(0%)	0(0%)	13(2%)	0(0%)	0(0%)
Saturday	19(3%)	2(0%)	0(0%)	38(7%)	1(0%)	0(0%)
Sunday	8(2%)	1(0%)	0(0%)	27(6%)	2(0%)	0(0%)

A five-year accident analysis was conducted, with results showing there have been no accidents involving pedestrians on Sunflower Drive.

When a reduced warrant for school children is taken into account (where P is equal to or greater than 30 and V is equal to or greater than 200 in two periods of one hour duration as per RMS Guidelines for Traffic Facilities) the location on Sunflower Drive meets the current minimum PV requirements set by the RMS however, as described earlier in the report, a reduced warrant cannot be used to justify a full-time pedestrian crossing in this location.

Support from Claremont Meadows Public School

The provision of a flagged “Children’s Crossing” is supported by the school’s Principal who has given an undertaking and entered into an RMS agreement designating responsibility to the school for placement and removal of crossing flags at the appropriate times of day. This will complement the prevailing measures at the existing flag crossing further to the south.

Conclusion

It is recommended that the flagged “Children’s Crossing” be installed on Sunflower Drive, Claremont Meadows, at the existing pedestrian refuge adjacent to Claremont Meadows Public School. Funding for the proposed project is to come out of the 2012/2013 traffic facilities block grant.

RECOMMENDED

That:

1. A flagged “Children’s Crossing” be installed at the existing pedestrian refuge island on Sunflower Drive approximately 200m north-west of the intersection with Vivaldi Crescent.

2. A design plan be prepared for the facility, with a further report submitted to the Local Traffic Committee for design plan finalisation and endorsement.

3. The project be funded from the 2012/2013 traffic facilities block grant.

4. Claremont Meadows Public School be advised of Council’s resolution.

5. The Committee note that the school Principal has signed an undertaking that the school be responsible for placement of the crossing flags in accordance with Roads and Maritime Services guidelines.

GB 2 Herbert Street, Cambridge Park - Proposed Installation of Flagged “Children’s Crossing” Adjacent to Cambridge Park High School (Raised Council)

The purpose of this item is to consider the proposed upgrade of existing pedestrian facilities adjacent to Cambridge Park High School on Herbert Street, Cambridge Park.

Cambridge Park High School is situated on the corner of Harrow Road and Herbert Street, Cambridge Park, with the school’s front entrance gate on Harrow Road. There is also an access gate at the Herbert Street/Harrow Road intersection – the site of this report.

There is an existing pedestrian refuge at this location which was designed and installed by Council in 1996. It provides a protected two-stage crossing for pedestrians crossing north to south at Herbert Street. Parents of school children have raised concerns that many students are treating the refuge as though it were a pedestrian crossing and simply stepping out in front of vehicles travelling along Herbert Street. This has been confirmed by subsequent site inspections by Council’s officers.

Council’s officers have commenced investigating options for upgrading the facility, including formalising it as a flagged “Children’s Crossing”. Flagged “Children’s Crossings” are generally intended for primary school aged children, however email correspondence with the Roads and Maritime Services’ (RMS) Centre for Road Safety confirms that:

“…there is no reason a Children’s Crossing cannot be installed at a high school”.

Further investigation has been undertaken by Council’s officers, including speed and traffic count data, as well as pedestrian counts.

(a) the product of the measured pedestrian flow per hour (P) and the measured vehicular flow per hour (V), PV, is equal to or greater than 60,000; and

(b) the measured flows, P and V are equal to or greater than 30 and 500, respectively; and

The results show that the location on Sunflower Drive does not meet the current minimum PV requirements set by the RMS.

In this case the site did not meet either the normal or reduced warrants, however it was found that there are a significant enough number of vehicles and pedestrians for the provision of a part-time flagged “Children’s Crossing” is warranted to correspond with school speed zone days and times, as shown in Table 1, below.

Table 1

Herbert Street, Cambridge Park (near Harrow Road) -
Results of Pedestrian & Vehicle Count

Day: Monday	Vehicle Movement		Pedestrian Movement
Date: 12/03/12	Vehicle Movement		Pedestrian Movement
Time (am)	V1	V2	P1	P2
7:45	0	0	0	0
8:00	7	18	0	9
8:15	22	24	0	5
8:30	17	30	1	16
8:45	14	17	0	1
Totals	60	89	1	31
Time (pm)	V1	V2	P1	P2
2:30	0	0	0	0
2:45	9	13	0	0
3:00	12	15	0	0
3:15	38	35	26	2
3:30	20	11	0	1
Totals	79	74	26	3

PV (7:45am – 8:45am) = 4,768

PV (2:30pm – 3:30pm) = 4,437

(c) No more than one lane of moving traffic in any one direction shall be encountered by a pedestrian using the crossing, unless the crossing is operated by trained adult supervisors.

(d) There shall be adequate sight distance between approaching vehicles and pedestrians…

(AS 1742.10-2009)

Results of Traffic Speed Count - Wrench Street to William Street, near Harrow Road intersection, on “No Parking” sign

Date of Survey: Monday 19 March 2012 to Monday 26 March 2012

Posted Speed Limit 50km/h

Bidirectional:

· 50^thpercentile speed 35km/h

· 85^th percentile speed 44km/h

North-east Bound:

· 50^thpercentile speed 35km/h

· 85^th percentile speed 43km/h

South-west Bound:

· 50^thpercentile speed 36km/h

· 85^th percentile speed 45km/h

Table 2

Number & Percentage of Vehicles Per Day

	*North-East*			*South-West*
	*50-60km/h*	*60-70km/h*	*>70km/h*	*50-60km/h*	*60-70km/h*	*>70km/h*
Monday	15 (2% )	2 (0% )	1 (0% )	29 (3% )	5 (1% )	3 (0% )
Tuesday	21 (2% )	2 (0% )	0 (0% )	40 (4% )	5 (1% )	1 (0% )
Wednesday	20 (2% )	4 (0% )	1 (0% )	34 (4% )	7 (1% )	2 (0% )
Thursday	14 (2% )	3 (0% )	1 (0% )	31 (3% )	9 (1% )	3 (0% )
Friday	16 (2% )	2 (0% )	3 (0% )	24 (3% )	5 (1% )	1 (0% )
Saturday	25 (3% )	3 (0% )	2 (0% )	50 (5% )	9 (1% )	4 (0% )
Sunday	15 (2% )	2 (0% )	2 (0% )	33 (4% )	8 (1% )	1 (0% )

Vehicle Right Turn Movements out of Harrow Road

Additionally the RMS Road Network Officer raised concerns about possible high numbers of vehicles turning right out of Harrow Road. Subsequently, a vehicle count was undertaken by Council’s officers showing low vehicle numbers during peak school zone times (results listed in Table 3, below).

Table 3

Results of Vehicle Count -
Harrow Road, Cambridge Park – Vehicles Turning Right into Herbert Street

Date: 30 October 2012

Time	Vehicles
8:00	0
8:15	1
8:30	4
8:45	1
9:00	1

Time	Vehicles
2:30	0
2:45	2
3:00	5
3:15	3
3:30	1

The low numbers of vehicles turning right out of Harrow Road are not viewed by Council’s officers as an impediment to installing the proposed pedestrian facility. As the existing pedestrian refuge lies along the pedestrian desire line, where students naturally tend to cross Herbert Street, it is not recommended that the proposed facility be relocated elsewhere.

Support from Cambridge Park High School

Conclusion

It is recommended that the flagged “Children’s Crossing” be installed on Herbert Street, Cambridge Park, adjacent to Cambridge Park High School, at the existing pedestrian refuge near the intersection with Harrow Road.

It is also recommended that kerbside blister islands be constructed on approach to the crossing in order to provide additional protection for pedestrians as they step out onto the road. The construction of kerbside blisters would also necessitate the removal of the existing dotted edge-line marking on the eastbound approach to the crossing, and replacement with a solid edge line.

It is recommended that a concept plan for kerbside blister islands and associated linemarking be developed by Council’s Design Coordinator and returned to the Local Traffic Committee for finalisation and endorsement prior to construction.

RECOMMENDED

That:

1. A flagged “Children’s Crossing” be installed on Herbert Street, Cambridge Park, adjacent to Cambridge Park High School, at the existing pedestrian refuge near the intersection with Harrow Road.

2. A concept plan for kerbside blister islands and associated linemarking be developed by Council’s Design Coordinator and returned to the Local Traffic Committee for finalisation and endorsement prior to construction.

3. Funding for the project be identified in the future report to the Local Traffic Committee.

4. Cambridge Park High School be advised of Council’s resolution.

5. The Committee note that the school Principal has signed an undertaking that the school be responsible for placement of the crossing flags in accordance with Roads and Maritime Services guidelines.

GB 3 Billington Place, Emu Plains – Parking Restrictions (Raised Council)

Council’s Road Network Services Engineer raised an item concerning a report considered by the Local Traffic Committee in May 2012 regarding 2P restrictions in the Billington Place Car Park in Emu Plains. One of the recommendations from that meeting was for a review of the parking at this location to be carried out in six months time. A review has now commenced, and the information will be provided at the Local Traffic Committee meeting on 4 February 2013.

RECOMMENDED

That the Committee note the information.

GB 4 Chain-o-ponds Road, Mulgoa – Traffic Safety (Raised Council)

Council’s Senior Traffic Engineer advised the Committee of representations made to Council by a resident of Mulgoa regarding the intersection of The Northern Road and Chain-o-ponds Road, Mulgoa, and a recent fatality which occurred at this location.

The resident has contacted the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) and Council on several occasions to complain about traffic safety at this intersection, given the number of serious accidents which have occurred at this site. The RMS has installed linemarking and signage in an attempt to address the resident’s concerns and alleviate the problem.

The resident has since advised that the signage and linemarking have not helped as there have been further serious accidents at this intersection after they were installed.

LTC Comment

The Police representative advised that the most recent accident involved a fatality and this accident is still under investigation. The results will be provided once the investigation is finalised.

RECOMMENDED

That Council write to the Roads and Maritime Services requesting they investigate road safety concerns at the intersection of The Northern Road with Chain-o-ponds Road and Kings Hill Road, with a view to prioritising localised widening for the southbound lane to provide adequate passing opportunities for motorists.

GB 5 Busways to Service the Penrith Area (Raised Council)

Council’s Group Manager - City Infrastructure advised the Committee that Busways has been awarded the bus contract for the Penrith area, replacing Westbus. Busways is currently looking for a site in Penrith for its new depot, and will begin operations in Penrith in October 2013.

RECOMMENDED That the Committee note the information.

There being no further business the Chairperson declared the meeting closed, the time being 10:25am.

RECOMMENDATION

That the recommendations contained in the Report and Recommendations of the Local Traffic Committee meeting held on 3 December, 2012 be adopted.

Ordinary Meeting 10 December 2012

A Leading City

Preparations and Financial Settings for the 2013-14 Operational Plan

Compiled by: Geraldine Brown, Budget Accountant

Tanya Jackson, Strategic Planning Coordinator

Authorised by: Andrew Moore, Acting Group Manager - Finance

Objective	We demonstrate accountability, transparency and ethical conduct
Community Outcome	A Council that behaves responsibly and ethically (5)
Strategic Response	Base our decisions on research, evidence, and our responsibility to anticipate harm before it occurs (5.2)

Executive Summary

This report provides a framework for the formal commencement of the development of the 2013-14 Operational Plan which will represent the first instalment of Council’s new 4 Year Delivery Program (2013-2017).

The delivery of a balanced budget has been challenging over recent years with increasing community expectations, and a demand for current services and service levels to continue as well as the provision of improved services. While roads, footpaths, parks, community buildings and public amenities are considered core services, there has been an increased demand for greater effort in areas such as environmental protection, neighbourhood renewal, economic development and City Centres improvements. The Special Rate Variation (SRV) approved by IPART, and phased in over 4 years commencing 2011-12, provides capacity for Council to meet these expectations, maintain financial sustainability, as well as accommodate key priorities.

The process for developing the 2013-14 budget are outlined in the report with further details of the broad assumptions being used to formulate a base budget for 2013-14 are contained within this report and the attached budget guidelines. This report recommends that Councillors endorse the preparation of a base budget in line with these assumptions which will be presented to the first Councillor Workshop on the 2013-14 Operational Plan scheduled for 4 March 2013.

The Operational Plan Structure

The structure and framework of the Operational Plan for 2013-14 is being developed in conjunction with the new strategic planning documents. This includes the Community Strategic Plan, Delivery Program and Resource Strategy. As usual, the Fees and Charges will be available separately.

Project Evaluation and Service Level Adjustments

Each year a significant amount of general revenue funding is applied to projects already committed by Council through established programs, policy decisions, and funding to support grants and contributions. While much of this is in some sense ‘tied’ funding, there is nevertheless a most significant ongoing commitment by Council to projects and programs which are, in effect, discretionary. As such it is of course open to Council to reassess these priorities at any time.

Through the Integrated Plan preparation process and workshops, Council reviews and prioritises proposals and makes a number of choices to apply available general revenue to matters of high priority and to approve other proposals not requiring a general revenue allocation. The funding of new proposals considered to be of priority could be met from a combination of: reduction in current service/program funding, increase in revenues, revision of the proposed capital and operating projects already included in the “base budget” or allocation of any predicted surplus.

‘Project Evaluation’ has been the name used for this component of Corporate Leadership Team operational planning. Particular project proposals of merit are examined and prioritised through this process. However, the great majority of projects are now contained within established program settings, which Council, through its Operational Plan will confirm or adjust. The contemporary focus of the process is therefore more directed to proposed adjustments to service levels. The Operational Plan development and the ability of the organisation to respond through its business planning process provides the opportunity for further review of all current service levels and the assessment of any proposals for adjustment. The examination of all proposals is rigorous and any proposals need to demonstrate strong links to the identified strategic priorities to be admitted.

