August meeting notes

As discussed at our last meeting:

Central to Eveleigh Feedback

The meeting collected comments on Central to Eveleigh redevelopment proposals. These will be submitted to Urban Growth along with feedback from Vanessa Knight and Gary Speechly who attended an information session in June.

Please send any additional comments to info@arag.org.au.

Extra votes for business owners

ARAG has sent a letter to the premier in objection to legislation proposed by Shooters and Fishers Party that seeks to give more votes to people who own businesses than to other people.  (If you wish to send your own objection, we have uploaded a template for a draft objection letter that may be posted or submitted online.)

BPN Planning for People Charter

ARAG is now a signatory to the BPN Planning for People Charter.

See also the explanatory note.

Alexandria Scouts

There will be a public meeting in support of reopening Alexandria Scout Hall at:

3-4pm, Saturday 23 August
Australian Technology Park, Bay 8, Room 6b.

ARAG’s Annual General Meeting

No – don’t run away!!!

The 2014 Annual General Meeting of ARAG will be held on Wednesday 9th July 2014 prior to our regular monthly meeting. The AGM will commence at 7:00 pm.

The current Executive Committee is:

 Convenor Ben Aveling
 Co-Convenor Vanessa Knight
Secretary  Yvonne Cowell
Treasurer Gary Speechley
Working Groups Vanessa Knight

Additionally, Gary Speechley is the Public Officer, the person responsible for liaison between ARAG and Fair Trading NSW.

We are seeking new members to join the committee and would welcome your consideration of offering your experience and enthusiasm.

Financial and other reports also will be presented at the AGM.

Secondary Education Forum

The City of Sydney is partnering with the NSW Department of Education and Communities and hosting a forum on Tuesday 3 June at Alexandria Park Community School in the school hall between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.
The Forum is on Public Secondary Education in the Inner Sydney area.
If you have children or plan to have children – you need to be there!
This is your opportunity to have your say and learn about how the Department plans for high schools, raise your concerns and contribute your ideas.
Some of the things that need to be considered:
  • Alexandria families will be facing the added pressure of increasing numbers of children from the Ashmore Estate (6,000+ more people) and other developments including whatever comes from the Central to Eveleigh corridor concept.  We must make sure there is good and informed planning for this growth in education demand – and it needs to start now!
  • We need to protect the Alexandria Park School from any attempts to sell land to make a quick buck – that’s how the Department of Education got into this mess with short term thinking.
  • We need to nurture the growing success of the Alexandria Park Community School – did you know that the school is ranked in the top 200 of all schools in NSW (public and private)?
  • We need to ensure the Alexandria Park Community School is maintained adequately.
Some background information:

Don’t just hope that it will all work out in the end – no-one cares about the future of your kids more than you!

RSVP online.
If you can’t attend, there is another meeting on Thursday 5 June, at Sydney Secondary College Blackwattle Campus, and there is a website where you can leave feedback – http://dec.engagementhq.com/consultation.
Thanks and regards
Vanessa Knight
Alexandria Residents Action Group

It was fabulous. We have lost property.

The fair is over. Thanks to all who attended, we hope you had a good time.

We’re still dealing with paperwork, trying to get prizes to raffle winners, sorting photos.

In the meantime, we have lost property:

  • one pair of glasses, frames are black at the front, with tortoise shell arms.
  • one black hat

If either of these might be yours, please email us at info at arag.org.au.

12th March Meeting

The next ARAG meeting is to be held this coming Wednesday, 12th March at 7pm at Alexandria Town Hall.

Agenda & Topics for Discussion

 

The Planning Department is being caught out on the new draft legislation

Two articles in today’s press highlight what ARAG and other community groups as affiliates of the Better Planning Network have been saying for some time: the proposed new planning legislation is rubbish – broken before it starts.

See http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/top-official-admits-errors-over-draft-planning-laws-20130812-2rsht.html and http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/archives/53324/ for more information.

What’s the problem? “The director general of planning Sam Haddad has admitted the way departmental staff sold the new planning reforms to the public could have been “inaccurate or misleading”.”

Expect a change.org petition on behalf of the Better Planning Network (BPN) to be live in the next day or so, and PLEASE act on it so that this bad, developer-focussed legislation can be directed to the rubbish bin of history.

The BPN website is located at http://betterplanningnetwork.good.do/ and can also be accessed via e-mail at betterplanningnetwork@gmail.com, and on Facebook and Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/BetterPlanningNetwork/ and http://twitter.com/bettplannetwork respectively.

Better Planning Network (BPN) Questionnaire

On the reverse side of this month’s ARAG Meeting flier is a questionnaire on behalf of the Better Planning Network.

Established in August 2012, the Better Planning Network Inc. (the BPN) is an affiliation of more than 420 community groups across NSW working together to achieve a NSW planning system that is driven by Ecologically Sustainable Development principles; has community wellbeing at its heart; respects the right of communities to shape local planning and development decisions; protects our environment and heritage; and minimises the risks of corruption associated with planning and development decisions.  The BPN is a volunteer-based, incorporated organisation and is not affiliated with any political party. (This paragraph is from the BPN.)

ARAG, along with other community groups, has been asked to distribute the BPN questionnaire throughout our communities to assist with the fight against the proposed NSW Planning Legislation.

ARAG does not push a view or opinion on the issues that arise – be it in relation to development applications, parking, etc. We aim to provide information and access to information and views through this blog, and through invited speakers at our monthly meetings, so that you, the resident, can make an informed decision that best represents your views and your desired outcomes.

The BPN questionnaire contains a number of questions in relation to the performance of local (state) members of parliament in relation to the proposed NSW Planning legislation, and whether their support or otherwise of this legislation would affect your vote.

As you can see, the questionnaire specifically mentions our state electoral seat of Heffron, and the name of the local member.

This is not a request or solicitation of your voting intentions by ARAG.

It is a request by BPN that will assist them in targeting government members of parliament and members of minor parties in their effort to achieve a better planning outcome for NSW.

ARAG apologises if this questionnaire has caused offence or confusion.