9th March 2019 Edition One. In this edition:
Presidents Report,
Beecroft Cheltenham Civic Trust AGM,
New South Wales State Government Elections,
The lift at Beecroft Station – approval released,
Federal Elections in May 2019,
Beecroft Mens Probus,
Clean Up Australia 2019 Sunday 3rd March, Affordable Housing Discussion Paper – Hornsby Council,
Harmonisation or planning review for Parramatta City Council.
President's Report February
found the Trust attending two Land and Environment Court cases, both
cases concerned properties in Malton Road Beecroft. One case related to
the refusal of a development application (DA) by the Independent Hearing
and Assessment panel (IHAP) for two houses on two adjoining lots. The
other case was more serious and, as reported in earlier eNews bulletins,
involved the illegal removal of trees. Click here
if you are interested in the verdict on the tree removal. March
will also be busy, we have a "Meet the Candidates" meeting for the State
election on the 12th March followed by the BCCT AGM on the 19th March. Details are below.
I will nominate for the Trust Committee for another year and If the
committee chooses to elect me as President I will serve my third term as
the President. The Trust’s constitution only allows the President
to stand for three years. This is important, because for the
Trust to continue serving our community there must be a continuous
turnover of committee members with fresh ideas. Other Trusts are
changing their constitutions to reflect this principle. If you are
a Beecroft or Cheltenham resident, I urge you to seriously consider
nominating for the committee. Executive positions are sorted out after
the AGM by the elected committee.
Finally, the Committee has decided to have a candidate meeting for the
Federal Seat of Berowra in early April (avoiding holidays) and a
separate candidate meeting for the Federal Seat of Bennelong which will
be combined with the Epping Civic Trust and held at Epping.
New South Wales State Government Elections - Reminder
We will all be voting on Saturday 23rd March 2019. The Trust has booked the Beecroft Bowling Club (Beecroft Club) in Copeland Road for a “Meet the Candidates” evening on Tuesday 12th March 2019, commencing at 7.30pm sharp. This
is traditionally an event where the Trust invites all candidates for
the local Seat of Epping to address the residents of Beecroft and
Cheltenham. The meeting will follow a similar format to previous
years with each candidate given a 3 minute time frame to present their
views, followed by a formal Q and A segment.
Supper will be provided following the meeting at 9.15pm, providing the
opportunity for residents to chat informally with the candidates until
10pm. The Trust will not have the bar open for the evening.
At the time of publication of this eNews, there are 3 candidates
standing for the Seat of Epping; Dominic Perrottet for the Liberals,
Alan Mascarenhas for Labor and Simon Margan for the Greens.
Beecroft Cheltenham Civic Trust Annual General Meeting 2019 The Trust will hold its AGM on Tuesday 19th March 2019 at the Beecroft Bowling Club, commencing at 7.30pm.
Guest speaker will be Hornsby Council’s Group Manager of Planning James
Farrington, who will provide residents with a summary of changes to the
planning legislation. These changes will impact on Beecroft and
Cheltenham. Please seriously consider joining the
Trust Committee to ensure the Trust’s survival. We must continue
to have a regular flow of committee members to adapt to external changes
in our society. The nomination form for joining the committee can
be accessed on the Trust’s web site, CLICK HERE. Forms will also be available on the night.
The forthcoming Federal Elections in May 2019 The Trust will now be holding a separate ‘Meet the Candidates’ meeting for the Federal Electorate of Berowra only on Monday night 8th April
2019 at the Beecroft Bowling Club. The area of Beecroft south of the M2
falls within the Federal Electorate of Bennelong. The Trust has agreed
to hold a combined ‘Meet the Candidates’ meeting with Epping Civic Trust
in Epping. Details will be provided when the date is known.
Public Domain Guidelines and Signage Strategy Residents
of Beecroft and Cheltenham have often commented that the Beecroft
shopping precinct should be more pedestrian friendly. Hornsby
Council is investigating new guidelines for the design and construction
of publicly accessible shared spaces. The Trust committee has been
invited to attend a workshop at the Beecroft Bowling Club on Wednesday 13th March, commencing 7pm. Residents interested in attending are welcome. There will also be a pop-up event at Beecroft shops onSaturday 16th March between 1pm and 3pm.