Those proposals or ‘bids’ fall into two basic categories:

1. Project Nominations made by Councillors, together with matters identified by Council itself in the present year, where the purpose cannot be appropriately addressed by other means through the Operational Planning process.

2. Manager Nominations for projects or service level adjustments brought forward through the Strategic Program, Service Review or Business Planning process and assessed by the Corporate Leadership Team as being:

- Essential to respond most effectively to Council’s strategy

- Not within available means, without other significant service reduction, after all feasible alternatives are exhausted.

All general revenue funds considered as prudently available are notionally applied to those items which are assessed as being of highest priority. It is then open to Council to confirm or amend any of these recommendations. Further funding opportunities are explored for those additional projects which might be selected by Council for inclusion in the Operational Plan. The Operational Plan is not finalised for adoption until June and opportunities may arise to satisfy some further priority matters. New circumstances will usually require some minor adjustments to the final Plan.

Typically, unless other funding sources are secured or substitutions are made by Council, a small number of very worthwhile projects may need to remain as High Priority Unfunded at the point of adopting the new Operational Plan. Each of these matters is discussed in detail with Council through the Operational Plan process.

Financial Strategy

Council’s financial position is sound, with adequate levels of working capital and liquidity. Over recent years, Council has made a number of difficult decisions to ensure a sustainable financing strategy to maintain current services and service levels. A key element of maintaining this strategy is providing an annual budget that starts with a balanced position and is carefully monitored throughout the year. Debt is managed in a way that ensures the amount of revenue devoted to servicing loans doesn’t hinder our ability to fund current programs into the future. A balanced budget is achieved by carefully assessing services at the start of the year and giving careful consideration as to how the community’s expectations can be met.

Council continues to strive for continuous improvement and efficiency gains over recent years are valued at over $4m annually. These range across new technologies, group purchasing and new contracts, better staffing structures and taking advantage of opportunities such as new workers compensation options. These productivity savings have allowed for the City’s growth and will continue to be needed as Council accommodates significantly more expansion into the future.

In recent years these productivity savings have been coupled with one-off reductions to services of at least $1m per year. These reductions have included reduced spending on roads, kerb and gutter and drainage, areas where Council has lifted spending over many years so that these assets can be properly maintained. Following the approval of Council’s 2011-12 SRV and in line with past commitments these allocations were restored in the 2011-12 budget, and forward years’ projections. The finalisation of the 2011-12 budget added an additional $400,000 of savings to bring the total saving in 2011-12 to almost $1m with almost $200,000 of these additional savings being incorporated into the 2012-13 budget as ongoing reductions.

The 2011-12 Special Rate Variation also highlighted the need for Council to continue to do more with the resources available and deliver the best value for money to ratepayers. In March 2012 a Business Improvement Team was established to investigate ways to improve productivity, link leadership directions to business, strengthen service planning for each of Council’s 44 services, and guide investment in technological improvements. The proposals resulting from this Team’s investigations will be incorporated into the development of the draft 2013-14 Operational Plan as they are completed.

Council’s financial strategy over the years has been developed giving consideration to past and future efficiency opportunities, maintaining Council’s commitment to invest in our infrastructure assets, and providing services to our community in a financially prudent and sustainable way. This strategy will be used to underpin the development of the 2013-14 budget and the path towards maintaining financially sustainability and has positioned Council adequately to respond to future community aspirations and expectations.

Budget Preparations

Each year Council is required to prepare a budget which represents the annual instalment of its four-year Delivery Program as part of the Operational Plan process. In preparing the budget, Council must comply with relevant provisions of the Local Government Act, other legislation, Council’s financial management objectives, and other adopted Council policies.

A copy of the Annual Budget Guidelines is included with this report which summarises in one document those issues involved in the preparation of Council’s annual Budget and associated Fees and Charges booklet. This document provides a general guide and is regularly updated as new policies are developed or current policies revised.

The annual budget process is presently underway and in accordance with Council procedures the initial 2013-14 budget is being prepared on the basis of continuing existing service levels. The first draft of the 2013-14 budget is prepared by taking the current year’s budget, removing one-off items, making adjustments to wages and other major items, and including any other policy changes as required and the reinstatement of all one off adjustments made during the development of the 2012-13 Operational Plan. Provision is made for works programs and project funding that reflects previous Council funding decisions and policy settings. Following on from this process the draft budget will be presented to management for review and discussion.

Changes requested by Managers are reviewed to determine if the item is a required cost change or a service level change. Service level changes require a resourcing bid and specific endorsement by Council. Cost changes, such as CPI increases, or award increases associated with delivering the same program, form part of the base.

In addition, any known variations from the current year will be incorporated into the base budget as soon as the information becomes available. Further details are provided on the most significant of these known in the Budget Guidelines attached to this report. Any assessment regarding available funds at this time must be highly qualified, as many variables cannot be forecast with accuracy at this stage. Significant factors affecting available funds in 2013-14 include the level of development related income, associated growth in rates income, energy costs, Government levies and contributions and the Financial Assistance Grant. Advice will be actively sought in regard to these and any other emerging issues, and if available, the information will be incorporated into the draft 2013-14 budget prior to the second Operational Plan Workshop on 8 April 2013.

In order to prepare the next budget, it is proposed that the following process (similar to that utilised for the 2012-13 Operational Plan) be followed:

1. Non-discretionary costs and charges will be estimated.

2. Labour costs will be estimated. Continuation of the same extent of service provision will form the base to which Council directives for increased or amended service will be added, in order to determine costs.

3. Funding which has a particular purpose, such as grants or s94 contributions, will be directed towards that purpose.

4. Established replacement and renewal programs will be continued in accordance with the relevant Council resolutions.

5. All Special Rate Variation funded initiatives will be reported including detailed programs for each element.

6. Rating and other general revenues will be estimated.

7. Fees will be calculated in accordance with existing principles, which link each individual fee to a particular pricing mechanism. Income will be estimated from the fee.

8. A first draft budget is developed. This draft then forms the starting point for Council to determine its budget.

9. Further analysis and discussion of any unallocated revenue will take place to consider potential new requirements from Council’s strategy, project evaluation bids, major projects, organisation resourcing, debt management, Council reserves and available funds.

As a result of following this process a draft 2013-14 budget will be completed by March 2013 forming the basis for budgetary discussions at the first Operational Plan Workshop on 4 March 2013. A Briefing Paper will be presented at this Workshop that will identify available funds, major budgetary changes from the previous year, recurrent or multi-year projects included in the draft budget, and highlight any outstanding issues requiring direction. In addition the Finance Working Party will consider a review of Council’s Rating Structure and the impact of the property revaluation. It is proposed that details will be available for the Finance Working Party to be scheduled in February 2013. Any recommendations will be tabled at the first Operational Plan Workshop for further direction.

At this stage of the annual budget process a number of assumptions have been made and will be incorporated in the preparation of the draft 2013-14 budget. Further details on these key assumptions can be found in the Annual Budget Guidelines attached to this report.

Long Term Financial Plan

The Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP) provides a key tool for the development and monitoring of Council’s Financial Strategy. The LTFP is included in Council’s Resource Strategy 2011-2021 outlines Council’s capacity to manage assets and deliver services over the next ten years. The Finance chapter of the Resource Strategy presents Council’s Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP). Council has a responsibility to manage its resources and finances to ensure its long term existence. Following the recent SRV approval the LTFP demonstrates that Council has the capacity to manage its finances and deliver the services and programs identified in the Strategic Plan and Delivery Program. The LTFP is reviewed annually as part of the preparation of the Operational Plan, and reviewed every four years to coincide with the review of the Delivery Program.

Council’s long term financial plan is based on a set of assumptions which generally relate to those elements that are most likely to affect the overall outcome of the model. Future years’ forecasts are linked to the Operational Plan and provide a means of assessing the long-term financial implication of current year decisions. Assumptions made in the plan include:

· Rating Revenue

· Development Growth

· Investment Return

· Financial Assistance Grant

· Employee costs

· CPI or other agreed indexations

· Capital works and services programs

· Anticipated Loan programs

· Fees and Charges movements

· Changes identified through ongoing improvement and review of services

It is important to keep in mind when projecting budgets over such a long period that estimates can alter significantly when assumptions are reviewed, particularly when the variances apply to larger items such as employee costs or rates. However, the LTFP remains an important planning tool and is regularly updated with current data to ensure its usefulness in providing information for Council’s financial planning decisions.

The LTFP will continue to be updated throughout the budget process, and further information in regard to future years’ available funds will be presented to the Operational Plan Workshops.

Further Budget Considerations

The above information details the procedural aspects of preparing the draft 2013-14 budget following existing practices, and highlights the major factors known at this time affecting the budget predictions. These items are intended to create the base position from which Councillors’ input is required in order to prepare a budget that corresponds with Council’s priorities.

Further budget issues that are proposed to be addressed at the Operational Plan Workshops in March and April 2013 are:

· Analysis of reserves which will indicate proposed programs and/or excess capacity to fund expenditure from reserves

· Major projects and their funding requirements

· Rating Policy which determines the relative share that will be contributed by Residential, Business, and Farmland properties

· Draft Fees and Charges

· Long term financial projections

· Development Related Income

· Project Evaluation bids – Service level adjustments and Councillor bids

It is suggested that the Operational Plan preparation process should proceed on the above criteria. This will allow draft documents to be created which will facilitate decisions regarding Council’s capacity to provide its diverse range of services, address its existing and new priorities for the City, and make any necessary adjustments.

Operational Plan Timetable

The proposed timetable for the development of the 2013-14 Operational Plan, based on the factors discussed above and the adopted Council meeting schedule for 2013, is outlined in the following table:

Outline Timetable for Development of the 2013-2014 Operational Plan

Key Dates	Action or Requirement
November 2012 to February 2013	· Draft Operational Plan preparation continues
February 2013	Finance Working Party to discuss: · Rating Structure · Property Revaluation – Base date 1 July 2013
4 March 2013	1^st Council Operational Plan Workshop: · Confirmation that the initial Draft Plan and Budget reflects Council’s program and policy directions.
8 April 2013	2nd Council Operational Plan Workshop: · Follow up from Council's directions given at the first Workshop · Revised draft of Operational Plan information and determination of priorities for resourcing where required
29 April 2013	Report to Ordinary Meeting: · Adoption of Draft Operational Plan for Exhibition (including Fees & Charges).
May - June 2013	Public Exhibition of Draft Operational Plan (including Public consultations).
24 June 2013	Report to Ordinary Meeting: · Adoption of 2013-2014 Operational Plan

Conclusion

If Council is in agreement with the broad approach outlined above, then management will be well placed to continue the development of the Draft 2013-14 Operational Plan. Identification by Council of any particular issues to be considered and assessed in this process would further assist in this development.

The present report initiates a series of discussions with Council that will ultimately lead to the development of a Draft Operational Plan for public exhibition and consultation.

RECOMMENDATION

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Preparations and Financial Settings for the 2013-14 Operational Plan be received.

2. Council make initial identification of particular matters to be considered in the preparation of the Draft 2013-14 Operational Plan.

3. Preparation of the Draft 2013-14 Operational Plan continue in the terms discussed in this report and outlined in the Annual Budget Guidelines (attached).

ATTACHMENTS/APPENDICES

1. View

Annual Budget Guidelines

35 Pages

Attachment

Ordinary Meeting 10 December 2012

A Leading City

City Marketing Plan

Compiled by: Barbara Magee, Manager - Corporate Communications & Marketing

Authorised by: Barbara Magee, Manager - Corporate Communications & Marketing

Objective	We demonstrate leadership, foster resilience and tenacity, and encourage innovation
Community Outcome	A Regional City that provides our jobs, education, services and entertainment (1)
Strategic Response	Share aspirations and work together to grow Penrith as a Regional City (1.2)

Executive Summary

In the first half of 2013 an estimated 100,000 visitors will converge on Penrith to witness or participate in a number of major events including the International Rowing Regatta (Samsung Rowing World Cup).

To capitalise on these opportunities, a marketing campaign, funded through existing budgets has been developed. However, to take full advantage of the substantial opportunities being presented, a range of additional marketing collateral and activities are proposed to build a long term positive profile for the City.

This report recommends that Council endorse the program of activities outlined in this report, with a further report being provided through the December Quarter Review to confirm final funding arrangements.

Background

2013 is shaping up to be a memorable year for Penrith. An estimated 100,000 visitors from overseas, Australia and interstate will visit Penrith to enjoy a number of major events including:

January 2013 Australian Youth Olympics

March 2013 Dame Kiri TeKanawa performs at The Joan Sutherland Centre

March 2013 2013 International Rowing Regatta (Samsung Rowing World Cup - also scheduled for 2014)

April 2013 National Dragon Boat Championships and

May 2013 Bicentenary Crossing of the Blue Mountains

The International Rowing Regatta will be held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre from 18-24 March 2013. This is the first time the event will be held outside Europe. Olympic rowers who won medals at the London Olympics 2012 have been offered sponsorship by the organising committee to attend the Penrith event.

We are working closely with Australian and International organisers of this event to ensure access to athletes, organisers and associated business people both prior to their arrival and when they are in our city.

In 2013 the economic benefit to Penrith from the International Rowing Regatta is estimated to be $5.3 million and the figure for 2014 should meet or exceed this, making a total of approximately $10.5M over two years from this event.

(We have created an estimate for economic benefits to Penrith based on figures recently released by Destination NSW and drawn from national tourism surveys. These figures show that

- Domestic day visitors to Penrith spend $103 per day

- Domestic overnight visitors to Penrith spend $226 per day

- International overnight visitors spend $105 per night.

Based on the assumption that 80 per cent of spectators will be domestic day visitors and the balance will be domestic overnight visitors, the total expenditure for the predicted 27,500 spectators is $3,457,500.

Based on the assumption that 35 percent of athletes and officials will be domestic and 65 per cent international, the total expenditure for athletes and officials would be $1,841,875.)

Current Situation

Building on the successful introduction of the Penrith is Here brand, the next six months presents an opportunity for the marketing of Penrith City to a vast audience including a targeted campaign to selected business people.

