Ordinary Meeting
Notice is hereby given that a
meeting of the Council of Burwood will be held in the Conference Room, 2 Conder
Street, Burwood on Tuesday 29 April 2025 at 6:00 PM to consider the matters
contained in the attached Agenda.
The public gallery will be open for
those wishing to observe the meeting. In addition, an opportunity to observe
the meeting via audio visual link will also be made available.
Public Forum
A public forum will be held at
6:00pm, prior to the commencement of the meeting, to allow members of the
public to make oral submissions about an item on the Agenda for the meeting.
The opportunity will also be provided to speak via audio visual link.
Anyone wishing to address Council
during the public forum will need to register by 2:00pm on the day of the
meeting. A person wishing to speak must indicate the item of business on the
Agenda they wish to speak on and whether they wish to speak ‘for’ or
‘against’ the item. Registrations to speak can be lodged on Council’s
website.
The Council Meeting will commence
immediately after the conclusion of the Public Forum.
Tommaso Briscese
General Manager
Agenda
For an Ordinary Meeting
of Burwood Council to be held in the Conference Room, Level 1, 2 Conder Street,
Burwood on Tuesday 29 April 2025 immediately after the Public
Forum commencing at 6.00pm.
1. Prayer
Lord,
we humbly beseech thee to vouchsafe they blessing on this Council, direct and
prosper its deliberations for the advancement of this area and the true welfare
of its people. Amen.
2. Acknowledgement
of Country
3. Statement
of Ethical Obligations
4. Recording
of Meeting
5. Apologies
6. Declarations
of Interest
7. Declaration
of Political Donations
8. Confirmation
of Minutes
Minutes of the Council Meeting held on Tuesday, 25 March
2025, copies of which were previously circulated to all councillors be hereby
confirmed as a true and correct record.
9. Mayoral
Minutes
10. Reports to Council
(Item 18/25) Burwood
Special Entertainment Precinct Boundary Adjustment.............. 4
(Item 19/25) Investment
Report as at 31 March 2025................................................... 7
(Item 20/25) First
time Disclosure of Interest Returns by Councillors and Designated Persons.................................................................................................... 13
11. Reports of Committees
(Item RC4/25) Burwood
Local Traffic Committee - April 2024........................................ 15
12. Conclusion
of the Meeting
Council
Meeting 29 April 2025
Reports to Council
(Item 18/25) Burwood Special
Entertainment Precinct Boundary Adjustment
File No: 25/19221
Report by Director People & Performance
Summary
This proposal recommends that
Council endorse a minor boundary extension of Burwood’s Special
Entertainment Precinct (SEP) to include Ford Lane. The proposed extension
aligns with Council’s current activation work in the laneway and responds
to in-principle support from the NSW Government. Formal Council endorsement is
now required to meet the conditions of the SEP Kickstart Grant Program and
enable the adjustment to proceed.
Operational Plan Objective
P.23 Protect and enhance quality open spaces and recreational
facilities that are diverse, accessible and responsive to changing needs.
C.9 Safe, clean and activated streets, centres and
public places are enjoyed by people day and night
P.34 Facilitate the growth and prosperity of local businesses and
target the growth of business sectors and growth industries
A.80 Implement activities
or initiatives that enhance Burwood’s night time economy
Background
In May 2024, Council was invited
to submit an Expression of Interest to Investment NSW for the establishment of
a Special Entertainment Precinct in Burwood. In June 2024, following a meeting
with the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, Council was encouraged to
pursue this initiative and formally resolved, as part of the Licence to Play
report, to establish a SEP in the Burwood Town Centre. The original endorsed
boundary included Burwood Road, Railway Parade, Belmore Street, and Conder
Street.
Burwood satisfied all criteria
under the NSW Government’s SEP Kickstarter Grant Program, including:
· A
Council resolution identifying a specific SEP location and boundary;
· An
adopted Burwood After Dark Night-Time Economy Strategy; and
· Supporting
strategies including the Economic Development Strategy and Visitor
Economy Plan.
In March 2025, Burwood Council
was awarded $195,000 through the SEP Kickstart Grant Program to support
planning, sound management, community engagement, and activation delivery. The
precinct includes key destinations such as Burwood Chinatown and Emerald
Square, and reflects Burwood’s growing reputation as a hub for diverse
food, culture, and entertainment.
