20thApril 2018 Edition Two. In this edition:
Presidents Message, LEC updates,
Election of BCCT committee, Hornsby Council Waste Working Group,
Proposed changes to the city train services,
The passing of former Trust President Bill Greenhalgh, Aircraft noise over Beecroft and Cheltenham,
Hornsby shire budget in the RED,
Update on the Beecroft Gardens and the Community Hall, Plympton Rd carpark upgrade under way,
Dence Park Swimming Pool at Epping,
Cr Emma Heyde news, Trust Autumn Walk 6th May.
Message from the President My
second year as President has commenced. Thank you for your feedback
over the past year; I have attempted to provide a wide coverage of items
that the Trust believes people will be interested in. It’s refreshing
to receive positive comments plus snippets of information from people
when I’m in the shopping centre or just walking around the streets.
Regarding the building of the new sporting facility at Cheltenham Oval;
word from Hornsby Council managers is that they are optimistic a
pragmatic solution will be achieved soon in implementing an effective
recovery plan for the threatened Epacris plants.
Last weekend I attended the get together at Ahimsa, the former home of Marie Byles.
The property is positioned on the edge of the bush at the end of Day Rd
Cheltenham. Marie, who died in 1979, left her property to the National
Trust. After almost 40 years since her death, some of the buildings,
still in their original fabric, are looking tired. The gathering
discussed how the property could be maintained and used by the local
community in the future. Another event is scheduled in September, later
this year.
Thank you to those who have paid their subscriptions. While our rates
have not changed for many years, the bank balance is looking
healthier.
Finally, an ANZAC Day march and wreath laying at Beecroft Cenotaph Wednesday afternoon 25th at 3.45pm.
Land and Environment Court (LEC) updates Seniors housing development at 6-8 Malton Road Beecroft. Marsdens Law Group, acting for Hornsby Council, has informed people who originally objected, the following: The conciliation was not successful and was terminated by the Court on 14th
March 2018. At this stage, are awaiting instructions from Council in
relation to whether the Applicant has addressed Council’s remaining
concerns in relation to the development application. We will confirm
Council’s position in the coming days….the proceedings are listed for hearing on 4th May 2018 commencing at 2.30pm at
the Land and Environment Court in Sydney (225 Macquarie Street,
Sydney). The hearing will be before Commissioner Bish, who presided over
the conciliation conference, and for that reason the Court has not
requested a further site inspection.
Illegal tree lopping at 79-87 Malton Road Beecroft. Hornsby Council emailed the following: the
Class 5 LEC proceedings for the illegal tree lopping works at No. 79-87
Malton Road Beecroft, were set for mention last Friday, 13th
April 2018.It was anticipated that a plea would be entered into by the
defendant on this day, however a further adjournment was sought by the
defendant’s Solicitor to allow for additional time to file and serve
documentation and to enter pleas. The Court agreed with the request and
adjourned the matter to Friday, 27th April 2018.
Seniors housing development at 79 Murray Farm Rd Beecroft.
This LEC matter comes under Parramatta Council. The onsite
conciliation hearing was held this week. Latest information from
Marsdens Law Group: the conciliation conference has been
terminated. The proceedings will now go back before the Court to obtain a
hearing date. Once a hearing date has been allocated, we will issue
written correspondence to all residents advising of the dates and
inviting them to attend and speak at the hearing. Expect a date about September.
And, finally, on Monday 30th April 9.30am there will be an LEC onsite hearing at 82 Boronia Avenue where Hornsby Council has refused a two lot subdivision. It is unusual to have so many court cases on at the same time.
Election of positions on Trust committee The trust met last week and, in accordance with the constitution, filled the following positions. President- Ross Walker Vice President – Janet Hayes Treasurer – Nina Mital Secretary – to be appointed next meeting Website – Brian Shirley Minute secretary – Janet Hayes eNews – Ross Walker with support from Brian Shirley MP and Council liaison – Ross Walker with support
With the departure of long serving committee member Michael Stove, the
Committee has decided to discontinue its Facebook page. Currently
there are about 180 users and they are also receiving the eNews.
