August 2020 Council meeting outcomes

19 August 2020

A number of significant community projects were debated and progressed at last night’s Council meeting.

In exciting news, Council voted to progress the draft concept design for the Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club (Bondi Surf Club) conservation upgrade to community consultation.

Waverley Council in partnership with Bondi Surf Club is embarking on an historic heritage upgrade of Australia’s oldest surf club. The draft concept design for this conservation and upgrade has been guided by a detailed Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for the site and is formally supported by The Heritage Council of NSW.

A first look at the draft concept design for Bondi Surf Club.

Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos, said the Council is looking forward to the community’s feedback about what they think about the design. The community is invited to provide their feedback at https://haveyoursay.waverley.nsw.gov.au/ from 20 August to 17 September 2020.

Read our news item here.

Council also adopted the recommendation to engage Urban Arts Projects to create the Bondi Memorial Project at Marks Park, Tamarama.

UAP’s concept design Rise was one of six shortlisted designs for the permanent memorial to acknowledge the gay and transgender people who were targeted in homophobic attacks from the 1970s to 1990s in Sydney.

The Council has been working with ACON since 2015 to establish an appropriate permanent reminder of the tragedies of the recent past and to heal together as a community. It is contributing $100,000 to the project with ACON contributing a further $64,000 through donations.

UAP's successful concept design submission for the Bondi Memorial Project.

The Waverley Public Art Committee, Council officers and ACON staff all noted the subtlety and elegance of UAP’s design and its response to the Council’s Public Art Policy’s criteria for placemaking, artistic excellence, local culture and heritage and sustainability.

Read our news item here, or to donate to ACON’s fundraising project, visit bondimemorial.com.au

Waverley Ward Councillor, Dr Marjorie O’Neill put forward a notice of motion for staff to investigate the adequacy of the current provision of emergency housing in the Waverley for residents escaping domestic violence.

Included in this is exploring collaborative arrangements with the Women’s Housing Company and other relevant agencies to ensure that survivors who are escaping domestic violence in the Waverley LGA can access emergency housing in their own municipality.

We will inform the community on how these investigations progress.

Debate about the Bronte Cutting safety upgrade resumed last nightafter it was held over from the last Council meeting so that the project team could consult with Bronte Surf Club on the recommendation.

Council endorsed the option of a 2.5–3 metre-wide footpath along Calga Place as the preferred option for project subject to Bronte SLSC feedback during the concept design phase, including assurance that parking movements are acceptable when occupancy is high and Investigating widening the 50m section of footpath on the eastern side of Calga Place near the steps from Bronte Road instead of a realignment of the grass verge and impacts to the steps and heritage sandstone wall.

Council also resolved to develop the preferred option informed by the outcomes of the investigations, to a concept design suitable for consulting with the community. Council will also investigate a widening of the coastal walk and stairs from Calga Place to the Bronte Community Centre. Heritage items within the Bronte Cutting including the sandstone wall on the eastern side are to remain intact.

As part our commitment to sustainability, Council adopted an updated Events Policy which now includes all the relevant aspects of our Sustainable Events Policy in the one document. Waverley Council is committed to making sustainability second nature in Waverley. For more about our environmental sustainability initiatives, visit https://www.secondnature.org.au/

For more information about items debated at Council, please click here to view Council meeting agendas and minutes.

You can also live-stream Council meetings which commence at 7pm on the third Tuesday of each month. To tune in, click here.