Proposal
At the 25 March 2025 Council
meeting, during debate on setbacks for the properties at the edge of the SEP on
the corner of Burwood Road and Railway Parade, the Mayor raised the possibility
of the SEP being widened to take in nearby Ford Lane. Ford Lane is a laneway
located just outside the currently endorsed SEP boundary, in the Burwood Town
Centre. Over the next six months, Council is delivering a suite of activation
initiatives in the laneway, including:
·
Large-scale public art installations;
·
Live music and pop-up entertainment;
·
Safety and lighting improvements;
·
Placemaking pilots in collaboration with local creatives and
businesses.
The proposed inclusion of Ford
Lane in the SEP boundary will ensure that this work is underpinned by the same
regulatory and strategic framework as the broader precinct.
Importantly, this boundary
amendment has been raised with the funding body and the Office of the 24-Hour
Economy Commissioner, who have provided in-principle support for the proposed
change. However, as a requirement of the grant program, Council endorsement is
necessary to formalise the boundary adjustment.
Benefits of the Proposed
Boundary Extension
·
Strategic and Operational Alignment: Ensures Council’s
activation work is embedded in the SEP framework and maximises the impact of
state funding.
·
Regulatory Support: Enables additional operators to access
SEP-specific flexibilities, such as extended trading and relaxed noise
controls.
·
Cohesive Precinct Experience: Strengthens the connection between
existing SEP anchors and adjacent activation zones.
·
High-Value Demonstration Site: Positions Ford Lane as a creative
testing ground for SEP outcomes and performance monitoring during the trial
phase.
·
Supports State Objectives: Aligns with the NSW Government’s
flexible, place-based approach to revitalising Sydney’s nightlife
precincts.
Consultation
Preliminary consultation
regarding the proposed boundary adjustment has been undertaken with the Office
of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner. The proposal to include Ford Lane within
the SEP boundary was discussed in the context of Council’s ongoing
activation initiatives and was met with in-principle support.
Planning or Policy Implications
SEPs can only be made by councils
and identified in a Local Environment Plan. To establish a SEP, Council must
publish a precinct management plan (PMP). The plan will include requirements
for noise attenuation for different development types, include trading hours
and the process for managing complaints and notify residents or people moving
into the area of the SEP on websites or planning certificates. The benefits of
a SEP include that trading hour and noise requirements
are defined in a PMP.
Under new rules starting
mid-year, a precinct management plan will override development consent
conditions. Offensive noise conditions won’t apply, and Liquor & Gaming
NSW will manage sound complaints from licensed premises as they do across the
State. Sound requirements in a PMP are considered by the Secretary in Liquor
& Gaming NSW disturbance complaints.
Live music and performance venues
can also get an extra 2 hours of trading if 45 minutes of performance is hosted
after 8PM and they get one hour on all other nights of the week. That is more
than what venues that are located outside of SEPs will receive.
Financial Implications
The delivery of the Special Entertainment
Precinct, including the proposed boundary adjustment to incorporate Ford Lane,
will be funded through the $195,000 SEP Kickstart Grant provided by the NSW
Government. This funding supports strategic planning, community consultation,
sound management frameworks, and precinct activation activities.
Conclusion
Extending the SEP boundary to
include Ford Lane is a practical and strategic refinement that builds on
existing Council initiatives and state support. It will enhance the
cohesiveness, flexibility, and activation potential of the precinct while
meeting grant program requirements. Formal endorsement by Council will allow
this important adjustment to be finalised and implemented.
Recommendation(s)
That
Council endorse the proposed boundary amendment
to extend the Burwood SEP to include Ford Lane, making the entire precinct bounded by Burwood Road, Ford Lane, Railway Parade, Belmore
Street and Conder Street (as shown in the map below).
Map: Burwood Special Entertainment Precinct
Attachments
There are no attachments for this report.
Council
Meeting 29 April 2025
(Item 19/25) Investment Report as
at 31 March 2025
File No: 25/17407
Report by Director Corporate Services
Summary
In accordance with Clause 212 of
the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005, this report details all
money that Council has invested under Section 625 of the Local Government
Act 1993.
Operational Plan Objective
A.103 Implement and monitor appropriate
investment strategies and prepare monthly investment reports.
Background
As provided for in Clause 212 of
the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005, a report listing
Council’s investments must be presented to Council.
Council’s investments are
made up of a number of direct investments, some of which are managed or advised
by external agencies.
Investment Portfolio
Council has a diversified
investment portfolio and has a number of direct investments in term
deposits. Its investment portfolio as at 31 March 2025 is:
As at 31 March 2025 Council held
the following term deposits:
As at 31 March 2025 Council held
the following covered fixed bonds:
As at 31 March 2025 Council held
the following Floating Rate Notes:
The following graph highlights
Council’s investment balances for the past 12 months:
Council’s investment
portfolio is recognised at market value and some of its investments are based
on the midpoint valuations of the underlying assets and are subject to market
conditions that occur over the month.
