Newsletter 51 – Broken Promises and Fading Dreams

Dealing with the State Government – experiences that remind me of Peter Finch (the newsreader) in the (1976) film, Network

Just like Peter Finch

“I’m as mad as hell ..”

.. but for me the cause is being ignored by the State Government; watching it plunder our open green space – even worse, watching our community being taken for granted and our assets trashed.

One of the things COVID taught us is how much we need to value our open spaces—a crucial public amenity where people can relax, exercise, play and enjoy the natural environment and in North Sydney we have just about the lowest ration of open green space to residents compared to any city local government area.

We are under attack by the State Government – eight examples

First – The First Sydney Harbour Road Tunnel

In 1987 the State Government legislated to take ownership of the Southern end of Bradfield Park to facilitate the building of the tunnel – the land was to be returned on completion. The land remains to be returned to North Sydney Council.

Second – Berrys Bay Foreshore

Second there’s Berrys Bay – back in 2017 our Premier undertook to make the land on the western side of Berrys Bay available to our community. A month later, the Member for North Shore (F Wilson) spoke in support of the Premier’s undertaking – in her maiden speech.

The State Government is still talking about it – not delivering!

Third Waverton Bowling Green

Third – Waverton Bowling Green; it could have, should have passed to North Sydney Council for re-inclusion into Waverton Parklands. The State Government’s dithering opened the Waverton Bowling Green up to a claim by the Metropolitan Land Council and saw it lost to our community.

Fourth the Sydney Harbour HighLine

Fourth – the Sydney Harbour HighLine (walkway from Waverton to Lavender Bay) was promised by the Premier in 2017 following the recommendations of the very Committee she set up that was chaired by Felicity Wilson.

Andrew Constance, when a State Government minister, “paused” the project and then resigned – now the State Government is not even talking about when it will be delivered.

Fifth – Cammeray golf course

The Cammeray golf course has been sacrificed to the needs of the Western Harbour and Beaches’ tunnels and the Warringah Freeway expansion – our community loses 1.5 hectares of open green space and gets nothing in return and gets nothing in return – Newsletter 26

Sixth – The High Street “interchange”

Another loss to the needs of the Western Harbour and Beaches’ tunnels and the Warringah Freeway expansion.

Another tree eradication program brought to us by the State Government

Seventh Wendy’s “secret” Garden

It’s on borrowed time!

The best the Government has been prepared to do is grant a lease for 30 years (with an option) – unless something is done at the end of the lease the Garden can be claimed by the Metropolitan Land Council.

We need a State Government that’s prepared to protect it for ever.

Eighth – Bradfield Park being carved up by Transport for NSW to build a ramp for bikes

The State Government is confronted with a problem – how to get bikes up to and down from the cycleway on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

It has options – both meet the design standards for bike ramps

One:

• Requires the removal of no trees (the other, on the left, the removal of 8 trees)
• Has a zero footprint on Bradfield Park (the other, on the left, is a 200m by 4m concrete velodrome)
• Results in the loss of no parking space (the other, on the left, requires the removal of 23 parking space from Alfred Street).

Which one do you think the State Government has chosen
• the one that hardly interferes with Bradfield Park or
• the one that runs through the park and across the entrance to the railway station (aptly described as a scar across our Mona Lisa) and sees the removal of trees and parking spaces?

The solution put forward by the community

Conclusion

The time has come to push back against the State Government and our local member at every opportunity.

Our attempts to work with the State Government have yielded not a brass razoo and cost our community a lot of open green space.

Time to write to our State representative, Felicity Wilson, and tell her what you think about her performance.

Ian Mutton