Duplicating the information in a second format does not warrant the
continued presence on Facebook.
Hornsby Council Waste Working Group - Community Representatives Hornsby
Council is seeking four (4) Community Representatives to join its Waste
Working Group to provide balanced and representative community input
and views into the development of a new Waste Strategy for Hornsby
Shire. There is a degree of urgency to initiate this project, no
doubt driven by recent events reported in the media. Anyone who is
interested in being a community representative, please use Council’s
link to their web page. Note the closing date is Friday week, 27th April 2018. http://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/property/waste-and-recycling/waste-working-group-community-representatives
HORNSBY Shire budget in the RED On Thursday 12th April 2018 Hornsby Shire Council published a media release on their current budget. Click here
to read it on Council’s web site. It relates to last year’s
stalled amalgamation process. Many people have probably forgotten
about it all by now, but Hornsby Council unfortunately can’t. And if
nothing is resolved soon, then it’s highly likely that next year,
services affecting various sections of our community, from new playing
fields for children to new facilities for seniors, may not be delivered.
Proposed changes to the city train services affecting Beecroft and Cheltenham Many
residents would have received this emailed update on proposed bus and
train changes already. In case you didn’t, please use this link. or this one for the Online Brochure
The email provides useful information, but there is some information
about the train service that is missing. Perhaps the finer details are
still being worked on.
Based on the information provided, our train service from Hornsby to the
city will permanently revert back to the old arrangement before we had
the Macquarie to Chatswood link. That is, trains to the city will be
going via Strathfield. We stay on the train and won’t be using the
escalators at Epping at all. We will assume at this stage that the
trains will be running every 15 minutes in both peak hour and also off
peak, and on weekends. Years ago the trains ran
every 30 minutes. So fingers crossed we will have a 15 minute
service seven days a week.
The trains in morning peak hour will terminate at Central due to
congestion on the City Circle. Logic tells us we will be alighting
on the country platforms. If this is correct, then if you work at, say
Town Hall, allow at least an extra 10 minutes commuting time to walk
across to the city circle service. Afternoon peak hour will probably
require you to allow an extra 15-20 minutes in order to get across to
the country platforms and make sure you arrive before the departure of
the Hornsby train.
Changing trains always appears simple and uncomplicated but peak hour
commuters will know from past experience that the probability of delays
increases significantly. So expect a total commuting time each
working day to increase by about 30 minutes. Of course, the
scenario the Trust has presented above may change. As for the bus
service to Macquarie - good luck.
The passing of former Trust President Bill Greenhalgh It is with sadness that the Trust notes the
passing of former Trust president and long-time committee member Dr
Bill Greenhalgh. Bill died Friday 6th April 2018. He
was 84. Bill, who had a doctorate in horticulture, was a well-known
identity in Beecroft and Cheltenham. With his horticultural
knowledge Bill was also very involved in the Beecroft and District
Garden Club. Our condolences to his widow Maureen and their immediate
family.
Aircraft noise over Beecroft and Cheltenham Earlier
this year a number of residents contacted the Trust about the perceived
increased frequency of low flying commercial aircraft approaching
Mascot over Beecroft and Cheltenham. There was a period in March when
the aircraft appeared to be coming over every five minutes at a lower
than normal altitude. Is it a perception or is it factual? The
Trust contacted our Federal Member, Julian Leeser, who informed us if
residents have any concerns then it would be best to contact Airservices
directly, http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/contact-us-2/, with specific times and dates.
Hornsby C Ward Councillor Emma Heyde Update Hornsby Councillor Emma Heyde has distributed another email update.
Below is a link to our website that contains her latest email that she sent to her followers.
The Trust supports Emma’s initiative in keeping the local community informed. CLICK HERE for the letter.
Update on the Beecroft Gardens and the Community Hall
Anyone visiting Beecroft will no doubt be aware of the construction
activity. The Trust has been informed that one of the planned loading
bays in front of the community hall has been deleted from the plans.