Council’s investment
balances as at reporting date are detailed in Attachment 1. Definitions on the
types of investments are detailed in Attachment 2.
Investment Performance and
Market Commentary
At the Reserve
Bank of Australia (RBA) meeting on the 1 April 2025, the Board decided to leave
the official cash rate to 4.10 per cent. According to the Statement by the
Reserve Bank board
"…Inflation
has fallen substantially since the peak in 2022, as higher interest rates have
been working to bring aggregate demand and supply closer towards balance.
Recent information suggests that underlying inflation continues to ease in line
with the most recent forecasts published in the February Statement on
Monetary Policy. Nevertheless, the Board needs to be confident that this
progress will continue so that inflation returns to the midpoint of the target
band on a sustainable basis. It is therefore cautious about the outlook.
The Board noted
that monetary policy is well placed to respond to international developments if
they were to have material implications for Australian activity and inflation.
Private domestic
demand appears to be recovering, real household incomes have picked up and
there has been an easing in some measures of financial stress. However,
businesses in some sectors continue to report that weakness in demand makes it
difficult to pass on cost increases to final prices.
At the same time, a
range of indicators suggest that labour market conditions remain tight. Despite
a decline in employment in February, measures of labour underutilisation are at
relatively low rates and business surveys and liaison suggest that availability
of labour is still a constraint for a range of employers. Wage pressures have
eased a little more than expected but productivity growth has not picked up and
growth in unit labour costs remains high.
There are notable
uncertainties about the outlook for domestic economic activity and inflation.
The central projection is for growth in household consumption to continue to
increase as income growth rises. But there is a risk that any pick-up in
consumption is slower than expected, resulting in continued subdued output
growth and a sharper deterioration in the labour market than currently
expected. Alternatively, labour market outcomes may prove stronger than
expected, given the signal from a range of leading indicators.
More broadly, there
are uncertainties regarding the lags in the effect of monetary policy and how
firms’ pricing decisions and wages will respond to the demand environment
and weak productivity outcomes while conditions in the labour market remain
tight.
Uncertainty about
the outlook abroad also remains significant. On the macroeconomic policy front,
recent announcements from the United States on tariffs are having an impact on
confidence globally and this would likely be amplified if the scope of tariffs
widens, or other countries take retaliatory measures. Geopolitical
uncertainties are also pronounced. These developments are expected to have an
adverse effect on global activity, particularly if households and firms delay
expenditures pending greater clarity on the outlook. Inflation, however, could
move in either direction. Many central banks have eased monetary policy since
the start of the year, but they have become increasingly attentive to the
evolving risks from recent global policy developments.
Sustainably
returning inflation to target within a reasonable timeframe is the
Board’s highest priority. This is consistent with the RBA’s mandate
for price stability and full employment. To date, longer term inflation
expectations have been consistent with the inflation target and it is important
that this remain the case.
The Board’s
assessment is that monetary policy remains restrictive. The continued decline
in underlying inflation is welcome, but there are nevertheless risks on both
sides and the Board is cautious about the outlook.
The Board will rely
upon the data and the evolving assessment of risks to guide its decisions. In
doing so, it will pay close attention to developments in the global economy and
financial markets, trends in domestic demand, and the outlook for inflation and
the labour market. The Board is resolute in its determination to sustainably
return inflation to target and will do what is necessary to achieve that
outcome.”
The following graph provides
information on the current RBA monetary policy:
Recommendation(s)
1. That the investment report for 31 March 2025 be
received and endorsed.
2. That the Certificate of the Responsible
Accounting Officer be received and noted.
Attachments
1⇩
Investment Register March 2025
2⇩
Investment Types
Item Number 19/25 - Attachment 1
Investment Register March
2025
Item Number 19/25 - Attachment 2
Investment Types
Council
Meeting 29 April 2025
(Item 20/25) First time
Disclosure of Interest Returns by Councillors and Designated Persons
File No: 25/19121
Report by Director Corporate Services
Summary
The General Manager is required
under the Local Government Act 1993 and supporting instruments to table
written returns of interests for councillors and designated persons at a
meeting of Council. First time returns for new councillors and officers
holding designated persons roles are to be formally received and noted.
Operational Plan Objective
C.11.1 Conduct Council business with transparency,
accountability, compliance and probity that ensures community confidence in
decision making
Background
Sections 440AAA and 440AAB of the
Local Government Act 1993 establish the framework for disclosure of
interests that must be completed by councillors and designated persons. The
returns are fundamental transparency and accountability documents and as such
must be retained as part of a publicly accessible register.
