Randwick City Councillors met last night Tuesday 23 February 2021 for their first Council Meeting of the year. It was a big meeting with 41 agenda items up for discussion in a 650-page business paper.

Here’s a summary of a few of the matters considered including the Heffron Centre, Coogee Bay Road, Anzac Parade heritage study, Little Bay Cove and Pagewood Green.

Heffron Centre plan progresses

A new state-of-the-art community sport facility and home for the South Sydney Rabbitohs is a step closer to reality after Council last night endorsed a concept development application (DA). Located in Maroubra’s Heffron Park, the Heffron Centre will feature a new indoor multi-purpose facility with sports halls to accommodate community sports, including netball, basketball, badminton, volleyball and futsal, alongside a dedicated gymnastics facility. It will also be home to the South Sydney Rabbitohs housing their team’s headquarters, training facilities, a new showcase NRL training field, and a new base for Souths Cares to increase their community outreach programs. The concept DA will now be referred to the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel for approval. Pending approval, construction could commence mid-2021. [Read more]

Council backs mural program

More murals could be popping up on blank walls across Randwick City as part of a Randwick Council public art activation program. The idea will be explored further by Council staff with the possibility of trialling the program in Malabar. [Read more]

Council to celebrate Greek Independence Day

Council will raise the Greek flag and hold a civic reception honouring the contribution of the Greek community to Randwick City. The 25 March 2021 marks 200 years of Greek independence.

Coogee Bay Road Shared Village project extended

Wider footpaths and more outdoor dining space on Coogee Bay Road are here to stay until April 2021. The temporary activation was opened in November 2020 changing traffic from two-way to one-way and using the extra space for more outdoor dining to support businesses recover from COVID by providing more space for shoppers, diners and walkers. The project was due to finish in February 2021, but Councillors resolved to extend the project for another two months. A recent survey of 3,029 respondents (including 1,988 from Coogee) found 79% rated the project good or excellent and 78% supported extending it. [Read more]

Council calls for a halt to Pagewood Green development
Randwick Council will write to the Planning Minister expressing concern with Meriton’s stage 2 application for its Pagewood Green site. Meriton has lodged plans with Bayside Council for an additional two towers containing 383 units in 14 and 17 storey towers. The proposal is located in the Bayside Council area but directly adjoins Randwick City and would have negative impacts on infrastructure and traffic in Randwick City. Council is calling for a halt to the development until infrastructure concerns are addressed. [Read more]

Council seeks consultation over Little Bay Cove development

Randwick Council will write to the NSW Planning Minister requesting Council be consulted prior to any report being finalised by the Department of Planning considering increased densities along the Anzac Parade corridor. Meriton’s proposal to build almost 2,000 new apartments in towers up to 17-storeys high at Little Bay was rejected by Council in June 2020, but has now been referred to the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel for determination following a rezoning review lodged by Meriton. The Panel has advised they are investigating development potential along Anzac Parade due to the release of the South Eastern Sydney Transport Strategy. [Read more]

Blak Markets are back

La Perouse’s famous Blak Markets are here to stay after Council agreed to sponsor the popular indigenous markets for the next three years. The markets, run by social enterprise group First Hand Solutions on Bare Island, provide arts, craft, tourism and performing arts businesses with an opportunity to test their products and services in an iconic marketplace. Four markets will be held each year. [Read more]

Fenced dog park trial

A fenced dog park could be trialled in the southern half of Randwick City after Councillors unanimously backed the idea. As part of Council’s Open Space and Recreation Strategy currently in development, a suitable space will be identified for a potential trial. Residents will be notified prior to any trial commencing. [Read more]

Study finds significant heritage value for Anzac Parade

A comprehensive heritage study of Anzac Parade has found the historic corridor is a unique ‘cultural route’ with potential for local, state and national heritage listing. The study found the road connected a great number of important sites and concluded that no other site in Australia has an equivalent or as powerful a connection with military and social history. Councillors resolved to place the study on exhibition for public comment. [Read more]

Port noise remains a mystery

An investigation into noise complaints raised by residents in the Matraville, Little Bay, Chifley, La Perouse and Pagewood areas during winter 2020, has been unable to identify a specific significant source for the noise complaints. The NSW Ports commissioned investigation identified a number of factors which appear to have contributed to the level of noise including noise from ships, port operations, road traffic, construction activities and nearby industrial activities. Council will continue to work with NSW Ports and the EPA, industry representatives and stakeholder forums to follow-up the recommendations of the report and to manage noise. [Read more]

Fallen Lifesavers Memorial to be completed

Coogee’s Fallen Lifesavers Memorial will be completed with an interactive touchscreen display carrying the names of Australian lifesavers killed in armed conflict. The iconic Alan Somerville statue of a digger and lifesaver was unveiled in 2014 and it was envisaged at the time that the names of fallen lifesavers would be incorporated at a later stage. The interactive touchscreen display will be sensitively recessed into a sandstone plinth. Council will now proceed with detailed design work for the project. [Read more]

Media enquiries

• Chelsea Hunter – 0419 694 983 or chelsea.hunter@randwick.nsw.gov.au
• Joshua Hay – 0402 351 459 or joshua.hay@randwick.nsw.gov.au