12th September 2019 Edition One. In this edition: Presidents Message,
Traffic Noise M2,
Spring Walk 15 Sept, Proposed Child Care Centre at 36 Orchard Road Beecroft,
Recent Development Applications,
Draft Local strategic planning statement,
New Electricity Charges,
Bookshop in Beecroft is Closing,
Mayor Philip Ruddock's Newsletter,
Parramatta Council's Newsletter,
Councillor Emma Heyde's Latest Newsletter,
Latest Police Reports,
Message from the President I
finally have some good news regarding the bush regeneration of the
former haulage road next to Cheltenham Oval. Our Mayor Philip
Ruddock has been in communication with our Member for Epping Dominic
Perrottet and I understand Council’s General Manager is now in dialogue
with officers in the relevant State Government agency.
It is important that the Metro project team completes the bush
rehabilitation in a competent manner before the site is handed back to
Council.
The publication of Cr Emma Heyde’s regular newsletter in the last eNews
generated some feedback from our readers. The Trust has a long
standing policy of publishing newsletters released by our elected
representatives. After all, it is we the public who elected them
to represent us. There is an expectation that we should receive
feedback from them.
We have once again approached our elected members to provide newsletters
and Hornsby Council Mayor Philip Ruddock has obliged. His
newsletter is published below.
Last week, with assistance from Hornsby Council staff, I applied
for a federally funded community grant to go towards repairing the main
War Memorial at Beecroft.
Fingers crossed that the Trust, and Council, will be successful.
Finally I have some sad news. Stephen Jenke, one of the Trust’s
Facebook administrators, unexpectedly passed away last week. The
Trust wishes to publicly acknowledge his contribution to the Trust and
offer his family our condolences. I have been informed that the
Trust’s Facebook page announcing Stephen's passing has received over
1500 ‘hits’.
Traffic Noise from the M2 – resident feedback sought. - Reminder Thank
you to those who replied. The Trust will continue to invite
residents to comment. The results so far vary. Some
residents suffer a high degree of noise intrusion; others very
little. The variations appear to reflect the topography of the
land but also our built environment such as house orientation and
layout. Once we have a sufficient number of responses we will
approach our local State Member Dominic Perrottet to arrange a meeting
to discuss options for possible amelioration. Your opinion and any
facts you can provide will help the Trust to better understand the
issue. Reply to secretary@bcct2119.com.au
Spring Walk – Sunday 15th September 2pm to 4pm - Reminder The annual Spring Walk will be held on 15th
September commencing at the end of Day Road, next to Ahimsa. The
walk will pass the geological feature called Whale Rock, over the Lane
Cove River and finally around the STEP loop track located below South
Turramurra. It’s a medium grade walk that can be shortened for
those struggling as we will be returning the way we came. There
will be the regular history talk from the local History Group to add
some drama and intrigue. Decent walking shoes are recommended and
if there has been rain expect some shallow fording of Devlin’s Creek and
the Lane Cove River. Afternoon tea will be provided at the end at
Ahimsa itself, the property that Marie Byles bequeathed to the National
Trust. All welcome.
The well attended Autumn walk 23rd June
Beecroft Spring Market, Saturday 14th September The Spring Market is on again at the Beecroft Uniting Church. CLICK HERE for details.
Proposed Child Care Centre at 36 Orchard Road Beecroft Local
residents have approached the Trust regarding a proposed child care
centre at 36 Orchard Road Beecroft. DA498/2019 is currently on
exhibition and will be determined by Parramatta City Council. To
access the DA documents, CLICK HERE.
To view the Trust's objection, CLICK HERE
Recent Development Applications The Beecroft Cheltenham Civic Trust's Web
Site now has links to recently submitted Development Applications in the
2119 postcode area. CLICK HERE To access them.
Draft Hornsby Local Strategic Planning Statement. Reminder Hornsby
Council resolved to place on public exhibition a Draft Local Strategic
Planning Statement, a document that will guide Council over the next 20
years. The statement has four themes, liveable (housing),
sustainable (environment), productive (business) and collaborative
(community). The draft statement can be viewed at CLICK HERE The Trust will be making a submission, but
the Trust encourages all residents to read the statement (it is
lengthy) and make a submission to Council on matters that are relevant
to you. Matters to comment on could include ideas for a more
pedestrian friendly precinct at Beecroft shopping centre.
Also included in the strategy is the separate Heritage Action Plan. This
is important for Beecroft and Cheltenham residents. While some
residents may be uncomfortable with additional controls over their
property, these controls do benefit the community overall, often
restricting inappropriate development within the suburb. CLICK HERE to access the Draft Heritage Action Plan.
New Time of Day Metering Roll Out A Beecroft resident was shocked to receive a letter informing him about a change to his electricity account.
During the last power outage when power lines were downed by a storm
that saw many trees destroyed, the energy supplier took the opportunity
to replace many of the existing analogue meters with the new digital
"time of day" system.
Last week, a letter from the electricity retailer was received detailing
the new billing methods and rates that these new meters enabled.
Previously all electricity with the exception of off peak hot water was
charged at 28.90 c/kWh. The new rates from the existing supplier were as
follows:
Peak [between 2pm and 8pm] - 53.90 c/kWh
Shoulder [7am to 2pm, 8pm to 10pm] - 22.95 c/kWh
Off Peak [between 10pm and 7am] - 14.95 c/kWh
Controlled Load (hot water systems) - 13.97 c/kWh
Faced with his electricity charges about to nearly double, the resident
researched and did some comparison shopping. He was thereby able to find
a lower peak rate of 39.00 c/kWh. The site used for the research
is: https://www.canstarblue.com.au/electricity/nsw-providers/
The Children's Bookshop in Beecroft is Closing
The multi award-winning Capella Bookshop is to close after nearly fifty years of trading.
Rising rents and costs as well as competition from online booksellers are the main reasons for closing.
Mayor Philip Ruddock’s Latest Newsletter - The Trust's policy is that we will publish submitted newsletters from any of our elected representatives. In
2017 Hornsby Shire lost 15,000 trees, which equates to 60 hectares of
canopy or three percent of the total. Three percent of our total
canopy disappeared in a single year. This outrageous figure is a
product of the NSW Government’s 10/50 Vegetation Clearing Entitlement
Scheme, which was introduced in 2014 and is having a devastating
effect. The scheme is well-intentioned, aiming to provide a buffer
around homes in the event of a catastrophic bushfire. That is
something we need to be aware of here in the Bushland Shire. It
has been some time since our last major bushfire, but many of us
remember the devastation they can cause and every summer we face the
risk of it happening again.
However, there needs to be a better balance struck between protection of
property and preservation of bushland. The 10/50 rules are
clearly being abused by people at no risk from bushfire, who are
decimating our valuable tree population for selfish reasons. It
makes a mockery of everything Council is doing to boost and preserve our
valuable environmental assets, including the planting of 25,000 new
trees. Council has written to the Government a number of times
seeking a review of the 10/50 regulations, but we have not yet received
any substantive response. We are urging the Government to act
before it is too late and we become known as the Woodchip Shire.
Parramatta Council's Newsletter - (Parramatta Pulse) The Trust's policy is that we will publish submitted newsletters from any of our elected representatives. CLICK HERE
Councillor Emma Heyde's Latest Newsletter - September ?rd The Trust's policy is that we will publish submitted newsletters from any of our elected representatives. 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.
Annual Memberships for 2019 became due at the
Annual General Meeting in March... 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.The Trust has always had an unwritten policy to assist any resident regardless of their membership status.
