Hello Community, Fellow Residents and Petition Supporters 

Finally I am able to provide you with an update that includes information about the current status of the progress of Parks in Edmondson Park. 

It's been a long drawn out process that started back in 2008. I became involved in 2018 after 10 years of relative inaction and the last 6 years have shown a bit a progress. 

I was fortunate to be able to address the 10th December 2024 meeting of Liverpool City Council and speak about the issue of the lack of Progress with Parks. 

There were four items on the Agenda this month that touched on the issue of Parks in Edmondson Park which you can view in the  

The 3 items on the Meeting agenda are Com1, CFD3 and NOM3 which you can read from the Agenda link below

https://liverpool.infocouncil.biz/Open/2024/12/CO_20241210_AGN_643_AT_WEB.htm

There are two main Parks that need to be built. 

1) Sinozich Reserve, Edmonson Park:  

Land acquisition is 60% complete. Technical investigations are complete. Draft Concept Design is 80% complete, noting Basin 12 shares a boundary with the reserve. 

2) Edmondson Regional Park which is to be built by Fraser Development under a Voluntary Payment Agreement (VPA) which is still under negotiation. 

In addition there is Open Space 5, Edmonson Park: Land acquisition is 50% complete. Council has commenced the acquisition process for Lot 7 DP 1227088, which is zoned RE1-Public Recreation for future open space purposes. Subject to reaching agreement with the owner, acquisition is anticipated in 2024/2025 financial year. Technical investigations to commence once land acquisition is completed. 

CHALLENGES AND ISSUES TO ADDRESS

Technical Investigations:  

In order to prepare a draft Concept Design or Master Plan, various technical investigations are required. These include (but are not limited to) the following; review of existing policies / strategies, site analysis, geotechnical testing, contamination testing, flora and fauna assessment (e.g. endangered species), ecological assessments, arborist report, flooding assessment, aboriginal cultural heritage assessment, heritage significant assessment, traffic assessment, bushfire assessment etc.

Design and approvals processes:  

Topographical survey, analysis of site opportunities and constraints, benchmarking, concept layout optioneering, preparation of concept design and accompany cost estimate, approvals (e.g. Transport for NSW where altering transport arrangements, Sydney Water where their assets are impacted, assessment and approvals of land claims, Development Applications where applicable). Preparation of final concept design and cost estimate. Preparation of detailed design documentation package, including landscape architectural, civil / hydrological / electrical engineering / structural engineering, architectural design drawings (where relevant). Preparation of, or updates to existing Plans of Management. 

Community & Stakeholder Engagement:  

Online and in-person engagement activities, including with local residents, businesses owners / tenants, service and utility authorities (e.g. Endeavour Energy, Jemena Gas, Sydney Water), neighbouring Councils (e.g. in Edmonson Park), NSW Government departments (e.g. Transport for NSW, Greater Sydney Parklands, Department Planning, Housing and Infrastructure). Collation and interpretation of feedback received, to inform amendments to the design. 

 
-  Procurement Processes:  

The procurement process and legal review can take anywhere between 120 to 200 days depending on project sophistication, value and perceived risk. There are legislative timeframes for advertising tenders that Council must adhere to. Depending on the project risk, probity may need be engaged to oversee the project.   

Construction processes:  

Council staff require suitable time to complete due diligence on shortlisted contractors to ensure appropriate contractor/s are engaged for works and as Principal contractors, they have suitable qualified staff and sub-contractors available for Council’s work. A range of factors impact on the delivery of works in open space including contamination, weather patterns, availability of product and materials and manufacturing time. Depending on the size of the project and funding allocation construction schedules could be as short as 12 weeks or span over several financial years as works are delivered in stages to match funding allocation. 

-     Resourcing limitations: Council has limited resources dedicated to the planning, design and construction of buildings and open space infrastructure. As a result, the backlog of works to be progressed is increasing, and Council has limited capacity to apply for grant funding, to execute the works. 

-     Funding limitations: Council has limited funding, including insufficient funding available in its Contributions Plans. 

 There are some further questions to be answered in February 2025 regarding the Edmondson Regional Park to be built by Fraser Development. 

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and  Happy New Year. 

I will keep you updated of any developments as they come to hand.   

You can  also follow me on Social Media  

ON FACEBOOK, X (Twitter) and INSTAGRAM       

www.facebook.com/Michael.independent       

X - @MichaelAndjelko       

Insta @Liverpool.independent1     

Kind Regards    

Michael Andjelkovic
Independent Community Campaigner