Late Agenda of Ordinary Meeting of Council

Ordinary Meeting of Council - 4 December 2018	MM.2 / 2

Item MM.2	CY00455/6

Mayoral Minute

Vale John Hooke CBE

It is my sad duty to inform Councillor colleagues and the Ku-ring-gai community of the passing of Killara resident and renowned philanthropist John Hooke.

John Hooke was born in 1933 and showed his scientific prowess at an early age, studying engineering and science at Sydney University and graduating with first class honours and the University Medal.

Following the example of his father, who was the wireless operator for Ernest Shackleton’s historic trek across Antarctica, John Hooke held a lifelong passion for exploration and discovery. As a young man working for his father Lionel at Amalgamated Wireless Australasia (AWA), he screened the first experimental television broadcast in Australia in 1954. Later, he was the technician who provided the signal that relayed the first moon landing.

In 1974 Lionel Hooke died and son, John, succeeded him as Chairman and CEO of AWA until 1988. During his distinguished corporate career, John Hooke was also a Director of BHP, National Australia Bank, AMP General Insurance, Channel Ten and Chairman of Tubemakers of Australia.

He was an active member of the Sydney University community, serving as Council member and deputy president of the Science Foundation for Physics, as well as board member of the University’s philanthropic campaign. In 2011 he and his wife Dr Maria Teresa Hooke OAM, donated
$5 million to the University’s science department, setting up the John Hooke Chair of Nanosciences. It was yet another way he felt he could test the boundaries of scientific discovery, saying at the time …”nanoscience has so many applications and possibilities, it's really a revolution and I am delighted to be able to help this exciting new endeavour”.

Despite his achievements, John Hooke was fundamentally a humble man. The University’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Michael Spence remembered his kindness and decency: “While his farsighted philanthropy will always support future generations of students and researchers, those of us who knew him personally will miss his inspiring passion and personal generosity.”

John Hooke is survived by his wife Maria Teresa and sons Paolo and John. On behalf of the Council and Ku-ring-gai community I offer our sincere condolences on the loss of such an esteemed resident.

Recommendation:

A. That the Mayoral Minute be received and noted.

B. That we stand for a minute’s silence to honour John Hooke CBE

C. That the Mayor write to John Hooke’s family and encloses a copy of the Mayoral Minute.

Councillor Jennifer Anderson

Mayor

Ordinary Meeting of Council - 4 December 2018	GB.13 / 3

Item GB.13	S12027

Prospective Site for Hockey at Barra Brui Sportsground St Ives - Update

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

purpose of report:	For Council to consider supporting the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association lodging a Stage 2 application for funding under the Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund for a synthetic hockey field to be introduced at Barra Brui Sportsground, St Ives.

background:	On 24^th July 2018 Council resolved, inter alia, to provide “In Principle” support for a synthetic field to be introduced at Barra Brui Sportsground, St Ives. This provision will allow Council to carry out the necessary investigation and consultation and provide hockey the opportunity to source contribution from the Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund in the second year of the grant (2019).

comments:	The Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association was notified on 19 November that it been invited to prepare and submit an application under Stage 2 and now seeks a more detailed and explicit letter of support from Council.

recommendation:	That Council supports in-principle the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association submitting an application under Stage 2 of the Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund for a synthetic field at Barra Brui Sportsground, St Ives and notes the need to consider capital and recurrent funding arising from the project in the 2019/2020 budget process.

Purpose of Report

For Council to consider supporting the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association lodging a Stage 2 application for funding under the Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund for a synthetic hockey field to be introduced at Barra Brui Sportsground, St Ives.

Background

On 24 July 2018 Council considered a report entitled Prospective Site for Hockey at Barra Brui Sportsground, St Ives (GB 10).

The purpose of that report was to seek Council’s “In Principal” support to investigate the possibility of a synthetic hockey field to be introduced at Barra Brui Sportsground, St Ives with a view to supporting the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association lodging an expression of interested for funding under the Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund in 2019, the second year of grant funding.

The report recommended:

A. That Council provides “In Principle” support for a synthetic field to be introduced at Barra Brui Sportsground, St Ives. This provision will allow Council to carry out the necessary investigation and consultation and provide hockey the opportunity to source contribution from the Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund in the second year of the grant (2019).

