The Coal Point Chronicle: April 2019

Thursday 11 April 2019

No coup this year

Each year leading up to the AGM there’s always a possibility that something unexpected may happen…it didn’t.

The Annual General Meeting held in March returned the majority of the Committee, with a slight shuffling of the positions to accommodate the loss of two highly valued committee members Robyn and John Gill.

The Gills are an inspiring, community-minded, dynamic duo who have been Progress stalwarts since 2004.

Robyn’s coordination of the Landcare crew throughout 2004-2018, along side John’s

wisdom and diligence as Treasurer, 2011-2018, have ensured on-ground outcomes have been undertaken with the knowledge and skill that only Robyn can provide, whilst John’s heroic efforts juggling membership, hall bookings and finances delivered strong and effective governance.

The CPPA has indeed been fortunate to have the Gill’s skills contributing to the CPPA Committee and the broader community since 2004. A heartfelt thanks goes to Robyn & John for their extensive contributions to the community and well wishes for your civic retirement.

The ‘new’ Committee are :

President/Secretary - Suzanne Pritchard
Vice President -. Harvey Mitchell
Treasurer - Ian Dennison
Chronicle Coordinator. Tony Dynon
Membership Officer Robyn Garrett

Memorable moments

The Annual Report was presented at the AGM providing a moment or two to reflect on the achievements of the past Progress year (2018). A video on the 6-year Threatened Species project was also shown and can be viewed at aabr.org.au/regenTV.

Grant getting for doing good things

A $16,198 Community Building Partnership Grant was gained to insulate and air condition the hall.

The six –year, $250,000 Threatened Species Last Stand on the Coal Point peninsula grant (TSLS) which generated over $1million of cash and in-kind contributions was completed.

Community Collaboration

The CPPA joined forces with local community groups, as the Toronto Foreshore Protection

Group (TFPG), seeking to retain the entire Toronto foreshore as parkland for a growing population. CPPA support includes providing community updates via the Chronicle, fundraising, supporting events and contributing to discussions.

The partnership with the Toronto Area Sustainable Group (TASNG) continues to strengthen by supporting and promoting activities and assisting with membership renewals and collaborating on funding applications and projects.

Our member’s hall

The hall usage has been consistent.

Maintenance sessions are now being undertaken biannually to align with council’s clean up.

A wall mural now aids in locating the hall.

Underfloor insulation was installed.

A portion of the ‘the bushland backyard’ of the hall was sold to Council to expand the reserve by 575m2.

Community Gatherings

A Member’s Morning was held which provided an opportunity for active members to socialise and welcome new members.

A 170m2 mural was created on the Hunter Water Reservoir, with Coal Point Public and Toronto High School students.

An Art & Craft Show was held, 200 people attended.

The planting of the Squirrel Glider garden at Coal Point Public School was completed on School National Tree Day.

A children’s activity, Fur & Feathered Friends was developed and shared with Carey Bay preschooler and children at local events.

A National Tree Day community planting and primary weeding of the Hampton St link happened, gaining community thanks and appreciation for the work.

A Bunnings BBQ was undertaken and funds shared to support the TFPG.

Getting the word out and about

10 editions of The Chronicle were produced and distribution increased from 1500 to 2000 to support the TFPG campaign.

The website and Facebook page were maintained with content from the Chronicle.

A Bonza Bushland Gardening Guide was created to support locals with bushland blocks to understand the threats to bushland and how to manage them.

Suzanne Pritchard attended the SER2018 conference and delivered a presentation on the TSLS project. The presentation can be viewed on AABR’s regenTV webpage,

A five-minute presentation on the TSLS project outcomes was delivered to LMCC Councillors on 29/10/18.

Keeping track of Council

Submissions were made to LMCC on the Toronto Foreshore Master Plan and Lake Mac 2050 Strategy.

Development Applications were monitored monthly and shared in the newsletter.

Major developments included

DA 1243/2016: 2 Brighton Ave- 133 Excelsior Pd. – 19 Units. The developer’s appeal was dismissed and the DA refused by the Land & Environment Court on 28/3/18
DA1835/2016-(Amended) 151-155 Brighton Ave- 44units and amended DA for 37 units– Council approved the DA in Sept 2018 allowing it to exceed the planning control’s height limits.
DA 1865/2017 - 20 Laycock St- 22Units- awaiting the outcomes of environmental surveys.

Restoring our public bushland

The Landcare group continued to meet every Thursday and revel in the resilient bushland that benefits from the caring hands and enthusiasm of the crew.
Over the past year, 1985 plants found a home in our community and 2240 hours of landcaring was undertaken
The multiple on-ground outcomes from the TSLS project are summarised in the full report.

