29 March 2021

Colour & bright: a win for Hunter Lane

A BIG WIN! I am thrilled that the dark & dirty little laneway to Hornsby Library will be upgraded with new colourful paving and better lighting. I’ve been asking for improvements for Hunter Lane for three years. Essential pedestrian access ways should always be properly lit and marked so they are safe 🌈 🚶‍♀️🚶🏻‍♂️🚶

Work will start in April on: 

• Extension of the Hunter Lane shared zone to the north to improve pedestrian connections between the Burdett Street car park and the library  
• Improved lighting over this extended shared zone area.  
• Painting of a “colourful laneway design” to highlight that the Hunter Lane shared zone is a pedestrian priority area.

100% clean! 

I continue to be very vocal about Hornsby Council buying 100% clean energy. At the moment, Council uses only coal-fired power which pollutes our air and heats our planet. I'll be able to update you soon about whether Council has been successful in getting renewables in its next contract. In the meantime, the Hornsby Shire Climate Action Group have started a petition to support clean energy. Email them to get involved: hornsbyclimate@gmail.com

We need larger libraries ... say the experts 

Hornsby's libraries are all undersized. There are plans to expand them, but not as much as the State Library recommends. A recent report says Pennant Hills library should be 1,500 sq metres. But the Strategic Plan for our libraries only recommends it be expanded to 1000 sq metres. Berowra needs 1,200 sqm according to the State Library but it only gets a recommendation for 350 sqm of space. Galston needs 1000 sqm but only gets a recommendation for 250sqm.  

I will continue to argue for libraries large enough to meet demand - and a brand new library for Cherrybrook which has a population of 19,000 people and no library at all. 

Dog off-leash report: an update  
 

Consultation closes on Council's Dog off-leash strategy on Tuesday 30/3. Northern Beaches Council provides 28 off-leash dog areas for residents. Ku-ring-gai Council provides 21. Hornsby Council only has 9 areas for dogs to run off-leash. So they are proposing 8 more: 

• „ Brickpit Park, Thornleigh
• „ Hopeville Park, Hornsby heights
• „ Hunt Reserve, Mount Colah
• „ Wearne Avenue, Pennant Hills
• „ Edward Bennett Oval, Cherrybrook „
• Fagan Park, Galston
• „Wisemans Ferry Recreation Area „
• Salt Pan Reserve, Brooklyn

The much-loved existing off-leash areas at Greenway Park and Rofe Park would also be expanded. 

There has been very significant opposition from residents to the proposed off-leash area at Wearne Ave in Pennant Hills: it is very close to houses. There is vocal support for new off-leash areas in other suburbs. other areas. Read the strategy and have your say here before COB Tuesday 30/3. 

Norfolk Road North Epping - safety upgrades

Cars continue to come off the road at the Norfolk Rd / Devlin bend in North Epping. It feels like every time it rains I get another photo on my phone from a resident telling me a car has left the road. 

I have managed to negotiate a new give-way sign, a much larger speed warning sign, new lane markings and moving the bus stop further away from the corner. 

More work is needed though. I am working hard to get the road resurfaced with a new non-slip material. Good news about this upgrade in the next newsletter I hope. 

Tower in Cherrybrook? No way!  
 

The state government has already broken the promise to keep new development at Cherrybrook metro to 6 storeys. They are now talking about 'around eight storeys' in height. Whenever I'm in Epping I am reminded about what happens when the state government gets its way: we get towers. I will continue to speak out against any development that is destructive to the ambience of Cherrybrook. 
 

Monitoring the floodwaters

To see the data that Council's monitoring devices are sending back from the Hawkesbury, go here. Thankfully most properties in Hornsby Shire were saved from the disastrous damage of other areas of the state. You'll find fascinating data on salinity levels, water levels during the recent rains and important information on swimming conditions from the six probes located at Calabash Bay, Gunyah Point, Bar Island Courangra Point, Crosslands Reserve and Laughtondale. 

 

Community services in brief

• Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Community Transport provides free + very low cost services for residents over 65. Their aim is to reach eligible clients living independently in the Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai local government areas who would like to maintain their independence. Click here for more information or call them on 9983 1611
• Hornsby-Ku-ring-gai Community College is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1925 to provide quality vocational training and education, plus lifestyle and leisure courses. Find out more here.  
• Hornsby Connect is an independent not-for-profit organisation giving a helping hand to those who need assistance with affordable groceries and accessing employment services. Go here to register for the service or help with a donation. 

And before I go, a BIG plastics win! 

Polystyrene foam commonly used to package consumer goods will be phased out in Australia by mid-2022 as part of a national plan to combat mounting plastic waste. Thank you to everyone who has campaigned with me to reduce plastics waste locally ever since Bag Free Beecroft kicked off in 2017. This is a huge win for our movement. You can take your polystyrene to the Community Recycling Centre at 29 Sefton Rd Thornleigh in the interim. 

Stay safe & well ... and enjoy some photos from the month of March

Emma  🌞




Top row: learning about koala habitat in Canoelands; Womens' March with the Women's Shelters team; Bruce Shillingsworth visits North Epping to talk about the dying Darling / Barka River
Middle row: Celebrating Persian New Year; speaking on International Women's Day; enjoying Persian Nowruz / New Year in West Pennant Hills 
Bottom row: with the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai College Principal & CEO Ted Nabung; Listening to Senator Mehreen Faruqi talk in Cherrybrook; planting trees in Kenley Park Normanhurst.