Saturday 20th June 2020, 4pm  THIRROUL PLAZA SUB COMMITTEE - VIA ZOOM

ATTENDEES: Murray Jones, Tony Horneman, Ray Smith, Martin Gorrick, Louise Wellington, Stephen Le Bas, Annette Jones, Paul Tuckerman, Ross Dearden, John Hatch, John Mebberson, Lindsey Smith, Bluey Potter

Meeting opened 4:20pm due to technical issues.  (wrong link sent out)

Report by Murray:

Article for 2515 Magazine prepared and will be sent around for review prior to submission

Other issues acted on in the last week – Cliff Parade and Hewitts Avenue

UPDATE ON ACTIONS:

Louise and Stephen have formed a management subcommittee of 8 to 10 people from members on their Facebook page. These people will help communicate with the community. There are a couple of people with media/communication backgrounds.

Louise and Stephen have developed a plan and are in the process of setting up an Instagram page. This will help start a conversation about what we want to see in Thirroul.

Louise and Stephen: 

• met with Luke Mackenzie from Metcash. He was an Environmental Lawyer. He offered unsolicited advice - said stick to the facts and emotion. Cause can be won on emotion. Need background lobbying
• Chamber of Commerce for Thirroul raised with local businesses that Louise and Stephen met with during the week but no appetite amongst business owners for this at present
• are to meet with Chris Millet of Transport NSW
• have written to Jessica Saunders at WCC, but no response
• emailed all councillors – nothing back as yet except from Mithra Cox who is an alternate member on the SRPP so has to remain independent
• submitted a GIPA (Government Access Public Information) request for access to all the submissions sent to Council.

Found out from this GIPA request that over 750 submissions had been sent to Council – more than 10% of the population of Thirroul. To get access to all of this would mean that a formal GIPA request would need to be lodged, take around 4 days to compile and cost $30 per hour – around $840. However, the Council staff member said that she could pull out the names and suburb of those who had lodged a submission. There were a few duplicates, but generally most submitters came from Thirroul and surrounds.

Attached to this GIPA request was a letter from WCC to the Architects dated 17 June 2020 that requested additional information relating to various aspects of the development. Attached was a response from Chris Millet of Transport NSW giving their view of the development as it relates to the train system.

Apparently the developers have 2 weeks in which to provide additional information to the Council in relation to the issues identified. If the developers can’t reach this milestone it is possible that the DA could be withdrawn. 

Louise said she would forward a copy of this information from the GIPA request to the TVC.

Noticed that a banner had been put up near the bridge overpass. Stephen said there are ads going into the 2515 magazine. The TVC is also submitting a letter.

Murray wrote to Jessica Saunders at Council asking when the SRPP may meet. Nothing back as yet.

Discussion about how it might be useful if the community thinks about what they would like to see built. However, it was noted that the developers have every right to build what they consider appropriate and economically viable on the site, as long as it conforms to development regulations as it is their land.

Today traffic was backed up along Redman Ave trying to get into the Coles carpark. Thought traffic would improve along Lawrence Hargrave Drive while the access was closed at Bald Hill, but this is not the case. 

Access to and from Thirroul is already an issue and will be made worse by this development proposal. Access is even more important now due to the bushfires earlier this year as the escarpment could go up. Those in the northern suburbs would be cut off if there was a fire. Discussion about a petition about the need for better access roads to the northern suburbs. Suggested that we could conduct an on line petition utilising Change.org. 

Murray has written an article about the need for an alternative access road in the upcoming 2515 Magazine. The aim will be to start a well overdue conversation on traffic.

Meeting closed at 5.38pm.

Next meeting – Sunday 5th July, 4pm.