If you are interested in this matter, you are welcome to attend either
or both functions. There is also an online survey to complete. Click here to access Council’s web page for more details.
The lift at Beecroft Station – approval released The
residents who made submissions during the exhibition period should have
received an email from Transport for NSW outlining the approval. Click here
for the approval details. The Trust notes that the approved design is
substantially unchanged from the original design. However the executive
summary states,
"No modifications have been made to the Proposed Activity since the
REF was prepared, however, due to the extensive community feedback
regarding the existing ramp at the Wongala Crescent entry (refer to
Table 1), TfNSW is now further investigating potential design options
and associated impacts to the surroundings. This will look at additional
options to maintain a ramp between Wongala Crescent and the existing
pedestrian underpass. Should design modifications be required as a
result of the detailed design process, these modifications would be
assessed to determine consistency with the Approved Project, including
significance of impact on the environment. Additional mitigation
measures and/or consultation would be undertaken where necessary.
TfNSW will continue to liaise with the community and other stakeholders
as the Proposed Activity progresses through detailed design and into the
construction phase."
The Trust will be contacting Transport for NSW to explore the
possibility of retaining the ramp in Wongala Crescent next to the
lift.
Beecroft Men's Probus - a Message from Robin Graham “Your
civic trust in action” is the speaker’s topic at the March meeting of
the club at Beecroft Bowling Club, Copeland Road – 10.00am. Monday 25th March.
President Ross Walker will review issues past, present and future of
concern to the Trust in its mandate to preserve the existing character,
heritage values, and natural beauty of our village.
Please note in your diary the next meeting of the Probus group's
Investment Club where the topic under discussion will be “Aged care –
it’s complicated”. You are fit, healthy and enjoying retirement; why
should you be thinking of aged care now? Beecroft Bowling Club – 4.30 pm
Tuesday 9th April.
Visitors and guests are most welcome. Phone Robin Graham, President, Beecroft Mens Probus – Tel 8411 3023 Mobile 0413 315 827
Clean Up Australia 2019 Clean Up Australia for 2019 was held last Sunday morning on the 3rd of March. Thirty people attended including the Beecroft Girl Guides and Beecroft Rotary. The main areas targeted includedthe
Beecroft commercial area, the train station area, Kirkham St bushland
near the M2 and Lynne Rd reserve. 14 bags of rubbish were collected,
plus some building materials and road signage. The regular volunteers
commented on the noticeable reduction in rubbish, specifically plastic
shopping bags. So the Bag free campaign appears to have worked.
Our next challenge will be addressing the number of disposal coffee
cups! The spot with the most amount of rubbish was again the
bushland gully below the train station subway. It appears to be a
favourite ‘watering hole’. The Trust encourages residents to pick
up litter as you are walking around. Litter attracts more litter,
so please set an example and make our suburb better.
Clean up Australia 2019
Affordable Housing Discussion Paper – Hornsby Council The exhibition period has been extended till 15th March 2019. The Trust has made a submission and can be viewed here.
The Affordable Housing Discussion Paper explores housing affordability
as it relates to Hornsby Shire, discusses the role of Federal, State and
Local government in alleviating housing affordability issues and
considers how Hornsby Council can encourage the provision of adequate,
appropriate and affordable housing. To access Council’s discussion paper
Click here.
Latest Police Reports CLICK HERE
for the latest reports. Just a reminder that these reports are
regularly provided by the Ryde Police Area Command which includes the
entire suburbs of Beecroft & Cheltenham.
Harmonisation or planning review for Parramatta City Council The exhibition period closed last Monday. The Trust has made a submission and is available for reading. Click here
Annual Memberships for 2019 will become due at the
Annual General Meeting on March 19th 2019... CLICK HERE
Keep our two suburbs strong and informed by being a member!
To support or join the Beecroft Cheltenham Civic Trust, please visit our website. CLICK HERE.
The
eNews has become our main method for disseminating information to the
community. Currently we have over 1088 email addresses, up from 900 two
months ago. We encourage residents who receive the eNews to tell
their neighbours and friends. The eNews letter is available to all
who subscribe. Trust Membership is not a requirement.
The eNews archives are available HERE. To subscribe to the eNews: CLICK HERE.
The Trust has always had an unwritten policy to assist any resident regardless of their membership status.