B. That Council completes an internal review to assess the potential environmental impacts for the proposed synthetic surface at Barra Brui Sportsground in 2018/19.

C. That Council undertakes a comprehensive consultation process with stakeholders and the community in 2018/19 and a report be submitted to Council at the completion of that process.

Council subsequently resolved:

(Moved: Councillors Citer/Smith)

B. That Council completes an internal review to assess the potential environmental impacts for the proposed synthetic surface at Barra Brui Sportsground in 2018/19.

C. That Council undertakes a comprehensive consultation process with stakeholders and the community in 2018/19 and a report be submitted to Council at the completion of that process.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Comments

Consequently, the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association lodged an expression of interest for funding in the 2018 rather than the 2019 year of the Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund.

The association was notified on 19 November that it been invited to prepare and submit an application under Stage 2 and now seeks a more detailed and explicit letter of support from Council. While premised on Council carrying out due diligence, including public consultation in early 2019 as contemplated in Council’s decision of 24 July, the request could be considered to go beyond Council’s resolution, viz: In Principle” support for a synthetic field to be introduced at Barra Brui Sportsground, St Ives.

A copy of a draft letter of support prepared by the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association is at Attachment A1 outlining the nature of the relationship with Council going forward. The final wording of the letter is yet to be determined, but the draft provides an indication of the nature of the ongoing relationship that would ensue.

integrated planning and reporting

Theme 1 Community, People and Culture

Community Strategic Plan Long Term Objective	Delivery Program Term Achievement	Operational Plan Task
C4.1.1 A range of cultural, recreational and leisure facilities and activities are available to encourage social interaction and stimulate everyday wellbeing.	Programs are delivered in collaboration with agencies and partners to encourage healthy and active lifestyles.	Develop and implement sports programs in co-operation with, or by supporting local sporting clubs and providers.

Community Strategic Plan Long Term Objective

Delivery Program

Term Achievement

Operational Plan

Task

C4.1.1 A range of cultural, recreational and leisure facilities and activities are available to encourage social interaction and stimulate everyday wellbeing.

Programs are delivered in collaboration with agencies and partners to encourage healthy and active lifestyles.

Develop and implement sports programs in co-operation with, or by supporting local sporting clubs and providers.

Theme 3 Places, Spaces and Infrastructure

Community Strategic Plan Long Term Objective	Delivery Program Term Achievement	Operational Plan Task
P6.1.1 Partnerships are established with community groups and organisations to optimise the availability and use of sporting, recreation and leisure facilities.	Engage with community partners to improve Councils sporting and recreational facilities.	Pursue improvement of sporting and recreational facilities through partnerships, grant funding and other external funding opportunities.

Community Strategic Plan Long Term Objective

Delivery Program

Term Achievement

Operational Plan

Task

P6.1.1 Partnerships are established with community groups and organisations to optimise the availability and use of sporting, recreation and leisure facilities.

Engage with community partners to improve Councils sporting and recreational facilities.

Pursue improvement of sporting and recreational facilities through partnerships, grant funding and other external funding opportunities.

Governance Matters

In the event the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association is successful in their grant application, Council would be responsible for obtaining requisite approvals, procurement and project management of the new synthetic hockey field and associated works. For all intents and purposes Council would be responsible for project delivery.

Risk Management

At this point in time Council has only carried out preliminary site investigations. This work only commenced after Hockey was advised they were progressing to a Stage 2 application. Public consultation will not be commencing until February 2019 after the Christmas/New Year break.

There is some risk to Council’s reputation in the event Hockey is successful in obtaining a grant but detailed environmental assessment and public consultation is unfavourable to the project.

Financial Considerations

At the time the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association sought support from Council for their project no financial commitment from Council was required, though by the very nature of the project, ongoing recurrent obligations on the part of Council were implicit.

The scope of the project in dollar terms has increased since Council’s in-principle support was provided.

Some expenditure on due diligence would be required in the current budget year.