Thank you to our Members, Volunteers and Sponsors

The Progress Association is indebted to all the locals who give their time, talent and support for the greater good of the community.

Thank you to the members whose support is vital for the organisation to be able to represent community views and a special vote of thanks those who added a donation to their membership fees. Thank you to the sponsors who make the Chronicle and community projects possible, Yoga Circle for their regular hall hire, our volunteer auditor Veronica Lund and Armstrongs Solicitors for assisting with the land sale.

Heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers from near and far who landcare, who look after the hall, distribute newsletters, help out and come along to social events, provide catering, take photos, collect and collate data, provide local insights for the newsletter, offer professional expertise and look after the governance of the group coordinating sponsors, memberships and admin.

Appreciation goes to Greg Piper, who has been a long term supporter of the CPPA.

The full annual report from the AGM can be viewed here.

What has TASNG been upto

The Toronto Area Sustainable Neighbourhood Group has multiple projects on the boil at

the moment

The entrance to Toronto is being given a facelift adjacent to Hymix on Awaba Rd. Lomandras have been planted and a big autumn planting is scheduled for Wednesday 15 May at 9am. All are welcome to the community planting.
The Pamper Care Project is supporting locals in need with food and personal care items. Toronto High School was assisted with 10 scientific calculators and Lake Mac High with kits for girls.
A successful Trip to the Tip saw the new mulch processing plant in full swing and impressed all in attendance.
The Urban Forest concept is being explored to highlight the need for appreciation and awareness of the dollar value of trees in urban environments. Melbourne City Council has a tree value calculator.
The Litter campaign has some great news with Kmart, Target, Reject Shop and Chemist Warehouse to drop free single use plastic bags.
Locally, signs have been created for shops that have switched from plastics and these will be handed out soon.
Maccas are being slow to drop plastic straws and 2 Toronto pub /clubs have made the switch.

TASNG meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month 5-6:30 at 97 The Boulevarde, The Hub. All welcome.

Mother Earth Day 22nd April

The UN’s International Mother Earth Day is celebrated each year to remind us that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance.

Do you feel like celebrating by setting up your REDcycle system?

What’s in your red bin? Chances are it’s full of soft scrunchable plastics that could have another life, in another form. Toronto’s Coles and Woolies both participate in the REDcycle scheme that supports manufacturers, retailers and consumers to share the responsibility in creating a sustainable future, reducing plastic going to landfill.

If you want to take your recycling to the next level just collect your soft plastic, make sure it’s dry and empty and take it into Woolies or Coles next time you go shopping. The deposit bins are near the checkouts.

There’s a comprehensive list if what to REDcycle on the redcycle website.

CANE TOAD ALERT

There has been another two confirmed cane toads found in our region.

If you live in Lake Macquarie - especially close to Eleebana, Southern Warners Bay, Western Mt Hutton and Swansea please be alert and keep an eye out.

Cane toads are a serious invasive pest, which would have devastating impacts on biodiversity if allowed to establish in our region.

WHAT TO DO if you think you’ve spotted one:
• Always wear protective gloves and eyewear when handling potential cane toads. They extrude (and sometimes squirt) poison from glands positioned behind the head.
• The animal should be collected and held in a closed, well-ventilated, non-toxic container, with some water.
• DON’T HARM THE ANIMAL until we confirm what it is.
• Photograph the animal and report it to NSW DPI using our online reporting form www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/ sighting or emailing invasive.species@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Cane toads can be confused with some native frogs, which is why it's important you don't kill any suspected toads before reporting to the DPI.

Cane toads have:

distinct bony ridges above the eyes, which run down the snout
a large paratoid gland behind each eye
unwebbed front hands but webbed toes on their hind feet
dry warty skin
cane toads can range in colour from grey, yellowish, red-brown, or olive-brown, with varying patterns

If you want to know more about how to identify a cane toad please follow this link.

DAs in Play 3/3/19 to 10/4/19

Here is an abridged list of local DA activity from to 3/3/19 to 10/4/19. It has been compiled to support community understanding of DAs in our area.

Please consult Lake Macquarie City Council’s Application Tracking system for details and a complete listing.

