Jun 27 2021

Heritage protection in Randwick City Council allows for reasonable flexibility – 27th June 2021

The proposed Edgecumbe Estate Heritage Conservation Area

The new Edgecumbe Estate Heritage Conservation Area is one new heritage proposal by Randwick City Council.

Heritage Item listing does not mean that home owners can’t maintain or renovate their properties!

People often erroneously believe that you can’t maintain or renovate a Heritage Item such as adding extra bedrooms. But you actually can do both as long as you don’t compromise the heritage aspects of the site.

“Randwick City Council recognises that owners need to adapt properties to meet current lifestyles and living standards, such as renovating bathrooms and kitchens, adding additional bedrooms and providing open planned living areas which relate to garden spaces. The Council considers many heritage development applications (DAs) each year.” (Randwick City Council web site, Looking After Your Heritage Home)

Further, Randwick City Council can actually offer incentives to a heritage item owner by relaxing normal building restrictions that would apply to that particular site.

“1.14 Conservation Incentives. Council recognises the need to be flexible with heritage items in terms of providing for their long term conservation. RLEP Clause 5.10(10) Conservation Incentives enables Council to approve development relating to a heritage item or the site of a heritage item or Aboriginal Place of heritage significance, which would otherwise be prohibited in the zone.”

More precise details of what is open to the owner of a heritage property can be found in the Council’s Development Control Plan (DCP).

 

May 12 2021

Meet your Greens candidates for the 2021 NSW Local Government elections in Randwick City Council

Meet the local Randwick-Botany Greens Council election candidates this weekend (Saturday 15th May 2021) at 10.30am.

Centennial Park, near the Paddington Gates entrance, corner of Oxford Street and Lang Road.

Oct 16 2020

Mandarin Hotel Chain linked to destruction of Tapanuli Orangutan habitat in Indonesia via British parent company Jardine Matheson – 16th Oct 2020

British company Jardine Matheson’s ownership of the Martabe Goldmine endangers the Tapanuli Orangutan through its subsidiary Astra International (Indonesia’s largest company)

Mar 30 2020

Coronavirus: Rising death toll see’s Italian Mayors beg residents to stay home.

The eastern suburb area of Sydney is currently the epicentre for Australian COVID-19 infections as of the 31st March 2020

If we do not get on top of the virus’s spread it is quite possibly that we may end up in the terrible situation that Italy is now in where it is reported that the death toll  has climbed to 11,591.

Here is a video showing the desperation that Italian Mayors are being driven to in trying to motivate the public to stay home.

Feb 14 2020

Honest Australian Federal Government Ad – “After The Fires”

DISCLAIMER: This may, or may not, be a bonafide taxpayer-funded advert commissioned for the political benefit of the Coalition Government of Australia.

Critics say: “It has to be a real Government Ad because I couldn’t stop giggling at it.”

Coal Industry Spokesperson: “Its not a real Ad any more than there is a real climate emergency”

Oct 27 2019

Is Nottingham Council’s supply of cheap electricity to residents via its own “Robin Hood” style power company relevant to NSW September Council elections? – 12th August 2019

Randwick Greens Councillor Murray Matson thinks that a NSW Council seeking to emulate the UK’s Nottingham Council, which sells cheap electricity to residents, could seek status as a Local Renewable Energy Retailer from the Regional Development Australia Northern Inland (RDANI).

Councillor Matson said, Continue reading

Sep 26 2019

Rescission motion fails to prevent the adoption of the new Edgecumbe Estate Heritage Conservation Area in Coogee

A rescission motion from dissident Councillors against the setting up of a new heritage conservation area running contiguously from 37 Dudley Street to 152 Brook Street was voted down at Tuesday night’s extraordinary Randwick City Council meeting.

Police and Council rangers blocking demolition of a home in the proposed Edgecumbe Estate Conservation Area late 2018.

Late 2018 – Randwick Council Rangers call in the police to stop an attempted early morning strip out of one of the old Coogee homes in the then proposed Edgecumbe Estate Heritage Conservation Area.

The adopting of the new heritage protections has been championed by East Ward Greens Councillor Murray Matson and North Ward Greens Councillor Lindsay Shurey.

The struggle to protect the homes was often heated and involved not just rescission motions but court challenges, interim protection orders and the calling of police by Council rangers to stop an attempted demolition in late 2018.
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Sep 24 2019

Greens Councillor Philipa Veitch elected Deputy Mayor of Randwick City Council

Randwick City Council Mayoral election night 24-9-2019

Randwick City Council Mayoral Election 24th September 2019. Labor Councillor Danny Said elected Mayor with Greens Councillor Philipa Veitch of West Ward elected Deputy Mayor.

Randwick City Council has a new Mayor in Labor Councillor Danny with Greens Councillor Philipa Veitch taking out the Deputy Mayor position.

 
Councillor Veitch was only recently elected to Council in 2017 successfully winning back a seat in West Ward for the Greens. Since being elected she has raised her party’s profile in the ward by campaigning on local issues such as fighting to give a voice to residents impacted on by the construction of the CBD to South East Light Rail project.

Sep 19 2019

Climate Strike Sydney – Tomorrow our children call us out for the good of the damaged planet we bequest them

The local event for this world wide strike against global stupidity is on TOMORROW Friday 20th September from 12pm to 2pm in the Domain, Art Gallery Road, Sydney.

School Strike for Climate Action

At 12 noon students will strike for action on climate change. (image from ACF)

From 1.30pm, the rally will progress to Hyde Park north along Macquarie and Elizabeth streets.

Sep 17 2019

Greens Councillors Murray Matson and Lindsay Shurey: lively debate expected at Randwick Council meeting on proposal to create new Heritage Conservation Area in Coogee – 17th September 2019

UPDATE: 18th September 2019

Last night Randwick City Councillors voted to create the Edgecumbe Estate heritage conservation area in Coogee along Dudley and Brooks Streets and specifically identify a number of dwellings within the area as local heritage items.

After the meeting dissenting Councillors Anthony Andrews (independent), Alex Luxford (Labor) and Harry Stavrinos (Liberal) lodged a rescission motion. This will require the proposal to be debated again at the next Council meeting.

If this rescission motion is successful these Councillors have flagged that they will then  put the following motion . “That Council delete 148 Brook Street  Coogee from clause (a) and add a clause (c) that an independent peer review be commissioned in relation to 148 Brook Street Coogee.”

Coogee residents will recall that 148 Brook Street was the site of a contentious confrontation between residents and a work gang attempting to strip out the internal fittings of the building. Residents outraged as ceiling and carpets stripped out of Coogee dwelling being assessed for heritage protection by Randwick City Council – 8th December 2018
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