Approvals, procurement and project management on a project of this scale could reasonably be expected to run into several hundred thousand dollars. These costs and the costs of any upgrades to facilities and amenities arising from upgrade of the field would need to be considered in the next budget cycle (beginning December 2018).

There is no funding in Council’s Long Term Financial Plan for significant upgrade works at Barra Bui. Some works to various amenities facilities, fencing, lighting, car parking and the like may have arisen out of the delivery of Council’s ordinary capital works priorities. Significant capital investment and ongoing maintenance and replacement would require reconsideration of Council’s works program

No discussions have taken place with the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association about the terms of any lease or licence over the facilities. Council ordinarily would seek to fund replacement of a synthetic filed out of higher usage charges. In the event Hockey is successful in bringing millions of dollars of capital funds to the project, which is without precedent for a sporting project in Ku-ring-gai, ordinary arrangements with respect to usage charges might not be reasonable. While the facility would be available for other users, hockey would be a significant user, perhaps limiting income from other users.

Social Considerations

The inclusion of a synthetic surface at Barra Brui Sportsground will provide increased social benefits for the community and enable better utilisation of facilities.

If a synthetic surface can be delivered at Barra Brui Sportsground, an alternative site will need to be considered for the dog off-leash community. The most suitable replacement would be Bryce Reserve (located at Bryce Avenue, St Ives) which is a highly underutilised sportsground and within close proximity of Barra Brui Sportsground (approximately 1.5 kilometres).

Environmental Considerations

If the project goes ahead it would be considered under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Infrastructure) 2007. This instrument applies to, among other lands, public reserves within the same meaning as it has in clause 65 (3), wherein development may be carried out by or on behalf of a Council without consent on a public reserve under the control of or vested in the council for (b) recreation areas and recreation facilities (outdoors), but not including grandstands.

Preliminary environmental assessment indicates, but is not necessarily limited to:

· the quality of any fill onsite, if any, is unknown;

· drainage issues around and through the site;

· pedestrian access through the site;

· limited onsite parking and limited access through adjoining streets;

· redundant underground water tank on site;

· endangered ecological communities in close proximity; and

· the locality is bush fire prone.

Community Consultation

Community consultation will not be undertaken until early 2019, after successful projects have been announced.

Internal Consultation

Limited consultation has occurred with internal stakeholders given the timing of the announcement and the subsequent request for a further letter of support from the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association.

Summary

The Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association is the largest hockey association in NSW, representing over 4,000 active hockey participants on the North Shore of Sydney with around 1,500 players based in Ku-ring-gai.

For the past 10 years, the future of local hockey has become increasingly tenuous as the field at Ku-ring-gai High School nears the end of its usable life. The association has been unable to fund a renewal at the school site and unable to confirm an alternative hockey field project. The loss of this facility will mean an absence of local proposition placing local and regional hockey in a battle for survival.

In light of the significant facilities shortage for hockey in Ku-ring-gai and the northern region of Sydney, NSBHA and Hockey NSW have approached Council to gain immediate support for utilisation of an existing facility.

Barra Brui Sportsground, St Ives has been identified as a potential option for hockey as it provides a full size sportsground, has existing floodlights, off-street car parking, off-field amenities, fenced, is not recognised as a ‘home ground’ to either soccer or cricket and is underutilised when compared to other sportsgrounds.

There will be as yet unquantified capital and recurrent funding obligations for Council in the event that both Hockey is successful in securing a grant and Council decides to proceed with the project after considering the results of investigation and consultation in early 2019.

Recommendation:

A. That Council supports in-principle the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association submitting an application under Stage 2 of the Greater Sydney Sports Facility Fund for a synthetic field at Barra Brui Sportsground, St Ives.

B. That Council notes that, in the event the Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association is successful in its application, Council would be responsible for project delivery, including, but not necessarily limited to, design and documentation, approvals, procurement and project management.

C. That Council notes that as yet unquantified project capital costs and recurrent expenditure arising from a successful grant application would need to be considered in the preparation of Council’s 2019/20 budget.

Andrew Watson

Director Strategy & Environment

Attachments:

A1 ⇩

Email and Proposed letter of support

2018/365956