This will allow more landscaping. The Boer War ‘Willis’ memorial has now
been removed from near the community hall and will eventually be
relocated adjacent to the large WW1 memorial. Two other smaller
memorials will also be relocated adjacent to the WW1 memorial, so all
memorials are together. Also, as part of this project, the Trust
is working with Council staff and Epping MP Damien Tudehope’s office in
preparing a submission for a financial grant to the Department of
Veterans Affairs. The grant, for up to $10,000, will contribute
towards the cost associated with the relocation of the smaller war
memorials, including the WW2 50th anniversary memorial. The plans can be viewed on Council’s Website using this link. http://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/council/major-projects/beecroft-station-gardens-upgrade-and-community-centre-carpark
Plympton Rd carpark upgrade under way Parramatta Council is currently upgrading
the carpark at Plympton Road Carlingford North. The upgrade will
redesign the vehicle entry, widen the car spaces, angling the car spaces
at 45 degrees to avoid collisions when vehicles are reversing and
update landscaping. The project should be completed by July.
Dence Park Swimming Pool at Epping Parramatta Council has announced that
Epping Aquatic Centre will remain open over the Winter Season on a trial
basis for 2018. From Monday 16th April, the pool will be open on restricted hours until early October.
The 2018 Winter hours of operation are:
MONDAY TO FRIDAY: 6.00am - 10.00am and 3.30pm - 7.00pm SATURDAY &
SUNDAY: 8.00am - 4.00pm PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: Anzac Day 12.00pm - 4.00pm and
Queen's Birthday 8.00am- 4.00pm
The Summer hours of operation will resume in early October. Over winter
there will be scheduled maintenance that may require Council to close
the centre for a few days. Council aim to complete this work during the
July school holidays. Keep an eye out for updates at the centre and
through Newsletters.
SWIM SCHOOL TERM 2, 2018
With the confirmation of Epping Aquatic Centre staying open through Winter, bookings for Term 2 of Swim School are now open.
Term 2 lessons will run from Monday 30th April to Sunday 8th July.
Lessons will start at 3.45pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday. Saturday lessons will start at 8.00am.
Booking dates are as follows;
TUESDAY 10th TO SUNDAY 15TH APRIL - Bookings open for current members on same day.
MONDAY 16th APRIL - Bookings open for new members & change of day for current members.
The Trust Autumn Walk 6th May – Advance Notice Residents of
Beecroft and Cheltenham are very fortunate to live in a healthy,
bushland environment. After all we are custodians of this special asset
and to fully appreciate its value the Trust has been regularly holding
autumn and spring walks through our bushland for over 50 years. We
intend to continue the tradition.
On Sunday 6th
May at 2pm the Trust will lead a walk commencing and finishing at the
end of Welham St Beecroft. This year we will pass through Chilworth
Reserve and along Orchard Rd to Ray Park. Then return via Kirkham
Street. The Trust will point out recent changes to the bushland in
Chilworth Reserve but more importantly changes around Ray Park.
Just
turn up at Welham St. at 2pm. It will be a fairly long walk so
wear sturdy walking shoes, a hat and carry some water. Afternoon tea
will be served at 4.30 pm at the Scout hall below Welham St. All
welcome.
In case of inclement weather, contact Ross Walker on 0412 257 556
Scam Alert The Trust has added a new section to our website. http://www.bcct2119.com.au/news.html We will attempt to inform the community of current fraudulent scams.
If you hear of any new ones we have not covered, please report them to comment@bcct2119.com.au
Annual Memberships for 2018 are now Due... 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 1040 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.
At this stage, the Trust will continue to distribute the printed bulletin as not everyone uses the internet. We
are continuing to looking for volunteers who like walking and who may
be able to distribute approximately 100 Bulletins a couple of times per
year, as this is all done by kind members of our community. If you are
able to help out, even as an occasional fill in person, please contact trish@bcct2119.com.au.
The Trust has always had an unwritten policy to assist any resident regardless of their membership status.
