URGENT: Council now requires feedback on this project

Good Afternoon, Some positive news - North Sydney Council has finally agreed to delay the Watt Park stairs project for an additional 15 working days (new start date: 19th February 2018). Council will meet a few days prior to discuss what will occur next. However, nothing will change unless we use this time to lobby Council to make considered changes to their proposed plans. If we do not take action now, Council may believe that making some minor changes (to lighting, etc.) will satisfy their community consultation obligations; and will push ahead with their proposed plans regardless. However, we want Council to CANCEL their current contract to build a steel and concrete staircase in this location. This will cause Council to lose money, time, and work put into the development of the current design; so if we do not make our position clear to them, they will try to avoid a cancellation at all costs. If everybody who has signed this petition could please write to Council ASAP as follows (this is for visitors as well as the community!): - Calling on North Sydney Council to CANCEL their current contract for the proposed Watt Park stairs project immediately - telling Council they must either explore the option for a new, fully compliant staircase from the natural lookout (the small park at the top of Waiwera Street) after full consultation with the community and nearby residents; OR, after assessment of the historical significance of the current stairs by an independent party, Council should CONSERVE and SYMPATHETICALLY REPAIR the current stairs (this would make the current stairs safe for use, however not up to 2018 Australian Standards for access and mobility, which are impossible to achieve with a staircase of this age). It should be noted that the Standard for access and mobility is designed for those with disabilities, and “may not be appropriate when applied to persons outside this age range [between 18 and 60 years]”. Thus, the Standard is not designed to make stairs safer for the general population (the young and elderly); but specifically for people with disabilities. As I have pointed out to Council, the route to the top of the stairs is too difficult for this group to access; and several other more appropriate access routes are available for those with limited mobility. What we need to do is make these stairs safe for the community, not compliant. To make it easy for those who are time poor, I have written a draft letter at the bottom of this post. Hopefully you can copy & paste. Please edit/fill in details in the square brackets prior to sending. Finally, please send your letter to the following people via email NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, 9TH FEBRUARY 2018: General Manager, North Sydney Council Ken Gouldthorp (Ken.Gouldthorp@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Mayor, North Sydney Council Mayor Jilly Gibson (mayor@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Director of Open Space & Environmental Services, North Sydney Council Robert Emerson (robert.emerson@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Your Ward Councillor (ward maps can be found here: https://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/Council_Meetings/Our_Organisation/Ward_Maps). If in doubt, simply Cc all Councillors on your email. Tunks Ward Deputy Mayor Cr Stephen Barbour (cr.stephen.barbour@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Cr Tony Carr (cr.tony.carr@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Cr Dr Alanya Drummond (cr.alanya.drummond@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Victoria Ward Cr MaryAnn Beregi (cr.maryann.beregi@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Cr Kathy Brodie (cr.kathy.brodie@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Cr Jessica Keen (cr.jessica.keen@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Wollstonecraft Ward Cr Zoë Baker (cr.zoe.baker@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Cr Samuel Gunning (cr.samuel.gunning@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Cr Ian Mutton (cr.ian.mutton@northsydney.nsw.gov.au) Finally, please Cc me in on your email if you can (dancerbelle888@hotmail.com). This is so I can collate all feedback to take to meetings with the Council in coming weeks (instead of relying on them to provide me with the data). Unfortunately, some members of the community have told me they have contacted Council regarding this matter with no response; this will prevent any feedback from getting lost in the system. Thank you again for signing the petition and attending meetings over the last few weeks…the sheer number of people opposing Council’s plans for these stairs is the only reason they’ve decided to delay the contract again, pending further input from the community! ***** DRAFT LETTER ***** URGENT: Re: Formal objection to North Sydney Council’s current proposal for the Watt Park stairs project [Date, January 2018] Good [Morning/Afternoon/Evening], I am writing to lodge a formal objection with North Sydney Council to the proposed Watt Park stairs project. Due to the lack of recent community consultation and notification, and in the absence of thorough historic research on a site that is within a listed Conservation Area (and has not been built upon in 80+ years), I am calling on Council to cancel the current contract immediately. The current proposal to build steel and concrete stairs in this environment (which has been noted in the LEP listing as “mak[ing] a significant contribution to the appearance of the Lavender Bay area”) is misguided. The depth of community & visitor feeling on this matter cannot be underestimated. I refer to the live petition with 400+ signatures (https://www.change.org/p/north-sydney-council-sos-save-our-stairs), which is still gaining