To capitalise on this opportunity a City-wide marketing plan has been developed. It is proposed that a suite of marketing materials be developed. This material will not only be appropriate for use during the rowing and other major events, but will create a wealth of collateral for use during many opportunities in the future.

The following activities will be funded from within existing budgets and include:

· Invite international partners from Gangseo Korea along with our partners from the People’s Republic of China to attend the 2013 International Rowing Regatta

· Direct mail campaign to international teams prior to event

· Develop a social media program/campaign

· Develop a media campaign (traditional media)

· Street banner program – being developed with Rowing Australia

· Australia Day promotion of Rowing World Cup

· Program to decorate buildings – to be developed with Penrith City Centre Association

· Support volunteer program

· Encourage use of local suppliers.

A series of additional activities have been identified as being instrumental in building a positive marketing profile of the city, for this and other ongoing opportunities. They are:

Proposed activities	Cost
Create a prospectus (business, lifestyle and tourism) for Penrith in digital and print form to highlight the city’s potential in terms of investment in infrastructure and economic growth and highlight the city’s lifestyle assets.	$40,000
Develop case studies/success stories across live, work, play and invest to live within the economic prospectus. Create high profile ambassador program for the City.	$10,000
Build a suite of photographic assets to bring the brand identity to life and to share with partners and stakeholders in their communications	$15,000
Develop a multi media sizzle-reel/fly through to help bring the city to life in an engaging form	$15,000
Leverage the attention and energy of the 2013 Rowing World Cup to launch the Penrith prospectus/promotional material to an audience of selected business people. Proposed activities: · Investment Dinner · Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Concert · NBN Expo Host dinner to launch prospectus to international dignitaries and identified business connections Sponsor international opera event at the Joan (Kiri Te Kanawa) Work with NBN to host a mini expo Implement media campaign	$25,000
Mayoral reception to be incorporated into a proposed official rowing event eg: Rowing Australia’s Rower of the Year cocktail party Nations’ Dinner	$5,000
Hold a series of three Sunday Markets at Tench Reserve to activate the river and create excitement in the community.	$24,000
Develop brochure outlining packages of coach tours/ adventure activities/aboriginal culture/great river walk/Nepean Belle etc	$5,000
Create welcome packs for athletes, coaches and visitors	$7,500
TOTAL	$146,500

Funding for these activities falls outside the current marketing budget.

Acting Financial Services Manager’s comment

This Report outlines the significant events scheduled to occur within our City over the coming months that will allow Council to showcase Penrith on the world stage, and further leverage Council’s new branding strategy. However, setting the 2012-13 budget continued to present a number of challenges for Council with a balanced budget being originally projected and confirmed recently as part of the September Review. The continued management of Council’s budget has highlighted a number of challenges that will need to be addressed in the December quarter, resulting in a significant call on Council’s resources, and may result in the budget moving into deficit. If Council is of a mind to progress the activities outlined in this Report, opportunities for Council to seek funding from partners, including the Penrith Business Alliance will be sought. Council’s contribution, which may require an allocation from Voted Works, will be addressed as part of the December Quarter Review.

Conclusion

In the coming 12 months visitors to Penrith City will be in numbers not seen since the Sydney Olympic Games. This will create the opportunity to market the City to an array of audiences including a selected group of business people who will be here for the International Rowing Regatta in March.

The economic benefit to Penrith from the International Rowing Regatta in 2013 is estimated to be $5.3 million and the figure for the event in 2014 should meet or exceed this, making a total of approximately $10.5M over two years from this event. There are also several other major events in the first 6 months of next year.

Following the successful introduction of the City brand, Penrith is Here, it is timely to develop and execute a city-wide marketing plan to take advantage of this influx of visitors. Creating contemporary marketing material and strategies will place Council in a good position to leverage off the contacts and relationships we can develop in coming months.

RECOMMENDATION

That:

1. The information contained in the report on the City Marketing Plan be received.

2. Council endorse the program of activities outlined in this report, with a further report being provided through the December Quarter Review to confirm final funding arrangements.

ATTACHMENTS/APPENDICES

There are no attachments for this report.

Ordinary Meeting 10 December 2012

A City of Opportunities

Youth Week 2013 Program

Compiled by: Katerina Tahija, Youth Development Officer

Authorised by: Erich Weller, Community and Cultural Development Manager

Objective	We have a say in our future
Community Outcome	A Council that involves, informs and responds (10)
Strategic Response	Engage our communities by creating opportunities for participation, listening, provide information and responding (10.1)

Executive Summary

National Youth Week 2013 will be celebrated between 5 – 14 April 2013. Youth Week is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of young people in the community. Youth Week is funded jointly by NSW Government and local councils. The budget available for Youth Week 2013 in Penrith City is $6,150.

The theme for 2013 is “Be Active. Be Happy. Be You”. Organisations applying for funds to hold a Youth Week activity are asked to incorporate this theme into their funding application.

The 2013 Youth Week funding opportunity is promoted widely across Penrith City, with organisations and community groups invited to apply.

Youth Week aims to provide opportunities for participation from a diverse range of young people, and organisations are required to outline how they will promote their proposed activity.

This report provides information on three applications received for the 2013 Youth Week funding round. Three applications are recommended for funding.

The report recommends that Council receive the report and endorse the three recommended projects and funding amounts to the total value of $6,150 as outlined in Table 1 of this report.

Background

National Youth Week is an opportunity to celebrate young people in the local community. Youth Week activities and events are jointly funded by the NSW Government and local councils. Activities funded are provided in the community with the opportunity to focus on the positive contributions that young people make and can make to society. In 2013 Youth Week will be held between Friday 5 – Sunday 14 April.

Program initiatives can be broad whilst still maintaining the theme and objectives as outlined by the NSW Government. The range of activities encourages a large cross section of young people and the community to be involved.

Youth Week targets young people aged 12 to 24 years of age and is designed to offer a range of activities that focus on the issues and concerns of young people in the local area. The theme for Youth Week 2013 is “Be Active. Be Happy. Be You”.

This year, Council received $3,075 (excluding GST) from the NSW Government for Youth Week. As a requirement of receiving these funds, Council matches the amount on a dollar for dollar basis. The total budget for 2013 Youth Week activities is $6,150.

Council’s Youth Development Officer provides advice, support and assistance to each applicant to develop their submission as well as negotiates final recommended funding amounts.

Youth Week Grants Program

Council allocates funds each year, through the Youth Week Grants Program, to community-based groups (including youth and community groups, churches, social/interest groups, training and employment agencies), to assist with organising activities, events and programs in conjunction with young people across the LGA.

The Youth Week aims will be achieved through young people’s active involvement in activities which:

· Raise issues, ideas and concerns of young people

· Develop strategies to address the issues important to young people

· Increase the community’s awareness of young people and the issues which are important to them

· Promote young people’s contribution to the community

· Demonstrate the involvement of young people in the planning of activities

· Demonstrate access to activities from a broad range of young people.

For Youth Week 2013, organisations are required to demonstrate what strategies they will employ to address any transport issues, and how the proposed activity will be advertised and promoted to a diverse range of young people. The NSW Government guidelines encourage involvement of a broad and diverse range of young people including:

· Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

· Young people with disabilities

· Young people that are geographically isolated

· Young people from non-English speaking backgrounds

· Young people disadvantaged by their socio-economic background

· Young people who have left school early or are at risk of leaving school early

· Young women

· Young offenders

· Young gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people.

Organisations are also asked to demonstrate how young people will be involved in planning and implementing the activities.

Organisations have again been asked this year to be aware of the Penrith Youth Services Code of Practice. Local youth services and Penrith City Council developed the Code in 2002 and it outlines best practice for organisations that work with young people. The Code has been subsequently reviewed and confirmed as leading practice.

Successful applicants are required to acknowledge Penrith City Council and the NSW Government as funding contributors on any promotional material.

Successful applicants are required to submit an evaluation report to Council following their event or activity.

The opportunity to apply for Youth Week funds in 2013 was widely advertised, including through Penrith Youth Interagency, the Mayoral column, Council’s website and through extensive email networks.

Funding Applications for 2013

Council has received funding applications from three organisations, with the requested amount totalling $8,500 including GST. Applications totalling $6,150, the 2013 Youth Week budget, have been recommended for funding. Three applications are recommended for funding. One application has 7 community partners, including the applicant, to deliver a combined event. Table 1 below lists the recommended applications and funding amounts.

Council’s Youth Development Officer has negotiated final dates, times and recommended funding amounts with each applicant. Council’s Youth Development Officer will also provide assistance with planning, organising, promoting and supporting each event once final funding amounts are endorsed.

Table 1 - Youth Week 2013 Recommended Activities and Funding Amounts

Applicant Organisation	Activity Description	Funding Requested	Funding Recommended
1. Imagine Nations Youth	Young and Bold	$2,500	$800
2. Fusion Western Sydney	The Valley Youth Festival	$5,000	$5,000
3. Nepean Community and Neighbourhood Services	Be Active Be You	$1,000	$350
		Total Requested $8,500	Total Recommended $6,150 Excluding GST

A summary of each of the applications listed in Table 1 above is provided in the next section of this report.

Applications Recommended for Funding

1. ImagineNations Youth: Young and Bold

This event will be a festival celebrating the diversity and potential of young people in our community. Activities will include carnival rides, food stalls, games and music. The festival will culminate with a night concert of music.

Young people will be involved in planning and running the various activities as part of the festival. A range of volunteers from ImaginationNations will assist with the festival. There will be a charge for young people to participate in this event.

Proposed Event Details: The Young and Bold festival will held on Friday 12 April, from 3 - 9 pm at the ImagineNations Church Northern Road, Penrith.

Funding amount requested: $2500

Recommendation: $800

2. Fusion Western Sydney - the Valley Youth Festival

This youth event will provide a variety of activities catering to the broad and diverse range of young people in Penrith City. The event will provide young people with opportunities to express themselves through the creative and recreational activities provided and to meet other young people.

This event will build on the success of previous Valley Youth Festivals and the Valley website will be utilised again to promote the event. Fusion hosts this website.

This festival event will consist of live bands and music from different performers. A scooter competition, games, amusement activities and competitions will also contribute to the festival. A video booth will be set up for young people to express their ideas and aspirations, focusing on the youth week theme of "Be Active. Be Happy. Be You”. A range of services will also contribute on the day providing information and resources to young people.

This submission is supported by 6 local services who have committed to working in partnership to plan and implement this youth week event. The services include Fusion as the auspicing organisation, Werrington Youth Centre, St Clair Youth and Neighbourhood Team, Nepean Community and Neighbourhood Services, Nepean Migrant Access, Anglicare and YAIN (Youth Accommodation Interagency Nepean). The submission is also supported by members of Penrith Youth Interagency. Services will be providing financial support of $2,200 as well as in kind event coordination and administrative support activities.

Young people will have the opportunity to develop skills by participating in the planning and running of activities. Transport needs of young people will also be taken into consideration and organisation of shuttle buses will form part of the planning process. This event will be free to young people.

Proposed Event Details: The Valley Youth Festival will be held on Friday 5 April from 3pm - 7pm at Jamison Park, Penrith.

Funding amount requested: $5,000

Recommendation: $5,000

3. Nepean Community and Neighbourhood Services - Be Active Be You

This youth event comprises a three day sport and outdoor activity for young people in the Cranebrook area. Activities will include football, Oztag, Frisbee and use of the skate park for skating/scooter games. Refreshments will be provided and there will also be opportunity for consultations with young people to raise issues that are of a concern to them. The program will be held for 3 afternoons 3-6 pm from 9-11 April.

Funding amount requested: $1,000

Recommendation: $350

Youth Week Program Promotion

One of the key strategies to a successful Youth Week program is promotion and advertising. A detailed program of events for 2013 will be developed and promoted once all arrangements for events and activities are finalised. Promotional material will be distributed throughout neighbourhood and community centres, local schools, shopping centres and local media.

The program will also be posted on Council’s website. The Youth Week program will incorporate a range of activities including those outlined above as well as activities organised by other services and youth organisations.

Council will also hold a Youth Week cheque presentation for the successful applicants.

Summary

National Youth Week 2013 is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of a diverse range of young people in our community. The theme for Youth Week 2013 is “Be Active. Be Happy. Be You”. For Youth Week 2013 Council received $3,075 from the NSW Government to fund activities. Council is required to match this contribution. The funding round is promoted to a broad range of services, organisations and groups. A total of $6,150 is available for distribution to eligible community organisations.

The report recommends funding of the three applications received. Council will develop a calendar of events and other material to assist in promoting Youth Week events. Council will also hold a cheque presentation for successful applicants.

Council’s Youth Development Officer will also provide assistance with planning, organising, promoting and supporting each event once final funding amounts are endorsed.

Successful applicants are required to acknowledge Penrith City Council and NSW Government as funding contributors and submit a final evaluation report of their event to Council in May 2013.

RECOMMENDATION

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Youth Week 2013 Program be received.

2. Council endorse the three recommended projects and funding amounts to the total value of $6,150 as outlined in Table 1 of this report.

ATTACHMENTS/APPENDICES

There are no attachments for this report.

Ordinary Meeting 10 December 2012

A Liveable City

WSROC Tender WR03-12/13 - Road Rehabilitation & Asphalt Services

Compiled by: Gowry Gowrythasan, Civil Operations Engineer

Authorised by: Hans Meijer, City Works Manager

Andrew Moore, Financial Services Manager

Objective	Our physical infrastructure is adaptable, and responds to changing needs
Community Outcome	A City with an integrated local road and pathways network (16)
Strategic Response	Provide a safe, efficient local road network (16.1)

Executive Summary

The purpose of this report is to advise Council of the outcome of the WSROC Tender for the Provision of Road Rehabilitation and Asphalt Services for a period of 3 years with an option to extend the arrangements for a further two (2) x one (1) year periods subject to satisfactory performance and allowing for rise and fall provisions.

