Younger people seek opportunities thatprioritise social connection, skill development, and flexible participation.Delivering diverse, accessible programs that respond to evolving communityneeds is essential to supporting long-term participation. Council officers note the Panel’s advice, but recommend proceeding with the Planning Proposal with the amendments proposed as outlined above. The proposal has strategic merit and, subject to changes discussed in this report, can also demonstrate sufficient site-specific merit, while also contributing to new housing and jobs in the Inner West in a well-serviced location. This report recommends the Planning Proposal, and the supporting Urban Design Report and draft site-specific DCP be updated. The latter should guide the design of buildings on the site to ensure an appropriate interfacing and transition to the neighbouring lower-rise residential areas to the north-east and east, including setbacks and building separation required in accordance with the ADG. The Planning Proposal isaccompanied by a draft site-specific amendment to the Marrickville DevelopmentControl Plan (MDCP) 2011.
Given the potential for a new ModelCode to be prescribed in 2025, Officers recommend making only minor changes toCouncil’s Code of Conduct as part of this review round. Council is required to review itsCode of Conduct within 12 months after a general election. O Fees that are statutory in nature are updated by therelevant government body relating to development application fees. Council proposes to replace the “EthicalInvestment” section of the Investment Policy, with a new section entitled“Environmentally and Socially Responsible Investments”. The newsection will set out Council’s commitment to investing only in environmentally,ethically and socially responsible investments (SRI), and thecriteria for Council’s investment. This new section will also set out thetypes of environmentally and markham roofing contractors socially harmful activities in which Council willnot invest.
The Council also sets a rate (pan charge) per water closet or urinal within each separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit after the first one for rating units with more than one water closet or urinal. At evolve Plumbing Services, our focus is on providing quality workmanship and exceptional customer service to the Eastern Suburbs and surrounding areas of Sydney, where we are fully licensed and insured with over 20 years of industry experience. Our aim is to make plumbing issues stress-free by offering professional, friendly, and reliable service with upfront pricing and free quotes, backed by guaranteed customer satisfaction. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate.
Council’s SociallyResponsible Investments consist of Green Term Deposits/Floating Rate Notes fromotherwise fossil fuel lending banks, such as CBA and Westpac and also longdated bond issues from a range of institutions and government agencies. Theseinvestments provide targeted funding to a wide range of green and sociallyresponsible projects and initiatives. Council also utilises these investmentsto remain within the credit rating policy guidelines imposed by the NSW TCorploan covenant requirements.
Emphasis willbe placed on the continued operation and maintenance of the market garden,which is a key condition of the Lease. Council staff will provide guidance andoversight as needed to support the tenant in meeting these requirements and touphold the intended community and environmental outcomes of the site. Locations have been prioritisedbased on areas of greatest concern to enable a combined effort from operationalstaff and educational staff in Council’s Resource Recovery team and theproperties and tenancy teams at housing providers. This collaboration andrelationship building is an investment in improved resource recovery outcomesand these steps will ensure the task is undertaken properly. ThatCouncil receive a report at the June 2025 Council meeting regarding ongoingengagement with Homes NSW and community housing providers on waste management,detailing issues that have been raised to date and Council’s approach toresolving them. Customer Service ReviewSub-Committee meetings were held from 2022 to 2024 to validate planned customerexperience strategies and improvements.
In these situations, information about the place ofresidence and other personal disclosures are kept confidential and ofteninvolve Family Court orders or Apprehended Violence Orders. Centre Directorsand relevant staff work with caseworkers, Police and other agencies to ensurethat orders are adhered to in relation to who can pick up/drop off children andother daily operational arrangements. A welcoming reception took place in March 2025, andthe inaugural meeting was held in April. During the current Council term, theLDG will provide input into the review and implementation of the ServiceCharter, Customer Experience Strategy, and Complaints Handling Policy. As part of the project, Councilwill investigate the deployment of QR codes on essential public facilities,such as park bins and public restrooms. These QR codes will enable residents toeasily report issues or request services through Snap Send Solve, enhancingconvenience and promoting active community participation in maintaining publicspaces.
Council iscommitted to providing a high-quality customer experience. The initiativesoutlined in this report will improve the community’s experience withCouncil and deliver service excellence. Given potential duplication ofCouncil services, there may be scope to review the ongoing effectiveness ofthis customer service engagement, particularly as to whether it is moreappropriate to seek to streamline Council’s engagement points. If thisservice is to continue, it is recommended that Council identify appropriatemeasures of success and desired outcomes of this engagement.
Regular community feedback through various forums willguide further improvement. Stage 2 is underway, with therelease of a Request for Quotation (RFQ) in May 2025. The RFQ seeks a partnerto implement the new website design using a Drupal-based Content ManagementSystem (CMS), which will support enhanced accessibility, mobile responsiveness,and future scalability in line with WCAG 2.1 AA standards. The selected vendoris expected to begin the implementation in June 2025, with a planned go-livedate in February 2026. Since the rollout of the renewal,Customer Service has processed 9,782 of approximately 13,000 permits that weredue. Notably, an average of 62% of applications have been received throughCouncil’s online services portal, reducing wait times at Service Centres.
A terracotta tiled canopy protects the windows in the gables section. There are no chimneys.The garden is enclosed by timber picket fence. Single storey brick and iron house.The original section of house is of brick construction which remains in its original state and does not appear that it was tuckpointed. The house is gabled to the street facing elevation, the gable itself clad with roughcast concrete and timber detailing and wide battened eaves. This return section of the verandah has now been enclosed with fibro cladding.
That Council initiates the design and Development Application (DA) process for a floodlighting upgrade at Birchgrove Oval, in accordance with the AS/NZS 2560 series standard for Club Level Match Lighting at 200 lux. Council has recently committed tobuilding 35,000 new homes across the Inner West over the next 15 years.It’s a bold target, but one that reflects the scale of the housing crisiswe face. Delivering more homes is essential, and so is ensuring theneighbourhoods they’re built in are safe, connected, and sustainable.
If this is an appropriate maximum height there is no apparent need to apply a further statutory restriction on height for this site. The reduction in FSR would also assist with providing appropriate transitions and setbacks to the surrounding sites, safeguarding them for their future development. The Panel is concerned that the Planning Proposal is premature because the potential of St Peters for future housing opportunities has not been adequately evaluated. In accordance with Division 2.5(2.19) of the EP&A Act 1979, the Planning Proposal was referred to theIWLPP on 25 March 2025.
Council’s obligationunder the legislation is to meet the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA)performance measures that are reported on quarterly and annually. The keyperformance is to acknowledge the Service Requests and Complaints within thefirst 24 hours. TheAct allows people to request official information held by local governmentagencies. It contains rules of how such requests should be handled andprovides a right to complain to the Ombudsman in certain situations.
Councilprovides dog owners with information regarding education programmes andobedience courses and offers dog owners a discount on registration fees forneutered/spayed dogs. Thereare no specific dog exercise areas defined as there are enough open spaces andparks around the district for appropriate exercise. However, a rural publicpark at Sparks Park where dogs can be exercised off the leash has becomepopular with dog owners, and poo disposal bags and a dog poo bin have beenplaced there.