momentum. This petition, two recent meetings with members of the community, written feedback from residents at 23 Waiwera Street, and numerous individual letters and phone calls to North Sydney Council underline the fact that Council’s current proposal for the stairs has little to no support or merit. At a meeting of the Lavender Bay Precinct on 25th January 2018, the community overwhelmingly rejected a motion supporting the proposed new stairs; and overwhelmingly passed a motion asking Council to consider alternative options (refer to Lavender Bay Precinct Minutes of Meeting, Thursday 25th January 2018). It would not be in Council’s best interest to reject the opinion of both the community and visitors to the area; as Council are the elected representatives of the community (who will be funding this project), and visitors support economic growth within the area. I also refer to the points which were expanded upon in An Open Letter to the Mayor and Councillors of North Sydney Council, dated 24th January 2018. This letter details several potential options which require further analysis by NSC in conjunction with professional consultants. These options are: 1. An alternative location for a fully compliant set of stairs to descend from the natural lookout at the top of Waiwera Street and onto Lavender Crescent below (with the consideration that Lavender Crescent be made a shared pedestrian/vehicle zone with appropriate speed limits, to enhance safety and access for those with limited mobility). Council already owns this lookout, and it has one of the best views in Sydney; additionally, it does not directly overlook nearby properties, and is less complex in terms of the landscaping (no mature trees/root systems). A staircase here would need to be designed to blend seamlessly into the natural environment, with the design taking nearby residents and the acoustic challenges of the natural stone amphitheatre into consideration. Any proposed designs would need the approval of both the community and neighbouring residents prior to contracts being exchanged. This would allow Council the opportunity to have a fully compliant set of stairs (if that is its foremost concern), whilst lowering the impact on the heritage and beauty of the area and local residents. 2. Conservation and sympathetic repair of the current Watt Park stairs. This should, of course, be done after the proper research into the heritage of the area has been carried out; and with the assistance of qualified professionals (ie arborists) to ensure the current landscape and nearby residents bear minimal impact (as per documentation lodged by the residents of 23 Waiwera Street - Bellarion Court Extraordinary Committee Meeting, 17th January 2018). It should be noted that, given the approach to the current stairs is, in itself, neither safe nor accessible; and due to their historic nature, conservation and repair should not have to meet current Australian Standards or access and mobility requirements/ideals. There are alternative routes available within an acceptable distance from the Watt Park stairs which already satisfy those requirements. Conservation and sympathetic repair of the current stairs should be as follows: historical significance of the current stairs must be thoroughly assessed by an independent party prior to project commencement; with any recommendations informing the proposed repairs potentially increase safety by re-laying the current stairs to mitigate issues with tree roots; retaining current stair sections where possible maintain the current configuration of paths and fewer stairs, which the community has confirmed are easier and safer to negotiate than increased numbers of metal stairs (particularly for older people and dogs) potential to resurface the paths between the current stairs with a suitable material to increase pedestrian safety and allow tree roots to remain undisturbed; with acoustic impact on nearby residents and aesthetic suitability within the surrounding environment to be addressed during selection of materials potential to mitigate safety issues with the steep bottom ramp by replacing the asphalt with stairs. Any new stairs must be in the same material and style as the current stairs, to provide continuity. repair or replace (with same materials) current wooden handrails assess lighting levels; provide additional low-level lighting if necessary (with any impact on nearby residents to be addressed during the design phase). It would be preferable, if low level lighting is adequate, to disconnect the street lights that shine into nearby windows. Lighting should be warm in tone if possible; this ties in with the historic aesthetic of the area, and has been proven to attract fewer bugs/moths than cool white light. retain all current trees, landscaping and retaining walls; any issues with these should be assessed and solutions agreed upon prior to project commencement. Additional low level planting suitable to the environment is encouraged, so long as a corridor for access to the rock cut cistern is maintained. Clearing of weed species is permitted. assess current site drainage/runoff to site prior to project commencement; and ensure this is adequately addressed in the design phase, so as to positively impact nearby residents I implore Council to seriously consider the points presented herein, in concert with all previous documentation supplied to them by residents and the community. It is imperative these stairs remain a cohesive part of the Lavender Bay landscape. [Any additional comment or feedback on why you are passionate about the stairs/community/etc.] I wish to thank Council for delaying the project at this stage, in order to take this valuable feedback into consideration. Regards, [Your Name] [Resident/Local/Visitor/Tourist, etc.] [Your address, if local; or City & Country] [Your email address] *****