Background

WSROC coordinated the establishment of the initial Group Supply Arrangement for various ‘Road Rehabilitation and Asphalt Services’ in 2007. The current agreement which expired on 30 June 2012 was extended for a short period (5 months) to enable a transitional facility during finalisation of the new tender process. The existing Contracts have provided significant benefits to participating Councils over the past 5 years. Due to the success of the initial project the majority of the member councils of WSROC agreed to participate in a new tender. Initial planning of the project commenced and assistance was sought by engaging the services of Complete Urban Pty Ltd, for preparation of new tender specifications and the original Tender documentation.

WSROC anticipates that this new group Contract will generate a number of benefits for participating members including but not limited to;

· Standardisation of Specifications

· Reduced Tendering costs

· Improved Work Planning within Councils

· Collaboration on work across Councils

· Efficiency gains for Contractors in the use of work teams and plant

· Reduced material and contract labour costs for both Contractors and Councils

Penrith City Council’s anticipated annual expenditure in asphalt associated services is about $8.0 million. As this is a ‘Standing Offer’ agreement (as required with no guaranteed quantities), Council is not bound to order to the level of expenditure stated above.

Stakeholder Identification

Each participating Council nominated a representative as the focal point for all communication throughout the process. Following consultation with all identified key stakeholders, Tender specifications were prepared based on the needs identified by all participating Councils. The contracts are subject to rise and fall provisions.

It was agreed that tender documents and specifications would be developed to seek proposals from the market place for the following contracts:-

· Supply Deliver and Lay Asphalt

· Asphalt Pavement Reconstruction

· Crack Sealing

· Mill and Fill (remove and replace existing pavement)

· Profiling

· Pavement Restoration

· Surface Preservation, Enrichment or Rejuvenation

· Spray Sealed Bituminous Surfacing

· Stabilisation and or Unbound Pavement Reconstruction

Tenders were advertised in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Blacktown Sun starting on 16 June 2012 and also posted on WSROC’s e-tendering website. Tenders were set to close on Wednesday 18 July 2012; however a one week extension was granted at the request of a number of prospective tenderers because five Addendums to the Tender documentation had been issued. The final closing date for tenders was Wednesday 25 July 2012.

A pre-Tender meeting was held on Monday 25 June 2012 at the Mercy Centre, Mamre House, Orchard Hills. Attendance at the meeting by prospective tenderers was not compulsory.

It was stated in the tender documents that under the ‘open panel’ (no order of preference) and ‘closed panel’ (in order of preference) Council may select one or a number of contractors for each of the services specified. These lists are in the final recommendation within the report.

The validity period for tenders is not less than 120 days after the Tender Closing Date.

Tender Evaluation Panel

The Tender Evaluation Panel (TEP) comprising nominated representatives from the majority of participating Councils was established.

Penrith City Council’s nominated representative to assist in the evaluation of tenders was Gowry Gowrythasan, Civil Operations Engineer, City Works.

This report provides a high level summary of the tender analysis along with the most suitable outcome for Penrith City Council.

A Probity Adviser from Bankstown City Council was appointed to provide advice to the Tender Evaluation Panel on probity matters and to assist the Tender Evaluation Panel in ensuring that all tenders were analysed fairly, uniformly and transparently.

Complete Urban Pty Ltd also provided assistance to the Tender Evaluation Panel in performing evaluation activities. This was based solely on the price component of the evaluation.

It was also determined by the Tender Evaluation Panel that the final short list of tenderers for each contract would be referred to individual Councils for a more detailed impact and sensitivity assessment based on local conditions, geographical location in relation to each of the tenderers nominated asphalt plants, local annualised items (eg variable message boards and number of traffic controllers) and quantity modelling and that individual councils be given the opportunity to determine their preferred Tenderer ranking, from the short listed Companies.

As part of the Asphalt Supply, Delivery and Lay Contract, Councils were also given the option of establishing different ranking of tenderers for the Supply of Asphalt products ex-bin (pick up of material at Asphalt plant) due to the geographical location of asphalt plants (ie: the distance between the plant and distance required by each Council to send their trucks to pick up the material).

Evaluation process

The assessment by the Tender Evaluation Panel for each Stage of the evaluation process was as follows:

Stage 1 – Opening the tender submissions

Stage 2 – Conditions for Participation Evaluation

Stage 3 – Compliance Evaluation

Stage 4 – Technical Worth (Evaluation Criteria)

Stage 5 – Price Evaluation

Stage 6 – Risk Analysis

Stage 7&8 – Presentations/Interviews

Stage 9 – Recommendations

Stage 10 – The Individual Council Decision

Tender Evaluation Criteria

The Assessment Methodology and Evaluation criteria used to determine the most appropriate Tenderers were documented in the formal ‘Tender Evaluation Plan’. This Plan was completed and circulated to participating Councils on 24 July 2012.

The evaluation of tenders was conducted in accordance with the Assessment Methodology and process stages set out in the Tender Evaluation Plan. The Assessment considered each submission using the Assessment Criteria summarised in the following tables.

Evaluation Criteria

The following Tender Evaluation Criteria were adopted by the WSROC members for the Tender Evaluation at the initial meeting held on 11 July 2012.

Assessment Criteria – Generic	Key Elements for Consideration in Scoring Assessment Criteria
Tender Conformity	· Coverage of tender requirements
Industrial Relations Employment	· Enterprise bargaining contract in accordance with the Industrial Award. · Subcontractors and how they would be managed · Policies regarding recruitment, training and development, equal opportunity employment, employment of aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Social Responsibility	· Engaging with Local community · Participation in social enterprises · Ethical business conduct
Reporting Capabilities	· Willingness for regular performance evaluation assessments · Reporting systems at a group and individual Council level.
Work Place Health and Safety Management	· Compliance with WH&S legislation · The tenderers own policy in relation to WH&S. · Details of maintenance program for plant and equipment · Risk assessment procedure.
Quality Assurance Management	· Copy of their policy and if it is independently certified.
Environmental Management	· Copy of their policy and if it is independently certified. · Monitoring and evaluating environmental performance.
Customer Relationship Management	· Details on how the ongoing relationship will be managed, including organisational structure and process.

Assessment Criteria – Individual Contract	Key Elements for Consideration in Scoring Assessment Criteria
Tender Conformity	· Coverage of tender requirements
Compliance With Technical Requirements	· How quality of service and work standards will be maintained
Experience and Past Performance	· Previous and Current contracts where similar work is being performed. · Overall experience in this service
Delivery Methodology	· Methodology in servicing a large customer base in a large geographic area. · Response times, and after hour’s service capacity.
Resource Capacity	· Qualification and experience of employees. · No. of staff, plant and equipment. · Location of asphalt plant · Details of sub-contractors

Summary of Tenders Received

A total of 20 separate companies submitted a tender for the component contracts as summarised in the Table below:

Name of Tenderer	Supply Deliver and Lay Asphalt	Asphalt Pavement Reconstruction	Crack Sealing	Mill and Fill	Profiling	Pavement Restoration	Surface Preservation, enrichment and rejuvenation	Spray Sealed Bituminous Surfacing	Stabilisation and or unbound pavement reconstruction
All Pavement Pty Ltd								X
Asphalt Laying Services PTY LTD	X			X		X
Avijohn Contracting PTY LTD	X			X	X	X
Bernipave PTY LTD	X		X	X	X	X
Bitupave LTD T/A Boral Asphalt	X			X	X	X		X
Borthwick & Pengilly Asphalts PTY LTD	X	X		X	X	X
Centre Line Paving PTY LTD	X			X		X
D & M Excavation and Asphalting PTY LTD	X		X	X	X	X		X
Downer EDI Works PTY LTD	X			X	X		X		X
Fulton Hogan Industries PTY LTD	X	X		X	X			X
J & E Excavations & Plant Hire PTY LTD	X			X		X
J & G Excavations & Asphalting (NSW) PTY LTD		X			X	X
National Road Sealing (MJJ Group Pty Ltd)			X
Ozpave (Aust) PTY LTD	X			X		X
Roadworx Surfacing PTY LTD						X			X
SRS Roads PTY LTD			X				X	X
Stabilised Pavements of Australia PTY LTD		X			X				X
State Asphalt Services PTY LTD	X			X	X			X
Stateline Asphalt PTY LTD				X	X	X
SuperSealing PTY LTD			X

Evaluation of Tenders

Stage 1 - Opening the tender submissions

All tenders received were in compliance with the minimum content requirements, with the exception of the following Tender submissions:

· Asphalt Laying Services PTY LTD

· Bitupave LTD T/A Boral Asphalt

· D & M Excavation and Asphalting PTY LTD

The three Tenderers listed above each failed to complete a response to the evaluation criteria relating to the individual contracts offered. Notwithstanding this, the evaluation panel included all 3 companies in the following stages of the evaluation process.

However, Penrith City Council’s staff have not considered the above three companies in the final recommended panel of contractors for reasons stated further within the report.

Stage 2 – Conditions for Participation Evaluation

All submissions complied with the Conditions of Participation.

Stage 3 – Compliance Evaluation

None of the tenderers represented unacceptable levels of risk and all submissions progressed to Stage 4 of the evaluation process

Stage 4 – Technical Worth (Evaluation Criteria)

For each remaining Tender a quantitative (score) and qualitative (comment) assessment of the response to the Specified Requirement, for each category of work tendered, was carried out to determine the degree of effectiveness against the Evaluation Criteria specified in the Tender Response Schedule.

As documented in the ‘Tender Evaluation Plan’ the Tender analysis was performed utilising both ‘Quantitative’ and ‘Qualitative’ criteria.

The final outcome and rankings for each of the tenders received was determined by combining Technical Worth and Cost.

From the final results, which combine cost and compliance, a short list of Tenderers was determined for a further Risk Analysis including Referee Checks and Financial Health Checks.

Stage 5 – Price Evaluation

The overall value for money ranking was determined by taking into account the level of effectiveness against overall cost. Value for Money is the assessed benefit of a good or service (Technical worth) and the associated risk as compared against the assessed tendered price/cost.

Based on this analysis, the Tender Evaluation Panel determined that on a group basis there was no overall advantage in giving any further consideration to the following six (6) tenderers for the reasons stated in following Table:

Table - Eliminated Tenderers

Tenderer’s Name	Contracts Offered	Reasons
Avijohn Contracting Pty Ltd	Asphalt Supply & Lay, Mill & Fill, Profiling , Pavement Restoration	Did not fully demonstrate capacity or capability and a high cost offer
Centre Line Paving Pty Ltd	Asphalt Supply & Lay, Mill & Fill, and Pavement Restoration	Did not fully demonstrate capacity or capability and a high cost offer
Asphalt Laying Services Pty Ltd	Asphalt Supply & Lay, Mill & Fill, and Pavement Restoration	Failed to respond to individual Job criteria and therefore did not fully demonstrate overall capability resulting in a low compliance ranking, in all cases was not cost competitive
D & M Excavation and Asphalting Pty Ltd	Asphalt Supply & Lay, Mill & Fill, Profiling, Crack Sealing , Pavement Restoration & Spray Seal	Failed to respond to individual Job criteria and therefore did not fully demonstrate overall capability resulting in a low compliance ranking and in most cases they were not cost competitive
J & E Excavations and Plant Hire Pty Ltd	Asphalt Supply & Lay, Mill & Fill, and Pavement Restoration	Did not fully demonstrate capacity or capability and also a high cost offer
Bitupave LTD T/A Boral Asphalt	Asphalt Supply & Lay, Mill & Fill, Profiling, Crack Sealing , Pavement Restoration & Spray Seal	Failed to respond to individual Job criteria and therefore did not fully demonstrate overall capability resulting in a low compliance ranking and in most cases was not cost competitive

Whilst some of the remaining tenderers were deemed by the Tender Evaluation Panel to be unsuitable for certain contracts, they remained on the list for those contracts where there was sufficient demonstration of their capability and cost effectiveness. It was determined by the Tender Evaluation Panel that there were no major risks arising from the price and non-price evaluation for the remaining 14 tenderers.

The remaining tenderers were short listed then further assessed in accordance with Stage 6 of the evaluation process for the contracts stated as per the Table below.

Table - Short Listed Tenderers (Alphabetical Order)

Tenderer’s Name	Short Listed for the following Contracts
All Pavement Solutions Pty Ltd	Spray Sealing only
Bernipave PTY LTD	Asphalt Supply & Lay, Mill & Fill, Profiling, & Pavement Restoration
Borthwick & Pengilly Asphalts PTY LTD	Asphalt Deliver & Lay, Profiling, Pavement Restoration & Asphalt Pavement Reconstruction
Downer EDI Works PTY LTD	Asphalt Ex-Bin, Supply & Lay, Mill & Fill, Profiling, Stabilisation Unbound , Pavement Restoration& Road Surface Preservation
Fulton Hogan Industries PTY LTD (Minto & Wallgrove)	Asphalt Ex-bin, Supply & Lay, Mill & Fill, Profiling, & Spray Sealing
J & G Excavations & Asphalting (NSW) PTY LTD	Profiling, Pavement Restoration & Pavement Reconstruction
National Road Sealing (MJJ Group Pty Ltd)	Crack Sealing only
Ozpave (Aust) PTY LTD	Mill & Fill
Roadworx Surfacing PTY LTD	Pavement Restoration & Stabilisation Unbound
SRS Roads PTY LTD	Crack Sealing , Spray Sealing and Road Surface Preservation
Stabilised Pavements of Australia PTY LTD	Profiling, Stabilisation Unbound & Asphalt Pavement Reconstruction
State Asphalt Services PTY LTD	Asphalt Ex-bin, Supply & Lay, Mill & Fill, Profiling, & Spray Sealing
Stateline Asphalts Pty Ltd	Pavement Restoration
Super Sealing PTY LTD	Crack Sealing only

Stage 6 – Risk Analysis

Referee Checks

All referee checks indicate a good to very good overall rating for all the above 14 companies with no apparent operational deficiencies or risks regarding overall performance and capability to perform the specified works.

