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Clover's eNews – Issue 482 – Friday, 5 February 2010

Taylor Square Could Become Cycle Hub

Taylor Square South in Darlinghurst could become a cycling hub following the City's purchase of the former T2 nightclub building on Flinders and Bourke Street. The building's refurbishment and reuse will help the City restore Taylor Square as a people-friendly area.

Prior to its closure, T2 was a frequent source of complaints about noise and anti-social behaviour. A local survey in June 2008 found that residents wanted fewer nightclubs, pubs and clubs in the area, with almost 50 percent saying they most disliked drunkenness and disorderly behaviour in the area. Residents wanted to see increases in cafes, restaurants and local services.

Located at the main intersection of three major bicycle routes, including the new Bourke Street cycleway, Taylor Square is a significant orientation point and important intersection for cycling groups.

Community-based options for the building could include a bicycle repair centre, a bike shop, cafés, and space for tour companies to operate and cycle groups to meet. In the longer-term, a bicycle hire facility supporting a city-wide bicycle hire scheme might also operate from the site as we complete our safe and convenient bike network.

The City of Sydney has allocated $76 million over the next four years to build a 200km cycling network, including 55km of separated cycleways, as part of a strategy to increase the number of people choosing cycling as a safe, sustainable and healthier transport option.

The City is aiming for a target of 10 per cent of all trips being made by bike by 2016.

Related information: | Transport | eNews |

Waste to Energy - We can do it!

The City of Sydney is planning for a sustainable alternative waste treatment facility, building on the work of cities globally to reclaim waste as a valuable resource, while generating energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

While in Seoul Korea in May 2009 at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit, I visited an older facility that burnt waste to create energy. At the Copenhagen Mayors' Summit in December, I had the opportunity to learn about a newer technology biogas processing plant in southern Sweden that converts gases from decomposing waste into biogas, a methane-based fuel source.

In Sweden there are over 200 biogas production plants, which have the potential to meet the nation's liquid fuel demand, including a fleet of sustainable biogas buses. Produced from raw materials such as sewage slurry, manure and energy rich vegetable waste, biogas is a local fuel source which helps reuse waste.

Some alternative waste treatment facilities also convert waste into electricity. These facilities recover reusable and recyclable materials, and use the gases produced from organic matter to help power a tri-generation energy system, such as the City's Green Transformer strategy.

Council has appointed an international engineering and design firm to do preliminary work for us on a waste-to-energy facility, including:

environmental outcomes, including waste outputs, emissions and potential energy supply;

technical issues associated with collection systems, feedstock and transport;

options for the establishment, construction, management and operation;

financial implications;

site requirements; and

key lessons from local and overseas experiences.

This project is part of our Green Infrastructure Plan to help us meet ambitious Sydney 2030 targets of a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, 25 percent of electricity from renewable energy by 2020 and the diversion of 66 percent of waste from landfill by 2014.

The other studies underway as part of the Green Infrastructure Plan are a Combined Heat and Power Master Plan; Renewable Energy Master Plan; and Total Water Cycle Management Strategy.

Information

AWTF business case officers' report: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Council/documents/meet...

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Kung Hei Fat Choy! Gong Xi Far Tsai!

The 2010 Chinese New Year Festival, which I will launch next Friday in Belmore Park, is the largest Lunar New Year celebrations outside Asia.

From its modest beginnings 14 years ago, the Festival has grown into a three-week long program of more than 60 events celebrating Chinese culture, customs, food, history, music and art.

This year's Festival features an extensive program of workshops and talks covering Chinese medicine and health, craft, calligraphy, Feng Shui, lion dancing, mask making and Taiko drumming. Events in our villages include tours of Chinese Temples and churches in Alexandria, Glebe, Redfern and Tempe and community celebrations in Ultimo and Alexandria.

Belmore Park will be the Festival's focus next weekend, with the Chinese New Year Markets operating until 10pm Friday to Sunday evenings. The markets will feature over 50 market stalls, live entertainment, kids' activities, a big screen karaoke competition, open air film screening, and more than will feature at this year's Chinese New Year Markets from 12-14 February at Belmore Park, Haymarket.

The City's Live Green House, decorated with a fragrant Asian herb wall garden, Chinese lanterns, and red and gold LED (low energy Light Emitting Diode) lights will show how to apply green ideas in the home. Experts, including Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese speakers will be available to talk about waste reduction, worm farming, composting, waterless woks and green architecture.

Other Festival highlights include the Twilight Chinese New Year Parade on Sunday 21 February, the Dragon Boat Races on Sunday 27 February and the Sydney Chinese Film Festival which is screening over 18 films.

The Parade begins at Sydney Town Hall and continues to Darling Harbour. A fireworks display at Cockle Bay will herald the end of the Parade, welcoming the Year of the Tiger.

This year, the Festival will host a contingent from Chongqing, the largest and most populated municipality of the People's Republic of China. The contingent includes over 350 people and five dragons will take part in the twilight parade, and performers who will present "change face" using highly decorated, changing opera masks during next Friday's launch celebration. The Belmore Park markets will also feature a display of crafts from the Chongqing region.

