Council Decided – 2 July 2024

Regional Sports Capacity

A Mayoral Minute was presented to the meeting by Mayor Carolyn Corrigan outlining a recent decision by the NSW Government to remove funding from Hornsby Council to create an outdoor recreation space at Westleigh Park. It was subsequently resolved that Mosman Council write to Hornsby Shire Council expressing its support for the Westleigh Park project given its regional significance in supporting the increased population in Northern Sydney. Council also resolved to write to the NSW Premier, Minister for Sport, Minister for Local Government and Minister for Planning to encourage them to maintain or extend their grant to Hornsby Shire Council to ensure the completion of the Westleigh Park project.

Vale Paul Stein

Mayor Corrigan also presented a Mayoral Minute advising of the recent passing of Paul Stein AM KC and sending Council’s sincere condolences to Paul’s wife Barbara and family. Paul Stein had a long and distinguished career in law, including as a Judge of the NSW Land and Environment Court and Judge of the NSW Court of Appeal. Paul was also the inaugural Chair of the Mosman Development Assessment Panel which was established in 2011 and subsequently became known as the Mosman Local Planning Panel in 2018. In this role Paul Stein provided distinguished service to Mosman Council and the Mosman community

Low and Mid-Rise Housing SEPP

In a further Mayoral Minute Mayor Corrigan advised that the new Low and Mid Rise Housing State Environmental Planning Policy (LMR SEPP) had taken effect on 1 July 2024 and that, as a result, dual occupancies will become permissible for the first time in Mosman’s R2 (low density residential) zone. Proposals for dual occupancy development will require a development application until 1 July 2025, after which this type of development may be undertaken as complying development, pending Council determination on relevant minimum lot size. The Department of Planning has also advised that other elements of the LMR SEPP will be introduced later this year and that certain properties will be excluded from dual occupancy development if they are on bush fire prone land, on land identified as a coastal vulnerability area or a coastal wetlands or littoral rainforest area, or on land that comprises a heritage item or on which a heritage item is located. The precise nature of the relevant SEPP provisions are, however, not yet known.

Mayor and Councillor Fees

In response to advice received from the NSW Office of Local Government and the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal, Council resolved to adopt the maximum mayoral and councillor fees under the General Purpose Council – Metropolitan Small category, including a 3.75% increase as determined by the Tribunal for 2024/25. This will result in the following fees being payable: mayor - $49,170 p.a. and councillors -$22,540; noting that appropriate provision has been made in Council’s 2024/25 Budget.

Roads and Sportsfield Contracts

Council considered matters relating to contracts for both road resurfacing, patching and associated works and parks and sporting fields. In relation to the former, Council resolved to extend the majority of existing panel contractors under the existing contract for a further year from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025. With regards to parks and sporting fields, it was resolved that, following a recent tender process, Council accept the tenders of Edge Greenkeeping, Envirolands, Green by Nature, Landscape Solutions (Aust) Pty Ltd, Sprayalive Irrigation Consultancy Pty Ltd and Suregreen Pty Ltd to undertake selected works  as well as being panel contractors for additional works for the period commencing 4 October 2024, including an initial one-year term and a further two, two year extensions.

Draft Clifton Gardens Reserve Plan of Management

A draft Plan of Management has been prepared for Clifton Gardens Reserve, following an early period of community consultation in late 2023. A plan of management provides strategic planning and governance for land management and use, as well as key values and purposes for the land. In accordance with the legislated requirements for developing Plans of Management, Council resolved to endorse the draft Clifton Gardens Reserve Plan of Management for referral to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure as landowner in draft form, after which the draft plan will be publicly exhibited. A further report on the matter will be submitted to Council following the public exhibition.

Housing Targets

Council received and noted a report outlining the new 5 year housing target recently issued by the NSW Government for Mosman along with 42 other local government areas in the Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Hunter and Greater Newcastle and Illawarra-Shoalhaven regions. Mosman Council has been allocated a housing target of 500 (an increase of 200 on the previous target), which commenced on 1 July 2024 and will be measured on completions. According to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing an Infrastructure, the new housing targets are based on an examination of both planned and projected growth in each local government area. While the new target  should be achievable from a capacity perspective, it remains unclear which areas of Mosman may be most affected pending the final form of the NSW Government’s low and mid rise housing reforms.

Mosman Local Planning Panel

On 27 May 2024 Council was advised by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure that the Minister for Planning has approved a new Chair and Alternates for the Mosman Local Planning Panel and that a new pool of experts has also been approved for appointment to the panel. Notably, Council is only able to select and appoint its own expert and community members, while the Chair and Alternates are appointed by the State Goverment. The Department advises that Annelise Tuor has been approved as Chair of the Mosman Local Planning Panel, together with Stuart McDonald and Michael Leavey as Alternate Chairs. All are highly experienced planners and well regarded within the planning industry. In noting this advice Council resolved that the current Mosman Planning Panel Experts who were appointed in January 2024 and who continue to be available on the Minister’s list of approved experts be appointed to Mosman’s panel from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2027. It was also resolved that current community representatives on the Mosman panel be appointed for the same term, and that the General Manager with the concurrence of the Mayor be delegated authority to appoint additional experts to the panel to ensure the minimum pool size of 15 experts is maintained. Council will call for expressions of interest for an additional community representative on the panel later in 2024 to coincide with the formation of Council’s Community Consultative Committees for the new Council term.