Financial Health Checks

National Road Sealing (MJJ Group Pty Ltd) was unable to be assessed as the Company was under external administration at the time of investigating their capacity to undertake the works. On this basis, the Tender Evaluation Panel excluded National Road Sealing (MJJ Group Pty Ltd) from any further assessment and removed the company from the short list of tenderers.

All other short listed tenderers were assessed as being in a satisfactory to strong financial position and were all deemed to have sufficient financial capacity to meet the estimated activity levels.

Stage 7&8 – Presentations/Interviews

Although there was provision to undertake further assessments through interviews with tenderers, it was determined by the Tender Evaluation Panel that presentations or interviews would not be required as all short listed Companies are well known in the industry and have been providing similar services to WSROC Councils over a long period of time.

Stage 9 - Recommendation

It was determined by the Tender Evaluation Panel that the final short list of tenderers for each Contract would be referred to individual Councils for a more detailed impact and sensitivity assessment based on their own local conditions, geographical location in relation to each of the tenderers nominated asphalt plants, local annualised item and quantity modelling and that individual councils be given the opportunity to determine their preferred Tenderer ranking, from the short listed Companies.

The final recommendations contained in this report incorporate the individual council analysis, where a preferred ranking of tenderers is required.

As part of the Asphalt Supply, Delivery and Lay Contract, Councils were also given the option of establishing different ranking of tenderers for the Supply of Asphalt products at the asphalt plant (ex-bin) due to the geographical location of asphalt plants.

In all instances the tenderers selected demonstrated sufficient capacity and ability to undertake the specified works.

It is proposed that Penrith City Council will not participate in the Asphalt Pavement Reconstruction contract, as internal resources and existing contracts are used to deliver these works, given that the product can be used in different situations, the contractor will be used on a needs basis.

Surface Preservation, Enrichment or Rejuvenation

To ensure ongoing flexibility it is proposed that the two contractors listed for Surface Preservation, Enrichment or Rejuvenation will be placed on a Panel of approved contractors to perform works based on individual job requirements, assessed cost based on the unit rates provided, availability/suitability of the contractor to perform the works and in some cases the product most suitable for the application required.

There are two companies in respect of these services:

· SRS Roads Pty Ltd

· Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd

Preferred Contractor Panels

The shortlisted contractors are listed below in the various category of work type in alphabetical order. Each Council was given the opportunity to undertake their own assessment in determining their final panel providers and preferences.

Profiling

Whilst the Profiling Contract is a preferred panel arrangement Councils are able to select the appropriate Profiling Contractor for their needs where Asphalt Supply & Lay Services or Mill & Fill services are required.

· Bernipave Pty Ltd

· Borthwick & Pengilly Asphalts Pty Ltd

· Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd

· Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd (Minto)

· J&G Excavations & Asphalting (NSW) Pty Ltd

· Stabilised Pavements of Australia Pty Ltd

· State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd

Pavement Restoration

· Bernipave Pty Ltd

· Borthwick & Pengilly Asphalts Pty Ltd

· J&G Excavations & Asphalting (NSW) Pty Ltd

· Ozpave (Aust) Pty Ltd

· Roadworx Surfacing Pty Ltd

· Stateline Asphalts Pty Ltd

Spray Sealed Bituminous Surfacing

· All Pavement Solutions Pty Ltd

· Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd

· SRS ROADS PTY LTD

· State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd

Asphalt Deliver and Lay

· Bernipave Pty Ltd

· Borthwick & Pengilly Asphalts Pty Ltd

· Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd

· Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd (Minto)

· Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd(Wallgrove)

· Ozpave (Aust) Pty Ltd

· State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd

Asphalt Ex-Bin only

· Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd

· Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd (Minto)

· Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd(Wallgrove)

· State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd

Crack Sealing

· SuperSealing Pty Ltd

· SRS ROADS PTY LTD

Mill and Fill

· Bernipave Pty Ltd

· Borthwick & Pengilly Asphalts Pty Ltd

· Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd

· Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd

· Ozpave (Australia) Pty Ltd

· State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd

Stabilisation and/or Unbound Pavement Reconstruction

· Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd

· Roadworx Surfacing Pty Ltd

· Stabilised Pavements of Australia Pty Ltd

Final Rankings

Review by Council Officers

Council’s staff have evaluated each of the different work types using a detailed impact and sensitivity assessment based on their own local conditions, geographical location in relation to each of the tenderers nominated asphalt plants, local annualised items (eg. variable message boards, number of traffic controllers) and quantity modelling.

A number of scenarios using detailed pricing analysis of sample projects were completed. Based on this analysis the tenderers were ranked in the following order shown in the tables below.

Figures shown are the total estimated annual expenditure figure for all participating councils and indicative Penrith City Council (PCC) estimated costs.

Crack Sealing – Overall ranking

Average rate comparison per linear meter based on tendered rate and estimated annual expenditure based on PCC annual quantity of 9,000 m.

Tenderer’s Name	Annualised Cost (WSROC)	Average Tendered Rate per metre	Estimated Annual Expenditure (PCC)
SuperSealing Pty Ltd	$544,637	$1.90	$17,100
SRS Roads Pty Ltd	$821,849	$2.47	$22,230
Bernipave Pty Ltd	$1,280,352	$4.34	$39,060

Pavement Restoration – Price ranking

Average rate comparison per square metre based on tendered rate.

Tenderer’s Name

Annualised Cost (WSROC)

Average Tendered Rate per sqm (PCC)

(<50 sqm)

Average Tendered Rate per sqm (PCC)

(>50 sqm)

J&G Excavations & Asphalting (NSW) Pty Ltd

$5,687,203

$118.67

$83.67

Bernipave Pty Ltd

$5,736,468

$125.92

$92.97

Stabilisation and/or Unbound Pavement Reconstruction – Overall ranking

Annual estimated usage is unknown because it depends on the pavement treatment selection following investigation of the pavement. PCC has limited use of this service and therefore the WSROC ranking is recommended to be used.

Tenderer’s Name	Annualised Cost (WSROC)
Roadworx Surfacing Pty Ltd	$11,708,689
Stabilised Pavements of Australia Pty Ltd	$16,610,592
Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd	$22,686,852

Surface Preservation, Enrichment or Rejuvenation – Open Panel

PCC annual estimated quantity of surface enrichment and rejuvenation is 100,000 sqm. As the type of surface treatment depends on the condition of the road surface, both companies have been listed as works will be selected based on the type of surface treatment required (either rejuvenation or enrichment).

Tenderer’s Name	Annualised Cost (WSROC)	Average Tendered Rate per sqm
Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd	$271,507	$1.50 (Rejuvenation)
SRS Roads Pty Ltd	$472,058	$2.15 (Enrichment)

Asphalt Deliver and Lay – PCC Price ranking

The total estimated annual usage is approximately 25,000 tonnes for the supply, deliver and lay contract.

Tenderer’s Name	Average Annualised Cost (PCC)	Average Unit Rate/Tonne
State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd	$2,983,250	$119.33
Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd	$3,376,750	$135.07
Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd (Wallgrove)	$4,003,750	$160.15

Profiling – Overall ranking

Tenderer’s Name	Annualised Cost (WSROC)
Bernipave Pty Ltd	$1,756,922
State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd	$1,865,291
Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd	$2,274,607

Where Asphalt Supply & Lay services are required, State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd is the recommended company for Asphalt Delivery and Lay. Operationally one company delivers both the Asphalt Delivery and profiling in conjunction with the works hence State Asphalt is also the preferred supplier for Profiling when taking into account the combined cost of asphalt laying and profiling.

Mill and Fill – PCC Price ranking

The total estimated annual usage is approximately 15,000 tonnes for the mill and fill contract. Project costs include actual material, profiling, traffic control and other associated works.

Tenderer’s Name	Annual Estimated Cost (PCC)
Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd	$1,863,730
State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd	$1,965,610
Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd	$2,046,075

Spray Sealed Bituminous Surfacing – PCC Price ranking

The total estimated annual usage is approximately 55,000 square metres. Costs below are for a two coat seal.

Tenderer’s Name	Average Unit Rate/sq.m.	Annualised Cost (PCC)
State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd	$7.09	$389,950
All Pavement Solutions Pty Ltd	$7.10	$390,500
Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd	$9.96	$547,800

Asphalt Ex-bin – for PCC

Tenderer’s Name	Cost per Tonne (AC10 Ex-bin)
Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd (Wallgrove)	$128.83 (32 kms/pickup)
State Asphalt Service Pty Ltd	$122.00 (62 kms/pickup)
Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd	$140.53 (62 kms/pickup)

The Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd (Wallgrove) offer represents the best value to Council when considering both the raw material costs and travel costs associated with picking up the materials. Its Asphalt plant is the closest plant to the Penrith Local Government Area with a 32k round trip for Council trucks, compared with 62km round trips, thus minimising travel time for collection of the product and thereby increasing productivity for the patching team. Even though State Asphalt Service Pty Ltd is cheaper per tonne, once you factor in the travel costs, the tender submitted by Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd is substantially cheaper.

The State Asphalt plant is located in Prestons and would be a suitable back up provider of Asphalt ex-bin given its cheaper price compared to Downer EDI.

Conclusion

The rates submitted are considered reasonable based on rates currently being paid under the extended existing contract arrangement. The rates submitted have shown an overall average increase of 6% in total costs on existing rates.

Based on the analysis of all complying tenders, the table below summarises the preferred ranking of suppliers for Penrith.

The secondary supplier will act as a backup provider of the service should the primary contractor fail in their obligations or become unable to meet the required works program or timeframe required to deliver a specific project.

Penrith City Council Preferred Contractors List

Good / Service Contract	Preferred Tenderer Ranking
Asphalt Deliver and Lay	1. State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd 2. Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd
Asphalt Ex -Bin	1. Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd(Wallgrove) 2. State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd
Crack Sealing	1. SuperSealing Pty Ltd 2. SRS Roads Pty Ltd
Mill and Fill	1. Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd 2. State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd
Pavement Restoration	1. J&G Excavations & Asphalting (NSW) Pty Ltd 2. Bernipave Pty Ltd
Profiling (as per Asphalt delivery and lay)	1. State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd 2. Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd
Spray Sealed Bituminous Surfacing	1. State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd 2. All Pavement Solutions Pty Ltd
Stabilisation and/or Unbound Pavement Reconstruction	1. Roadworx Surfacing Pty Ltd 2. Stabilised Pavements of Australia Pty Ltd
Surface Preservation, Enrichment or Rejuvenation (Open Panel)	· SRS Roads Pty Ltd · Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd

Acting Financial Services Manager’s Comments

The 2012-13 Operational Plan has provided approximately $12.1M for Road Asset Renewal works. While a substantial portion of the 2012-13 program has been completed, these increased costs of road rehabilitation and asphalt services will be required to be accommodated in the remaining budget allocation. A review of projects in the 2012-13 works program (and future program through the annual budget development) will be conducted to examine any efficiencies available, or any required prioritisation of projects within the available funds.

Comment by Tender Advisory Group (TAG)

The Tender Advisory Group (TAG) comprising the Acting Director, Stephen Britten, Group Manager, City Infrastructure, Wayne Mitchell and the Senior Governance Officer, Glenn Schuil met to consider a tender for road rehabilitation and asphalt services.

The TAG noted that the Tender Evaluation Panel initially kept three tenders in the assessment phase, but these three tenders were later excluded from the evaluation process because they were not competitive.

The TAG are of the opinion that otherwise the methodology and the processes used, although complex, is sound and we support the recommendations made.

RECOMMENDATION

That:

1. The information contained in the report on WSROC Tender WR03-12/13 - Road Rehabilitation & Asphalt Services be received.

2. A new 3 year contract with the option to extend for a further two (2) x one (1) year periods (subject to satisfactory performance) be awarded to the following companies for the specified categories in accordance with the terms and conditions of the WSROC Tender:

(a) Asphalt deliver and lay be awarded to State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd as the primary contractor and Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd as the secondary contractor.

(b) Asphalt Ex-bin supply be awarded to Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd (Wallgrove) as the primary contractor and State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd as the secondary contractor.

(d) Mill & Fill Works be awarded to Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd and State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd as the secondary contractor.

(e) Pavement Restoration Works be awarded to J&G Excavations & Asphalting (NSW) Pty Ltd and Bernipave Pty Ltd as the secondary contractor.

(f) Provision of Profiling services be awarded to State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd as the primary contractor and Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd as the secondary contractor.

(g) Spray Sealed Bituminous Surfacing be awarded to State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd and All Pavement Solutions Pty Ltd as the secondary contractor.

(h) Stabilisation and/or Unbound Pavement Reconstruction be awarded to Roadworx Surfacing Pty Ltd and Stabilised Pavements of Australia Pty Ltd as the secondary contractor.

(i) Surface Preservation, Enrichment or Rejuvenation be awarded to SRS Roads Pty Ltd as well as Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd, subject to a needs basis.

ATTACHMENTS/APPENDICES

There are no attachments for this report.

Ordinary Meeting 10 December 2012

A Vibrant City

Magnetic Places Neighbourhood Renewal Community Cultural Grants Program 2012-13

Compiled by: Cali Vandyk-Dunlevy, Cultural Development Officer

Heather Chaffey, Neighbourhood Renewal Co-ordinator

Authorised by: Jeni Pollard, Place Manager

Objective	We build on our strengths, value our heritage, celebrate our cultural diversity, and foster creativity
Community Outcome	A City with people and places that are inclusive, foster creativity, and celebrate diversity (20)
Strategic Response	Support cultural initiatives that meet local needs, and attract regional interest (20.2)

Executive Summary

This report informs Council of the successful outcomes of the 2011-12 Magnetic Places Neighbourhood Renewal Grants Program and recommends funding eight dynamic place-focused projects to be undertaken in 2012-13.

Since 2007, Magnetic Places has made funds available to local community groups to support the development of creative activities and events in community meeting places across the Penrith Local Government Area. Magnetic Places delivers a funding program that enables local residents to lead and collaborate with artists and community organisations, to generate localised activities that build cohesion and wellbeing in local communities. To date, this has resulted in the delivery of over 35 innovative and highly successful projects, celebrating creativity, diversity, culture and pride in twelve established neighbourhoods across Penrith City.

