29thOctober 2018 Edition Two. In this edition:
Presidents Report,
Latest position on Church funds,
More on the Beecroft Station upgrade,
Annual Promotion of the Hornsby Lions Club Xmas Cakes,
Beecroft Gardens are now open,
Christmas in Beecroft,
Mens Probus in Beecroft,
Traffic Issues in Beecroft and Cheltenham,
Update from Emma Heyde,
Ryde Police Media info.
President's Report It’s
been another busy fortnight for the Trust. There was the Hornsby
Council meeting where the future use of the church funds was debated,
the opening of the Beecroft gardens, an announcement that our next
Liberal candidate for the upcoming State elections is likely to be
Dominic Perrottet and an announcement that the new lift for Beecroft
Station will be exhibited soon. I attended two AGMs; Pennant Hills Civic
Trust and Cherrybrook Residents Association. I also met up with Diana
Paton from the Monthly Chronicle and a fact-sharing meeting with
Councillors Emma Heyde and some Beecroft shopkeepers to discuss
Christmas in Beecroft. Shoppers in Beecroft would have noticed the
Commonwealth Bank has now closed. The ATM is still working but I
understand it will eventually be relocated in Beecroft Place.
The latest position on the Church Funds As
a background, in 2015 Hornsby Council sold the former Congregational
Church at 179 Beecroft Rd Cheltenham , on the corner of the Promenade to
a child care company which purchased the heritage listed church for $3
million. Hornsby Council resolved to spend the net proceeds ($2.7
mill) from the sale in the Postcode 2119 precinct. Surveys were carried
out by the Trust and Hornsby Council and the results of both surveys
clearly indicated that the community would prefer the funds be spent on
the acquisition of additional residential land along Byles Creek below
Malton Rd.
In 2017 Council resolved to use $0.6 mill of the funds towards the
construction of the Beecroft Gardens, which was also a high preference
on both surveys.
With the recent council amalgamation process and election of many new
Councillors last year it was imperative that the original resolution be
implemented before the remaining funds were used elsewhere within the
Shire. The Trust arranged a Mayoral meeting to discuss how the church
funds could be used. The sporting clubs sought representation at the
meeting, being an integral part of our community.
As a result of the mayoral meeting, Hornsby Council approved a motion at the October General Meeting. CLICK HERE to read the approved motion in the confirmed minutes, listed as item 7 (NOM28/18).
There are 3 steps in the motion. Step 1 involves identifying and
protecting additional lands in Byles Creek for open space. This also
involves using the church funds to acquire any identified lands that are
available for immediate acquisition.
Step 2 is a study to investigate the best way to improve Cheltenham Oval
to allow an increase in its usage. Any church funds remaining
after step 1 will be available to carry out the recommended improvements
identified in step 2.
Step 3 applies after step 1 and step 2 are completed and involves using
any remaining church funds for other community improvements in 2119.
More on the Beecroft Station upgrade
A letter from Transport for NSW CLICK HERE
Transport Access Program Beecroft Station Upgrade CLICK HERE
Annual Promotion of the Hornsby Lions Club Xmas Cakes For those who are interested, Hornsby Lions are promoting their Xmas cakes and hampers. CLICK HERE for details.
Beecroft Gardens are now open The
Beecroft Gardens were officially opened on Saturday, October 20 by
Hornsby Mayor Philip Ruddock, with support from Councillors Heyde,
Browne, Nicita, McIntosh, Tilbury and Marr. Our Member for Epping Mr
Damien Tudehope also attended. The General Manager Steven Head did the
introductions. A large crowd took advantage of the fine weather
with a healthy cross section of the community groups in attendance
including Rotary, the Beecroft Garden Club, the Lapidary Club, Epping
RSL sub branch and various sports groups. The highlight of the ceremony
was the planting of a Hoop Pine to replace the Bunya Pine that was
removed as part of the ETTT rail project. General Manager Steven Head speaking Local residents
Steven Head, Mayor Ruddock, Emma Heyde, Nathan Tilbury The Hoop pine planting with Councillors
Garden Club Deidre Mowat and Virginia Coote
MP Damien Tudehope and Mayor and Councillors watching.
The
Garden is a credit to Council’s staff , but the Trust wishes also to
acknowledge the expertise provided by local residents Graham Ross and
Stuart Pittendrigh. Beecroft and Cheltenham are fortunate to have
residents of their calibre contributing to our community.
Christmas in Beecroft The Beecroft Shopkeepers will be holding another Christmas in Beecroft. Put Thursday night 29th November 2018 in your diary . More details in our next eNews.
Mens Probus in Beecroft Retired men who are interested in Probus, please CLICK HERE for details.
Traffic Issues in Beecroft and Cheltenham Last
month the Trust wrote to Hornsby Council regarding a number of traffic
issues raised by residents in 2119. To read Council’s reply in
full CLICK HERE
Perhaps the most interesting issue for most residents will be the
comment on the Beecroft Road/Kirkham Street intersection. It is rather
timely after last week’s Northern District Times article on resident
Michael Turner's inability to cycle his children to Beecroft Public
School. Mr Turner is unable to cycle his boys to school safely because
there are no traffic lights and no pedestrian crossing at Kirkham
Street.
Generally speaking, the reply from Council provided no news worth reporting.
Update from Hornsby C ward Councillor, Emma Heyde CLICK HERE
Media Information from Ryde Police Area Command 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
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community. Currently we have over 1040 email addresses, up from 900 two
months ago. We encourage residents who receive the eNews to tell
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