10 Alkira Street: Dwelling House and Demolition of Existing: Awaiting Information requested
22 Brighton Avenue: Multiple Dwelling Housing, Subdivision and Demolition - Section 4.55(2) Amended Plans: Under Assessment
161 Brighton Avenue: Mixed Use - Residential Flat Building (6 units) and Commercial Premises -: Amended Plans- Under assessment
69 Coal Point Road: 1 into 3 Lot Subdivision: Under Assessment
158 Coal Point Road: 1 Into 2 Lot Subdivision: On Notification/Advertising
176 Coal Point Road: Dwelling House & Demolition of Existing Structures: Under Assessment
213 Coal Point Road: Boat Shed: Under Assessment
335 Coal Point Road: Boat Shed: Approved
214 Coal Point Road: Dwelling House and Retaining Walls: Approved
219 Coal Point Road: Remove 1 Tree: Approved
94 Excelsior Parade: Recreation Facility (Indoor Gymnasium) - Extension to Hours of Operation: Approved
3 Grant Road 2 x Carports: Awaiting Notification

DA Update

Just when you thought it was all done and dusted…

151 Brighton Avenue: Mixed Use Development - Amended Under Sec 4.55(1A): Check New Application

The description reads:

Convert 5X3B/R units to 2 B/R units, internal reconfiguration of layouts, adjust terraces, 1 additional car space, rearrangement of plant, amend metal roof to concrete roof, minor reduction commercial floor space to accommodate plant, minor changes to terraces…The proposal remains unchanged in terms of height, bulk and scale. Negligible change to externals. No change to number of units or access arrangements. No change to above ground setbacks

According to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act,Sec 4.55 allows for modification of consents, if there is minimal environmental impact , it is substantially the same development and any submissions made throughout the process are considered.

A review of the amendment documentation shows that

The commercial unit has been reduced in size from 72m² to 35m² which is 50% and hardly a minor reduction. The site is has a Business zoning, the function of that zoning should be enforced otherwise it compromises of the planning system
The other main amendment is the loss of terraces with many units internal space being expanded “pushed out to edge of terrace’. The effect of this would increase the bulk of the building and further obscure sight lines from adjacent neighbours.

Senior Planners at LMCC have deemed that the amended application does not need to be notified to outside parties, therefore no formal notification period is in place. A Senior Planner has suggested comments be provided by 29/4/19 to council@lakemac.nsw.gov.au

TFPG update for April 2019

The TFPG continues to communicate with Council and Councillors to raise community
concerns about the proposed multi-storey development on the Bath Street foreshore site next to the Yacht Club and to suggest better alternative options.

Council is in the process of engaging consultants for both the Bath Street site and the Foreshore Masterplan. TFPG continues to call for the Bath Street site to be included in a proper Foreshore Master plan. We seek a well-structured Town with good urban design and good connections to the Lake and surrounding areas. At some point further community engagement is expected but to this point Council’s insistence upon a tall residential building has been non-negotiable.

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) have set a date, April 12th in Newcastle for a mediation session between Council and the TFPG over Council’s continuing refusal to release key background documents (including a feasibility study) related to its proposal. Hopefully, some progress will be made.

TFPG recently obtained access to the individual (identifier redacted) written submissions and on-line survey and social pinpoint comments from the community as part of Council’s 2018 community consultation phase about the Toronto foreshore.

In summary:

Social pin point comments: A clear majority (84% of primary comments) expressed concerns about the proposed development and provided several alternatives.
Survey comments: Many comments were related to the proposed development, the need for increased foreshore open space, lack of parking and the need for appropriate infrastructure. About one third (50) of the submissions commented on the Bath Street proposal and, of these, a clear majority (85%) had concerns with and were against the proposal.
Written submissions: Nearly all the 65 submissions mentioned the proposal. There was almost unanimous (95%) concern with and disapproval of the proposal. About 90% were in favour of community open-space, with or without appropriate small-scale development.

TFPG continues to advocate for alternative options for the Bath Street site that would provide physical improvements and some modest facilities to better serve the community and attract visitors while maintaining good community access to the foreshore and the Lake. To that end, TFPG urges Council’s to use its other commercial town sites for residential and tourist accommodation, not precious foreshore.

Please continue to contact Council and the media to outline your concerns and provide alternative suggestions to improve the Bath Street end of the foreshore for locals and visitors.

What is the Bath Street Development?

Bob Ireland has prepared a presentation that summarises the actions so far with respect to the proposed Bath Street Development. This detailed overview brings you up to speed with what council’s actions have been and what the TFPG - community actions have been. The presentation is in three parts and can be viewed in the Reference Documents section of the tfpg.org.au website.

Pamper Care drop off at Westlakes Trophies, Framing & Engraving

The Pamper Care Project was initiated in July 2017 to assist disadvantaged people in the

2283 and 2284 areas. The Project provides personal care items and non-perishable food and operates out of Woodrising Neighbourhood Centre and networks with other agencies.

The need for assistance is increasing, in March the project assisted over 10 people with Pamper Care Kits and saw an increase in assistance for food.

Carl & Helen Leary, community-minded-businessfolk, will be hosting a Pamper Care receiving station at their shop, in the Carey Bay Shopping Village. Any personal care products or non-perishable food items are welcome to be left; soap, shampoo, deodorant, personal hygiene products…items we take for granted but make such a difference to how we feel.