The 2011-12 projects built on the success of previous years, bringing public places to life in innovative ways. A highlight in the 2011-12 program is that over 1,000 people directly participated in Magnetic Places activities and events across the City. These high levels of active participation by residents demonstrates the program’s valuable contribution to the health and wellbeing of residents and communities in Penrith. The program outcomes are award winning as recognised by the Local Government Cultural Awards in 2010, and position Penrith City as an innovator in collaborative community place making in Western Sydney.

The Magnetic Places program will deliver three funding streams in 2012-13 to incorporate creative, cultural and place making projects as well as smaller, community events that are connected to recommendations identified in Neighbourhood Action Plans. This will support local residents to build healthy neighbourhoods across the established areas.

Funds totalling $48,000 are available for allocation to projects in 2012-13. A further $2,000 has been allocated to promotional material for the program that will showcase projects that have been delivered and their positive outcomes. These funds, delivered through the endorsed Special Rates Variation in 2011, support a strategic approach to responding to issues and opportunities identified by residents. The Magnetic Places program complements this investment in Neighbourhood Renewal areas as a key component of the endorsed Special Rates Variation.

Following extensive advertising, fifteen high quality applications were received in the 2012- 2013 Magnetic Places Grants Program round. Given the high quality of submissions received, and after a very competitive assessment process, the assessment panel has identified eight projects recommended for funding across a range of neighbourhoods in Penrith. This report recommends that the eight projects listed in the 2012-13 Summaries of Recommended Projects are funded to the value of $48,000.

Background

The Magnetic Places Neighbourhood Renewal Grants Program was initiated in 2007-08 as a pilot initiative with the objective of enabling residents, community groups, artists and organisations to activate local places. Funds were allocated to the development of activities in local communities that enlivened and enriched community meeting places across Penrith City, transforming them into magnetic places.

The Magnetic Places initiative operates within the Neighbourhood Renewal Program, focussed on the delivery of a program of renewal for selected neighbourhoods to contribute to a sense of community identity and cohesiveness. Funds allocated under the Magnetic Places initiative continue to prioritise projects in neighbourhood renewal communities. However, projects in other suburbs or neighbourhoods within the Penrith LGA are also considered if they are of strong merit and meet the essential criteria.

The program has been running for four years and more than thirty-five highly successful projects have been funded, each celebrating creativity, diversity, culture and pride in established neighbourhoods across the City. Magnetic Places has been a catalyst in assisting local creativity and cultural activity to be more visible. It has enabled the local character and diverse voices of the community to be heard. Project evaluations demonstrate that participants have made new friends, gained new confidence, and have learned new skills. It has brought public places to life in innovative ways, developing pride in place. Public spaces have been transformed into magnetic, creative and meaningful places making a valuable contribution to the health and wellbeing of residents and communities.

Magnetic Places has generated a high level of interest from local communities, the community sector, the arts and cultural sector of Western Sydney and Sydney, as well as State and Federal arts and cultural agencies. The program was the recipient of a Local Government Cultural Award in 2010.

In 2011-12 the program was redeveloped into a three stream funding program to cultivate greater focus on place-making and creative community engagement outcomes. The Special Rates Variation proposal endorsed by Council in 2011 included an annual allocation of funds to the Neighbourhood Renewal Program, including Magnetic Places, to support implementation of identified priorities within Neighbourhood Action Plans.

Although there were no applicants for Stream 3 funding last year of the program, three applications were received in Stream 3 for 2012-13.

The Magnetic Places program funds projects across the following categories:

Stream 1 - Community Collaborations: provides funds for initiatives that offer creative and collaborative solutions to issues in local communities. Priority is given to proposals that deal with issues identified in existing endorsed Neighbourhood Action Plans (NAPs). Projects proposed in communities where a NAP does not exist are asked to provide evidence of community collaboration. Stream 1 was developed to support activities and projects such as family fun days, small local festivals, culturally-focussed events and school holiday activities. Activities that promote the use of community meeting places such as parks, neighbourhood centres and schools as local meeting places have also been encouraged. Stream 1 projects could apply for funds between $500 and $1,500.

Stream 2 - Creative Communities: provides funds for initiatives that activate and bring life to public spaces and gathering places in communities through engagement with and expression of local residents in high quality creative and cultural outcomes. Stream 2 supports the development of high quality, creative and cultural engagement projects with a focus on place making. Stream 2 applicants are required to engage a professional artist or facilitator on their project to ensure high quality processes and demonstrate creative collaboration with a range of partners. Stream 2 projects could apply for funds between $5,000 and $8,000.

Stream 3 - Seeding Initiatives: provides funds to one project which will activate and transform a public space through creative and cultural collaboration with local residents over 2 years. Stream 3 supports projects over a two year period, providing an opportunity to engage with residents over a longer period of time, to develop strategic partnerships and examine local issues in greater depth. Stream 3 aims to seed activities and projects such as festivals and productions. The extended project timeframe will contribute to sustainable place making outcomes and have an impact beyond the life of the project. Stream 3 projects could apply for funds from $8,000 and up to $15,000 for the first year of the project; and from $8,000 up to $15,000 for the second year of the project.

Funded Projects Summary Magnetic Places Neighbourhood Renewal Community Cultural Grants Program 2011-12

In 2011-12 Council endorsed funding twelve projects through Magnetic Places. $42,987 was allocated to these projects as listed below:

Koolyangarra Aboriginal Art Project painted by artist Zane Walker and residents and photo by Mike Chin

Stream 1 - Community Collaborations, supporting creative and collaborative solutions to issues in local communities:

· Aweil Women’s Cultural Day by Aweil Community Association in NSW was held at Memorial Hall St Marys Corner, featuring a celebration of Southern Sudanese women and culture attracting approximately 400 people to the event;

· Justice Citizens Film Festival in Kingswood showcased 7 films made by McCarthy College students living in Kingswood investigating social justice issues with the aim of inspiring action from the community, and over 130 people participated in the project;

· Kingswood Park Community Festival by Churches of Christ Penrith delivered a monthly festival for families and young people which built community connections through activities with over 100 people attending;

· Koolyangarra Aboriginal Art Project by Nepean Community and Neighbourhood Services - led by artist Zane Walker, young people learnt new skills in painting, stencilling and the expression of culture through painting two sheds at the Koolyangarra Early Childhood Health Centre in Cranebrook, and a total of 52 people participated in the project;

· Llandilo Community Open Day by St Mary and St Marina Coptic Orthodox, delivered a Family Fun Day in Llandilo - the event was open to people of all backgrounds with the outcome of enhancing neighbourhood relationships and community connectedness;

· Kingswood Park Family Fun Afternoon by Nepean Community and Neighbourhood Services delivered a place making activity focussed on engaging families and young people, providing an opportunity for people to develop community connections over a shared lunch and craft activities;

· Secret Life of Cranebrook, by Nepean Community and Neighbourhood Services
delivered a series of art and drumming workshops that built a sense of individual self-expression, self-confidence and community connection among 24 residents in Cranebrook;

· Yarning Around Our Tree, by North St Marys Neighbourhood Centre - Aboriginal artists Gregg Simms and Vicki Thom re-scarred the tree carving at North St Marys with women from the community, while children painted rocks and boomerangs with over 85 people participating in the event;

“It’s great for our community” Kingswood Park Community Festival

Stream 2 - Creative Communities, the development of high quality, creative and cultural engagement projects with a focus on place making:

· Activating Werrington Community Places by Werrington Community Project included Aboriginal and non Aboriginal community members in painting pavers at the Namatjira Centre and young people designing a flag to represent their place at Werrington Youth Centre, with over 30 people participating in the project;

· Colyton Mosaic Project delivered a public art project featuring ‘Harmony’ and ‘Live, Love, Learn’ mosaics created by artist Diamando Koutsellis in collaboration with Colyton Trade High School students, which were installed at Colyton Neighbourhood Centre - more than 80 people participated;

· My Suburb, My Community - more than 15 Kingswood High School students worked with artist Mandy Schone Salter to take a series of photographs of their suburb and exhibit these at Kingswood Railway Station, as part of the annual festival Head On (the world’s second largest photo festival);

· Off the Hook by Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) involved 25 Aboriginal residents in Cranebrook who created digital works and a short film script, culminating in a public reading of the script developed.

The Colyton Mosaic Project led by artist Diamando Koutsellis

2011-12 Program Outcomes

Throughout 2011-12 more than one thousand people directly participated in Magnetic Places activities and events across the City. Feedback from participants across funded projects has been extremely positive.

In addition to the tangible outcomes outlined in the above section of this report, further outcomes identified by participants include qualitative outcomes that increase the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. These include greater ownership of place and connectedness in communities, collaborations between residents, artists, local business and organisations, the development of new skills and creative potential, the formation of significant friendships, building of personal confidence, the emergence of new pathways and opportunities. For example, in the Colyton Mosaic Project a young person highlights how the project has enriched their experience of a local place so that they now want to spend more time there, “(I) Found that after installing the project at the school it became a place to want to hang out in.” In another example, a participant in the Secret Life of Cranebrook, highlights they “Love all the activities and the friendships I have formed with people.”

These positive stories from the program have emanated through local and mainstream media. Projects funded through Magnetic Places received significant press coverage locally with active support from Council’s Communications Team in the Penrith Press, Penrith Star, the Blue Mountains Gazette and Mountains Blueberry as well as other media. This included an interview with Neighbourhood Renewal staff on Koori Radio in October 2012, which promoted and celebrated the large number of projects in the program that have been led by Aboriginal artists, communities and residents since 2008.

Magnetic Places Neighbourhood Renewal Grants Program 2012 - 13

The 2012 – 13 grants program continues to build on the delivery of Magnetic Places in previous years. The program has a total of $50,000 dedicated to delivery each year, with $2,000 allocated to promotional material in 2012. The remaining $48,000 is available for funding projects in the 2012-13 funding round. Continuing on from the improvements to the program in 2011, the program continues to enable individual artists to apply and provide the opportunity for groups to apply for Stream 1, 2 and 3 funding concurrently.

Magnetic Places applications opened on Thursday October 4 and closed Wednesday 7 November 2012. Applicants were required to submit their applications using an online application facility, SmartyGrants.

The program called for applications in the following categories:

Stream 1 - Community Collaborations: Stream 1 projects could apply for funds between $500 and $1,500.

Stream 2 - Creative Communities: Stream 2 projects could apply for funds between $5,000 and $8,000.

Stream 3 - Seeding Initiatives: Stream 3 projects could apply for funds from $8,000 and up to $15,000 for the first year of the project, and from $8,000 up to $15,000 for the second year of the project.

Program guidelines and Neighbourhood Action Plans were also available on Council’s website and in hard copy at Council’s front desk both at St Marys and Penrith. Copies of the program guidelines and application forms were available throughout Council’s Library branches.

All applications received in the current funding round were submitted online demonstrating applicants’ preference for the online medium.

Program Promotion

The Magnetic Places Neighbourhood Renewal Grants Program 2012-13 was extensively promoted to artists, organisations and residents across Penrith and wider Western Sydney in a cross promotional strategy commencing on 4October through to the closing date of Wednesday 7 November 2012.

An extensive promotional strategy included the distribution of information through the following forums:

· the Penrith Local Artist Network,

· local social service networks such as Penrith Interagency and Penrith Youth Interagency,

· the Penrith City Council website, Twitter and Facebook platforms

· Magnetic Places Blog http://magneticplaces.blogspot.com.au/

· Featured in Artfiles News, an online bulletin produced by Information & Cultural Exchange that is distributed extensively to artists across wider Western Sydney,

· other cultural sector e-bulletins,

· Presentation by Council Officers at the Artist + Community Toolkit Grant-Writing in Practice Workshop held in October.

Support to Applicants - Grant Writing In Practice Workshop

Support has been provided to prospective Magnetic Places applicants for the 2012-13 program through Council Officer feedback as well as the delivery of a grant writing workshop with specific emphasis on the Magnetic Places Program Guidelines and criteria.

The Grant Writing in Practice Workshop was delivered as part of the highly successful Artist + Community Toolkit Workshop Series with over 12 participants attending, many being prospective Magnetic Places applicants. The workshop was facilitated by Dr Paula Abood, and covered the essentials of preparing a strong grant submission. The purpose of the workshop was to further develop skills in preparing funding submissions to improve the quality of proposals. In addition, meetings were held with prospective applicants to provide feedback on project ideas and emphasise place making criteria.

These endeavours may have helped to produce an increased quality of the submissions for the 2012-13 program. As a result of these outcomes, it is anticipated that a similar grant writing skills workshop and applicant support will be provided for the 2013 -14 program.

Assessment of 2012-2013 Applications

Fifteen applications were received in the 2012- 2013 Magnetic Places Grants Program round. Stream 1 received four applications, Stream 2 received eight applications and Stream 3 received three applications. This compares favourably to application numbers received in last years program, with a highlight this year being that applications were received for the first time in Stream 3.

The Magnetic Places assessment panel assessed each application against the Magnetic Places Neighbourhood Renewal Grants Program 2012-13 criteria and program objectives described in the Program Guidelines.

The panel was formed to advise Council on which projects to fund and included an independent assessor Dr Beatriz Cardona, Project Officer from the Office of Engagement, University of Western Sydney.

An independent assessor is included on the assessment panel each year to support good practice assessment procedures as well as provide an independent voice from within the cultural sector. Dr Cardona contributed valuable insight and expertise in quality creative community engagement, place making, and sustainability to the assessment panel.

Applicants were requested to submit letters of support from community partners and at least two names and contact details for local residents involved in project proposals. This was required to demonstrate that the project has strong connections within the local community.

Applications recommended for funding by the assessment panel

Fifteen applications were received requesting a total of $151,020.60, far in excess of the $48,000 available. Of these applications, fourteen satisfactorily met eligibility requirements and were assessed against the essential criteria on their merits and ranked according to how well they met these criteria.