The Festival's Charity Partner is WWF-Australia, and independent conservation organisation which is dedicated to ensuring wild tigers will not still be facing extinction by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger.

Kung Hei Fat Choy! Gong Xi Far Tsai! or Happy Chinese New Year!

Information

Chinese New Year Festival: Friday 12 February to Sunday 28 February

Festival program: www.sydneychinesenewyear.com.au

Festival launch: 6.30-8pm Friday 12 February, Belmore Park, across Eddy Avenue from Central Station

Chinese New Year Markets: 4-10pm Friday 12 February; 11am-10pm Saturday/Sunday 13-14 February, Belmore Park

Chinese New Year Twilight Parade: 7.45-9.45pm Sunday 21 February, Town Hall to Chinatown, followed by fire works at Cockle Bay;

WWF-Australia Year of the Tiger: wwf.org.au/year-of-the-tiger.

Related information: | Arts & Culture | Community Services | eNews |

Park Name to Recognise First Australians

A proposal to name the parklands on Pyrmont Point after the original Aboriginal name for the Pyrmont Peninsula is now on public exhibition for comment.

If adopted, the new park on the former Water Police site at Pyrmont and the adjacent Pyrmont Point Park will be named "Pirrama Park".

During the first years of Australia's colonisation, First Fleet naval officers documented the Indigenous names for the headlands, coves and major features of Sydney Harbour. The early maps and journals they prepared records the name "Pirrama".

It is one of the few traditional or original Indigenous names that can be directly attributed to a particular locality in the City's local government area.

The proposed name will providing a direct connection to Aboriginal culture in the area and the park's harbour side location. The City's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel have requested that Council consider giving an Aboriginal name to parks in the City's Local Government area.

In recognition of Sydney's maritime history the boardwalk within the park is proposed to be named "Stevedore Walk" to commemorate Pyrmont's maritime workers and industries.

Submissions close on Wednesday 17 February.

Information

Making submissions: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Council/OnExhibition/N...

Further information: Mark Driver on 02 9265 9333 or at mdriver@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

Related information: | Informing and Involving | Open Space & Recreation | eNews |

No Transport for Walsh Bay

In his response to my October submission on Region 6 bus services and my representations in support of Walsh Bay residents and businesses, the Minister for Transport claims that there is not enough demand for increased bus services to this rapidly growing precinct.

The Minister tells me that the 430 bus service was discontinued in 2006 because of poor patronage. He says that there is insufficient demand to reroute the 432 and 433 bus services along Hickson Road, and says that this would inconvenience existing passengers.

The Minister says that the State Transit Authority will monitor demand, and is assessing feedback from the consultation period on proposals for changes to Region 6 bus services. It is vital that residents, business operators and their patrons and customers call on the Minister to expand bus services.

Walsh Bay residents and business operators tell me that there are about 400 residential units and 60 businesses employing 2,500 people in the precinct. The lack of a bus service also means there is no public transport for patrons of the Sydney Theatre and The Wharf on Hickson Road.

I urge affected people to contact the Minister and STA. You may also wish to collect signatures for my petition.

Information

My petition: www.clovermoore.com/main/page/3163.pdf

Contact the Hon. David Campbell MP, Minister for Transport and Roads, Level 35 GMT, 1 Farrer Place, SYDNEY NSW 2000 or email david@campbell.minister.nsw.gov.au;

Transport Infoline: Telephone 131 500 or www.131500.com.au/customerservice/feedback/

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Too Many Toots

Residents living adjacent to the Eastern Suburbs Railway Line suffer train noise impacts, particularly when trains sound their horns entering tunnels. Noise travels across a large area and affects many people in apartment buildings adjacent to tracks.

Residents from Edgecliff, Woolloomooloo, and Rushcutters Bay report train horns being sounded from as early as 4.15am, continuing throughout the day until 1am, affecting their ability to get a good night's sleep.

Train drivers must sound horns to warn track workers when entering and leaving tunnels because of limited visibility. In responding to my representations and questions in Parliament, the Minister has told me that some tunnels are exempt from this requirement. I am asking the Minister to exempt Woolloomooloo and Edgecliff.

Because noise barrier walls can only block noise where there is a direct line of sight to homes, they are not effective in densely populated areas, the Minister said. An assessment of Edgecliff station will be included in a noise abatement program RailCorp is trialling.

When Parliament resumes, I will ask the Minister to also include Woolloomooloo and Rushcutters Bay in the trial. I also continue pushing for access upgrades to inner city railway stations including Edgecliff, which the Minister says is due in 2015/6.

Residents should report concerns about train noise to RailCorp so that the Government is aware of the scale of these impacts. The Minister told me that in the last six years there have been 16 complaints about train horns at Edgecliff, including six between October and December last year.

Information

Transport Complaints: Telephone 131 500 (6am-10pm) or online www.131500.com.au

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