The competitive assessment process resulted in eight applications being recommended by the assessment panel to Council for funding. The assessment panel noted that a high number of very high quality applications were received for the 2012-13 program and not all projects could be funded.

The panel has recommended some projects receive slightly less funds than requested in order to fund the maximum number of high quality submissions without compromising the quality of the expected outcomes. In accordance with the program criteria, projects that activate places in the Neighbourhood Renewal areas have been prioritised and this is reflected in the panel’s recommendations.

Due to a high number of competitive applications received this year the recommended projects best met the essential criteria regarding quality place-making, creative community engagement processes, strong community partnerships and resident support. Projects that have been recommended for funding meet all of the essential and desirable criteria as prescribed in the Program Guidelines. Detailed summaries of projects recommended for funding are provided in Appendix 1.

Due to a high number of quality submissions not all projects could be funded. Unfortunately, seven projects have not been recommended for funding. One of these projects could not be assessed because it did not have public liability insurance and failed to meet the essential grant funding eligibility requirements.

Six remaining projects have not been recommended for funding by the assessment panel and further details are provided in Appendix 2 with the reasons for not recommending funding. The panel did conclude that the seven projects that are not recommended for funding could be resubmitted for the 2013-14 program if they addressed the guidelines more fully. Detailed feedback will be given to unsuccessful applicants to assist future applications and include suggestions for alternative funding sources outside Council’s Magnetic Places Program.

2012-13 Summaries of Recommended Projects

Projects recommended by the assessment panel to be funded in 2012-13 are listed below.

Stream 1 - Community Collaborations, supporting creative and collaborative solutions to issues in local communities:

Cranebrook Family Fun Day - Cranebrook

Nepean Community Neighbourhood Services

Recommended funding: $1,000

North Penrith Family Fun Day – Kingswood Park

Nepean Community Neighbourhood Services

Recommended funding: $1,000

Nepean Young Pregnancy Support Creative Project – Penrith Suburb

Nepean Community and Neighbourhood Services

Recommended funding: $1,000

Stream 2 - Creative Communities, the development of high quality, creative and cultural engagement projects with a focus on place making:

You, Me & All of Us – Londonderry

Mandy Schöne-Salter

Recommended funding: $7,500

St Marys Solas – St Marys

David Ryan (Shiney Pictures) auspiced by Fusion

Recommended funding: $7,500

Park Kings – Kingswood Park

Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE)

Recommended funding: $7,500

Street Dance Stories from St Marys – St Marys

Masta One Abaker Athum auspiced by STAARTS

Recommended funding: $7,500

Stream 3 - Seeding Creativity, activating and transforming a public space through creative and cultural collaboration with local residents over 2 years to seed sustainable place making outcomes:

Capture Colyton Place Making Project - Colyton

St Clair Youth and Neighbourhood Team

Recommended funding: $15,000 (2012-13)

Note: This project in Stream 3 is recommended to be funded over a two year period a total of $30,000. Therefore, $15,000 is recommended for funding from the 2012-13 budget with a further $15,000 recommended for funding in the 2013-14 budget.

Total funds recommended for the 2012-13 program:

Stream 1: $3,000

Stream 2: $30,000

Stream 3: $15,000

Total funds available $48,000

A detailed summary of each recommended project is provided in Appendix 1 of this report.

Conclusion

The Magnetic Places Neighbourhood Renewal Community Cultural Grants Program continues to grow and evolve as communities come together, collaborate with each other, artists and organisations to celebrate their local identity and build creative capacity in places across the City.

During the 2011-12 Magnetic Places funding program round a broad range of small and medium sized grants resulted in over 1,000 people directly participating in Magnetic Places activities and events across the City. Outcomes have included localised activities that have built cohesion, creativity and wellbeing in local communities.

In the fifth year of the program, the projects recommended to Council for approval in the 2012 -13 program will deliver opportunities to address a broad range of community issues and will activate a range of local places and communities.

The Magnetic Places Neighbourhood Renewal Grants Program has $48,000 in funds available for program delivery.

The ongoing development of the award winning Magnetic Places Neighbourhood Renewal Community Cultural Grants Program will continue to position Penrith City as a leader in quality creative community engagement and collaborative place-making with local communities.

RECOMMENDATION

That:

1. The information contained in the report on Magnetic Places Neighbourhood Renewal Community Cultural Grants Program 2012-13 be received.

2. The eight projects recommended by the assessment panel be funded as listed, under the 2012-13 Summaries of Recommended Projects, in this report.

ATTACHMENTS/APPENDICES

1.	Magnetic Places 2012-2013 Projects Recommended for Funding	3 Pages	Appendix
2.	Magnetic Places 2012-2013 Projects Not Recommended for Funding	3 Pages	Appendix

Ordinary Meeting 10 December 2012

A Vibrant City

2013 Seniors Week Grants Program

Compiled by: Diane Boyde, Community Development Officer - Older People

Authorised by: Erich Weller, Community and Cultural Development Manager

Objective	We play an active role in our communities
Community Outcome	A City with opportunities to engage, participate and connect (23)
Strategic Response	Enhance community strengths and capacity by supporting collaborative networks and partnerships (23.1)

Executive Summary

Each year Council hosts a major Seniors Week celebration event in the City – the Seniors Concerts. Following on the success of last year, it is proposed that two concerts be held again in 2013 – a morning concert at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre and a second morning concert at the St Marys Corner Memorial Hall. This will provide an opportunity for a greater number of seniors, including those with high support needs, to attend a Council concert.

Council also allocates funds each year, through the annual Seniors Week Grants Program, to community-based groups to assist with organising activities for older residents across the Penrith LGA. The budget for this grants program is $6,500.

This report provides information about Council’s Seniors Week 2013 concerts and makes recommendations on funding for the Seniors Week 2013 grants.

The report recommends that Council receive the information and approve grants to eleven (11) local community organisations to the value of $5,426 for activities to celebrate Seniors Week 2013 as listed in Table 1 of this report.

Background

In 2013, Seniors Week will be celebrated from Sunday 17 March up to and including Sunday 24 March. Seniors Week celebrations encourage the involvement of older people in community life and support their continued participation in local activities. The theme for 2013 is ‘Live Life’, with the emphasis on thanking seniors and acknowledging their valuable contribution to the local community. Seniors Week is also a great opportunity for all generations to join and celebrate with older people.

Council hosts a major Seniors Week celebration event in the City – the Seniors Concerts. Following on the success of the previous year’s concerts, it is proposed that two concerts be held again in 2013 – a morning concert at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre and a second morning concert at the St Marys Corner Memorial Hall. This will provide an opportunity for a greater number of seniors, including those with high support needs, to attend a Council concert.

Council also allocates funds each year, through the Seniors Week Grants Program to assist not-for profit groups/organisations with organising activities for older residents across Penrith City. The one-off, non-recurrent small grants are for subsidising an activity not to fund the total cost. The budget for 2013 is $6,500. Single organisations or groups can apply for up to $300, while groups that partner with other organisations on their activity can receive up to $1,200.

As in previous years, Council has applied for grant funding of $1,000 from the Department of Family and Community Services – Ageing, Disability & Home Care, to assist with Council’s Seniors Week concerts. This is the maximum grant available. Usually, Council receives $600 to $700 for this purpose. It is expected that notification will be received by the end of December 2012 as to the success of the application.

Council Event – ‘Live Life! It’s your turn to be appreciated’

Following on the success of this year’s concerts, Council’s 2013 Seniors Week concerts will be held on two separate days. On Tuesday 19 March a concert will be held at St Marys Corner Memorial Hall. The Memorial Hall is fully accessible and will provide an opportunity for people in residential care and community groups with high support frail aged clients to attend a concert. In addition to the concert, Council will provide a morning tea and light lunch. On Thursday 21 March a second longer concert will be held at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre with Council providing morning tea.

Each year the concerts grow in popularity and attendance is always excellent. Holding two concerts in these different venues allow more seniors, including the well aged and the frail aged to attend a Council concert during Seniors Week.

The overall theme for Seniors Week is ‘Live Life’ with a local theme still to be decided by the Advisory Group. The performances will predominantly be by local groups and organisations including local high schools. The local theme will be consistent with Council’s ‘Planning for an Ageing Community’ strategy.

A detailed concert program will be provided closer to the event.

Seniors Week Grants – Applications from Community Organisations

The availability of Council funds to assist community organisations and groups in the provision of Seniors Week activities in 2013 was advertised in the local media and extensively through community networks and on Council’s website. Applicants were requested to consider the aims of Seniors Week 2012 which are:

1. To promote, amongst people of all ages, a more positive understanding of ageing

2. To enhance recognition of the contributions of older people to the broader community

3. To provide information and activities that will assist older people to continue to lead independent lives.

Attachment 1 to this report summarises the 12 applications Council has received for Seniors Week funding. The total requested is $6,626.00.

Project Assessment

Project selection criteria identified in the 2013 Seniors Week grant guidelines are:

1. Promotes “Active Ageing” by encouraging the participation of older people in community life

2. Promotes positive images of being older by challenging some of society’s stereotypes around ageing and demonstrates that seniors can be healthy, active and creative

3. Showcase the skills of older people and demonstrates that seniors continue to learn

4. Provides intergenerational activities that are innovative and creative with people of all ages, particularly younger people.

Council officers have discussed activities and project budgets with project applicants. One (1) application did not meet the conditions in the funding guidelines. This applicant is number 1 in Appendix 1. Thus eleven (11) applications are recommended for funding. These are listed in Table 1 below.

Appendix 1 also provides some comment about each application including in relation to the funding criteria and identifies opportunities to better utilise the requested funding for each grant application.

The projects recommended for funding and the recommended allocations are as follows:

Table 1: Seniors Week Grants 2012 – Recommended Projects and Allocations

No	Organisation	Proposed Activity	Recommended Allocation
2	Nepean District Historical Society	Castlereagh Tour for Seniors	$300.00
3	Penrith City Centre Association	Shared “Cuppa of Experience”	$1,200.00
4	Nordoff-Robbins Music therapy Australia	“Music for Life”	$286.00
5	Nepean Community and Neighbourhood Services	Seniors Trivia Morning	$300.00
6	PrYme Movers YMCA Penrith	“Get Active” during Seniors Week	$300.00
7	U3A	Seniors Week Celebration.	$880.00
8	Werrington Community Project Inc.	Memory Lane, Werrington 2747	$300.00
9	St Marys and District Historical Society Inc.	Early History of St Marys	$150.00
10	Enosis Greek Seniors Group St Marys	Celebrate Seniors Day	$300.00
11	St Clair Youth and Neighbourhood Team	“Live Life” morning tea	$300.00
12	St Clair Youth and Neighbourhood Team	“Live Life” Seniors Luncheon	$1,110.00
		TOTAL	$5,426.00

The range of recommended projects will provide an exciting community program for Seniors Week 2013.

Summary

The 2013 Seniors Week Council concerts will be held on two separate days. On Tuesday 19 March a concert will be held at St Marys Corner Memorial Hall. The Memorial Hall is fully accessible and will provide an opportunity for people in residential care and community groups with high support frail aged clients to attend a concert. In addition to the concert Council will provide morning tea and a light lunch. On Thursday 21 March a second, longer concert will be held at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre with Council providing morning tea.

The overall theme for the concert will be ‘Live Life’ with a local theme still to be decided by the Advisory Committee. The performances will predominantly be by local groups and organisations including local high schools. The local theme will be consistent with Council’s ‘Planning for an Ageing Community’ Strategy.

Council has applied for grant funding of $1,000 from the Department of Family & Community Services - Ageing, Disability and Home Care, to assist with organising the Council concerts to celebrate Seniors Week 2013. This is the maximum grant available. Notification should be received by the end of December 2012 as to the success of the application.

The amount available for the Seniors Week 2013 Grants Program is $6,500. Community organisations have applied for contributions totalling $6,626 to assist in the delivery of twelve (12) projects for Seniors Week 2013. One (1) application did not meet the conditions in the funding guidelines and one (1) other has been assessed at a lesser amount.

It is recommended that Council provide grants to the value of $5,426 to fund eleven (11) local community organisations and groups for the activities listed in Table 1 in this report to celebrate Seniors Week 2013. The difference between the budget of $6,500 and the recommended allocation of $5,426 will be used for promotion of the Seniors Week program.

Council will also be promoting the Seniors Week program of activities before Seniors Week 2013 commences, through Council’s website, the local press, service networks and voluntary groups.

RECOMMENDATION

That:

1. The information contained in the report on 2013 Seniors Week Grants Program be received.

2. Council approve grants to eleven (11) local community organisations to the value of $5,426 for activities to celebrate Seniors Week 2013 as listed in Table 1 of this report.

ATTACHMENTS/APPENDICES

2013 Seniors Week Grant Applications

6 Pages

Appendix

Ordinary Meeting 10 December 2012

A Vibrant City

Development Application 12/0420 - Demolition of existing dwelling & erection of two storey dwelling of child care centre (No. 85) Warburton Crescent, Werrington Country Applicant: Kamam Musa Shahatit and Faridah Shahatit; Owner: Kamam Musa Shahatit and Faridah Shahatit

Compiled by: Deepa Randhawa, Senior Environmental Planner

Authorised by: Paul Lemm, Development Services Manager

Objective	We build on our strengths, value our heritage, celebrate our cultural diversity, and foster creativity
Community Outcome	A City with design excellence that respects our local identity (22)
Strategic Response	Promote good design, sustainable buildings, and development that enhances our City (22.1)

Procedural note: Section 375A of the Local Government Act 1993 requires that a division be called in relation to this matter.

Executive Summary

Council is in receipt of a development application for demolition of the existing dwelling and construction of a child care centre and dwelling at No. 85 Warburton Crescent, Werrington County. The site is zoned 2(b) Residential (Low Density) under Penrith Local Environmental Plan 1998 (Urban Land). The proposed child care centre and dwelling is a permissible form of development in the 2(b) zone with the consent of Council.

The application was accompanied by an objection under State Environmental Planning Policy No.1 - Development Standards in respect to Clause 12(3) of the Penrith Local Environmental Plan No.1998 –Urban Land, seeking a variation to the minimum landscaped area for the site.

The application was placed on public exhibition from 12 June 2012 to 26 June 2012, the public exhibition and closing date for submissions was extended to 9 July 2012. Council notified 18 property owners and occupiers in the surrounding area and received seven (7) submissions in relation to the proposal.

The matter was reported to Council at its meeting of 5 November 2012 and recommended for approval, subject to the imposition of conditions. At the meeting, an adjoining resident opposed the recommendations of the report and expressed concerns with regard to the positioning of the new dwelling, car parking provisions in relation to the child/teacher ratio and traffic impacts.

Council resolved the following:

“1. The consideration of this matter be deferred to address the issues brought to the attention of Council by Mr Ravenscroft.

2. A site inspection of the site by Councillors be undertaken with the owner and concerned residents.

3. A memorandum be sent to all Councillors regarding the applicability of section 94 contributions to this proposed development.

4. A further report be brought back to Council addressing concerns raised by both the Councillors and Mr Ravenscroft concerning: the requirements for dwellings to have a garage; car parking provisions, access parking and traffic issues, toilet facilities, staff parking, site frontage compliance and SEPP 1 objections.”

This report is in response to the above matters. The consideration of this development was one where, although there were some initial concerns about the suitability of the site and its surrounds for a child care centre, it was the view of Council Officers that the proposal was acceptable due to its smaller scale and that concerns could be addressed by way of condition. The site inspection gave the benefit of viewing the site from an adjoining backyard. It revealed that the development is likely to impact the immediate locality and introduce a commercial activity into an area characterised by low scale residential development. The proposed development is marginal for the site however on balance can be supported and, subject to conditions, the use needs to be properly managed to negate potential impacts.

The Proposed Development

The proposed development includes the following:

· Demolition of the existing two storey dwelling;

· Construction of a new two storey building

· Use of the ground floor level to operate a 24 place child care centre with ages as follows:

Children Age Groups
0-2	8
2-3	6
3-5	10

· Provision of 7 car parking spaces including 1 resident parking space

· Hours of operation from 7:00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday

· Use of the first floor level for purposes of a dwelling[P1] to be occupied by the child care centre operator

· Landscaping in the form of[P2] feature trees, shrubs and groundcovers are proposed to the front setback to the car park (2m), side and rear boundaries (900mm), with car park “overhangs” turfed.

Refer to Appendix No. 1 for copies of the site plan, floor plan and elevations.

Response to Council’s resolution

1. Site Inspection

In response to Council’s resolution, a site inspection was carried out on 28 November 2012, which was attended by Councillors Ross Fowler OAM, John Thain and Marcus Cornish, Council staff, four adjoining and nearby residents and the applicant.

The site inspection took into consideration the topographical features of the site and surroundings, the position of the existing dwelling on the site and any likely impacts of the proposed footprint in relation to the adjoining properties.

The residents reiterated their concerns with regard to site frontage, on-site car parking and lack of safe drop off and pick up provisions, traffic impacts and privacy and overlooking issues.

These issues are discussed in detail under the heading Matters raised by Councillors and Mr Ravenscroft.

2. Section 94

A separate memorandum has been be sent to all Councillors addressing the matter regarding the applicability of Section 94 contributions to this type of development.

3. Matters raised by Councillors and Mr Ravenscroft

· Garage for the proposed dwelling

Penrith Development Control Plan (DCP) 2006 - Part 3 Section 3.3 - Child Care Centres –Clause 27 requires one car space to be provided for a dwelling house that is attached to, part of, or associated with a child care centre. There is no requirement for the parking space for the residence which is part of the childcare centre to be provided in a garage[P3] .

The proposal provides for 1 on site car parking space for the proposed dwelling in accordance with Part 3 Section 3.3 -Child Care Centres – Clause 27 of the DCP 2006, which is applicable to this development[P4] .

· Parking requirements

Penrith Development Control Plan (DCP) 2006 - Part 3 Section 3.3 - Child Care Centres –requires car parking spaces to be provided on site at the rate of 1 car parking space for every 4 children and 1 space for every additional staff member catering for younger children[P5] (0-2 years) or children with special needs.

This car parking rate includes parking for both staff and parents. Given that the childcare centre proposes to accommodate 24[P6] children, a total of 6 spaces are required.

An additional car space for a staff member for special needs children[P7] is not required as no provision is made under the current application for special needs children. As only 8 children are proposed to be accommodated that are under the age of 2, there are no additional staff members required than for 2-3 year olds as discussed below.

The educators to child ratios proposed are in accordance with the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011. These ratios are outlined in the table below which also shows that the proposed on site car parking provision is compliant with the DCP:

Category	Results			Total
*Age Group*	< 2	2-3	>3
*Educator to child ratio*	1:4	1:5	1:11
*Proposed No. of children*	8	6	10	24[P8]
*Staff required*	2	2	1	5

A total of 5 staff members are required in accordance with the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 to operate the centre including catering for younger children.

As discussed earlier a separate car space is required for resident parking as per the DCP and as in this case the childcare centre is proposed to be operated by the resident, a total of 6 car parking spaces are required[P9] , inclusive of an accessible parking space.

In order to ensure that the centre is operated by the resident of the dwelling on site, a condition requiring a “Restriction as to user” is recommended (see Special Condition No. 3.24).

· Site frontage

The DCP requires that the minimum site frontage of a Child Care Centre is 22 metres. This site has a frontage of 18.5m which is 3.5m short of the requirement. The aim of this requirement is to ensure the safe operation of car parking areas and to ensure amenity is maintained for neighbouring residents.

Although the lot width is deficient, the parking area has sufficient parking spaces to cater for drop off and collection by an accompanying adult to be contained entirely within the site for 24[P10] places in accordance with the DCP and the Australian Standards. Pedestrian paths for safe drop off and collection have not been incorporated into the design to encourage full use of the parking area and discourage on street parking.

Given the nature of Child Care Centres, the peak pick up and drop off times are staggered between 7.30am-9.30am and 4.30pm-5.30pm, it is likely that all of the car parking spaces will only be fully occupied for brief instances during this peak period. The Child Care Centre requires an accompanying adult to pick up and drop off the children at all times. It is therefore expected that there would be a maximum of 24 vehicle movements within an hour which equates to less than a vehicle movement every two minutes. Taking into account these staggered pick up and drop off times, the amenity of the area is not expected to be unreasonably compromised due to the scale of the proposed childcare centre[P11] .

It is recognised however from the site inspection that the proposed parking area when full, may detract visually from the streetscape as it occupies a large area of the front setback with minimal side boundary landscaping due to parking space overhangs.

Council’s Senior Traffic Officer has reviewed the application and has no objections to the on- site car parking arrangements.

· Access and traffic issues

Council’s Senior Traffic Officer has reviewed the application and concludes that the access and traffic arrangements are acceptable given that the road width of Warburton Crescent is 10.6m which does allow for travel lanes as well as vehicles to be parked on-street. Moreover the on-street parking around the T-intersection with Dampier Avenue is limited by the regulatory 10m “No Stopping Zone” at the intersection and the location of the driveway to 83 Warburton Crescent.

On-street parking that may occur would be during peak drop-off/pick-up periods for the centre and, given that Warburton Crescent is a 50km/hr local road speed zone with ample sight distances, some on-street parking is acceptable.

The proposal will produce an increase in local traffic flow, however no substantial traffic impacts are anticipated on the local road network as peak hour trips for the development are anticipated to be in the order of 12 vehicles per hour in total.

Moreover, a condition is recommended to ensure that all car parking, access driveway and manoeuvring is in accordance with AS2890.1-2004; AS2890.6-2009 and Council's requirements (see Special Condition 3.4 and 3.5).

· Toilet Facilities

Penrith Development Control Plan (DCP) 2006 - Part 3 Section 3.3 - Child Care Centres –Clause 30 – 32 requires that a minimum of 1 closet fixture shall be provided for every 8 children, 1 closet fixture and washbasin shall be provided for every 40 male staff and 1 for every 20 female staff.

Given there will be a maximum of 24[P12] children, 3 closet fixtures are required for children and 3 have been provided. There is one unisex accessible toilet provided for the staff which satisfies the requirement.

· Shadow impacts

The applicant has provided shadow diagrams to demonstrate the shadow impacts on the adjoining properties. The proposed development complies with Clause 13 of Penrith Local Environmental Plan 1998- Urban Land which ensures that neighbouring living areas receive 3 hours of direct sunlight between 9am and 3pm on 21 June.

· Privacy and overlooking impacts

The proposed development will be replacing an existing two storey dwelling. The proposed building results in increased side setbacks and improved privacy to the neighbouring properties than the existing two storey dwelling by appropriately located and highlight windows and a privacy screen to the balcony at the first floor level[P13] (see recommended Special Condition 3.15). The existing two storey dwelling consists of two bedrooms facing the rear backyard. The existing bedroom window closer to the corner facing No 83 Warburton Crescent (Mr Ravenscroft’s residence) is a full length floor to ceiling window which is replaced by the obscured glazed windows to the proposed ensuite to bedroom No.1. This will reduce any potential for overlooking.

The apparent bulk and scale of the building when viewed from adjoining backyards is increased however as the new building is pushed back to provide for parking in the front setback. Whilst this does not result in unreasonable overshadowing impacts and complies with the numerical controls of the LEP and DCP for this, setbacks and building envelope, it will present as a more visually intrusive building from adjoining properties.

· Private open space for the dwelling

Penrith Development Control Plan (DCP) 2006- Part 3 Section 3.3 -Child Care Centres –Clause 25 requires that the dwelling shall be provided with a separate and private open space area (with minimum dimensions of 4m x 6m), which is directly accessible from the internal living areas of the dwelling and orientated to optimise solar access.

A 4m x 6m[P14] north facing balcony accessible from the living area is provided for the dwelling at the first floor level, which is compliant with the private open space requirement. Special Condition 3.15 recommends the eastern edge of the balcony on the first floor to be screened to a minimum height of 1.5m to prevent direct overlooking into the neighbouring residential property.

· Landscape Area

The proposed development complies with the development standards prescribed in Penrith LEP 1998 relating to development in the 2(b) Residential (Low Density) zone, except for landscaped area. Clause 12(3) requires 50% of landscaped area to be provided.

The proposed development includes a landscaped area of 46.4% representing a variation from the relevant development standard by 3.6%, which is supported by a written objection under the provisions of State Environmental Planning Policy No. 1 – Development Standards (SEPP 1).

SEPP 1 enables Council to approve a development that does not comply with a particular development standard where in the circumstances of the case the applicant can demonstrate compliance with the standard to be unreasonable or unnecessary. Clause 12(2) of Penrith LEP 1998 (Urban Land) defines the landscaped area of a site as follows:

landscaped area, of a site, means that part of the site not occupied by a building and which is predominantly landscaped with gardens, lawns, shrubs and trees and is available for the use and enjoyment of the occupants of the site. It does not include areas used for driveways, parking areas, garbage storage areas or any area less than 2 metres wide, except a verge at least 1 metre wide that is located next to a driveway and landscaped with trees and shrubs, but may include a verandah associated with a landscaped area.

The applicant’s SEPP 1 objection is premised on the proposal being a mix of residential and commercial uses for which car parking must be provided on site and the proposal otherwise meeting the objectives of the Clause which are to:

(a) achieve site-responsive development at a scale which is compatible with existing housing in the locality by controlling visual impacts relating to height and bulk, and

(b) minimise the impact of loss of privacy, overshadowing and loss of views, and

(c) achieve an appropriate separation between buildings and site boundaries and preserve private open space corridors along rear fence lines, and

(d) protect and enhance the environmental features, which are characteristic of each of the residential zones, by requiring sufficient space on-site for effective landscaping and on-site stormwater detention.

The applicant has provided shadow diagrams to demonstrate the shadow impacts on the adjoining properties. The proposed development complies with Clause 13 of Local Environmental Plan 1998- Urban Land which ensures that neighbouring living areas receive 3 hours of direct sunlight between 9am and 3pm on 21 June.

It was evident from the site inspection in the adjoining property however that, despite compliance with the other numerical controls of the clause, the realignment of the new building to approximately 8m from the rear boundary to provide for onsite parking does present a significant bulk of building behind the established rear building line of adjoining dwellings. The seven (7) car spaces in the front setback area reduce opportunities for landscaping and it is acknowledged that the effectiveness of landscaping in this location is reduced by the overhang to the parking spaces proposed.

The applicant’s objection is on balance consistent with the aims of the SEPP. The objection has addressed the matters prescribed in the SEPP 1 requirements and has documented that compliance with the prescribed minimum landscaped area would be unreasonable and unnecessary in the circumstances of the case.

· The Suitability of the Site for t

v	Meeting at which the draft corporate planning documents (Community Strategic Plan, Delivery Program, Operational Plan, Resource Strategy) are endorsed for exhibition
*	Meeting at which the draft corporate planning documents (Community Strategic Plan, Delivery Program, Operational Plan, Resource Strategy) are adopted
#	Meetings at which the Operational Plan quarterly reviews (March and September) are presented
@	Meetings at which the Delivery Program progress reports (including the Operational Plan quarterly reviews for June and December) are presented
^	Election of Mayor/Deputy Mayor
ü	Meeting at which the 2012-2013 Annual Statements are presented
∞	Meeting at which any comments on the 2012-2013 Annual Statements are presented
+	Meeting at which the Annual Report is presented

Objective	We have access to what we need
Community Outcome	A City with a strong local economy and access to jobs (6)
Strategic Response	Facilitate a diverse economy, sustainable businesses and secure employment base (6.1)

1.	Locality Plan	1 Page	Appendix
2.	Subdivision	1 Page	Appendix
3.	Council Report from 19 November 2012	9 Pages	Appendix
4.	Schedule of Conditions	3 Pages	Appendix