Section 6(2) of the Government
Information (Public Access) Act 2009 stipulates that certain open access
information must be made publicly accessible on the Council website.
Returns of interests of councillors, designated persons and delegates are classed
under Schedule 1 of the Government Information (Public Access) Regulation
2018 as open access information for the purposes of website
publication. These requirements are mirrored in clause 4.2 of the three Codes
of Conduct adopted by Burwood Council.
Discussion
Specific
requirements for preparation and lodgement of returns is contained in the Model
Code of Conduct that is required under the Local Government Act 1993.
The Model Code is the basis of the three Codes of Conduct in place at Burwood
Council. All councillors and designated persons must lodge disclosure of
interest returns within 3 months of:
a) becoming
a councillor or designated person (first time return)
b) 30 June each year
c) the councillor or designated person becoming aware of
an interest they are required to disclose under Schedule 1 of the Burwood
Council Codes of Conduct that has not been previously disclosed in a return
lodged in a first time return or an annual return.
A ‘designated
person’ is described in clause 4.8 of the Code of Conduct for Council
Staff as:
a) the
general manager
b) other
senior staff of the council
c) a
person (other than a member of the senior staff of the council) who is a member
of staff of the council or a delegate of the council and who holds a position
identified by the council as the position of a designated person because it
involves the exercise of functions under the LGA or any other Act (such as
regulatory functions or contractual functions) that, in their exercise, could
give rise to a conflict between the person’s duty as a member of staff or
delegate and the person’s private interest
d) a
person who is a member of a committee of the council identified by the council
as a committee whose members are designated persons because the functions of
the committee involve the exercise of the council’s functions (such as
regulatory functions or contractual functions) that, in their exercise, could
give rise to a conflict between the member’s duty as a member of the
committee and the member’s private interest.
Under the Code of Conduct for
Council Committee Members, Delegates of Council, Council Advisers, Volunteers,
Contractors and Members of Wholly Advisory Committees and the Audit Risk
and Improvement Committee Charter, members of the Audit Risk and Improvement
Committee (ARIC) are designated persons and are required to submit an annual
disclosure of interest.
The first time returns for newly
elected councillors, new ARIC members and officers newly appointed to
designated persons roles are listed below. This includes any officers who
submitted an updated return due to a change in the nature of their interests.
The returns have been published on Council’s website in line with
statutory requirements.
Conclusion
Pursuant to Section 440AAB of the
Local Government Act 1993, the first time or updated returns for are now
formally tabled for information from the following council officials:
Councillors
§ Councillor Sukirti
Bhatta
§ Councillor Deyi Wu
§ Councillor Alex Yang
Council officers
§ Michelle Butler
(Manager Governance & Risk)
§ Anita Leighton
(Coordinator E-Planning & Business Services)
§ Michael Magner
(Manager Parks & Open Spaces)
§ Amita Maharjan
(Executive Strategic Planner)
§ Michael Ridge
(Manager People & Culture)
Audit, Risk
and Improvement Committee members
§ Rochelle Davis (Independent Member)
§ Chris Weber (Independent Member)
Recommendation(s)
That Council notes:
1. the tabling of disclosure of interest returns
in accordance with Part 4 of the Codes of Conduct and the Local
Government Act 1993 for the Council officials listed in this report
2. that mandatory proactive release of the
returns via publication on the Council website has been effected in accordance
with Part 4 of the Burwood Council Codes of Conduct and the Government
Information (Public Access) Act 2009.
Attachments
There are no attachments for this report.
Council
Meeting 29 April 2025
Reports of Committees
(Item RC4/25) Burwood Local Traffic Committee
- April 2024
File No: 25/17962
Report by Director City Assets
Summary
Attached are the Minutes of the Burwood Local Traffic Committee meeting of April
2025. The Minutes are hereby submitted to the Ordinary Council Meeting for
consideration and adoption by Council.
Operational Plan Objective
C.4.1 Plan and
manage transport infrastructure to meet current and future community needs
A.40 Investigate
traffic hot spots and implement solutions such as pedestrian refuges,
roundabouts or traffic calming devices.
Recommendation(s)
That the
minutes of the Burwood Local Traffic Committee of April 2025 be noted and the
recommendations of the Committee as detailed below be adopted as a resolution
of the Council.
(Item
LTC11/25) Electric Vehicle Kerbside Charging - Changes to Parking Restrictions
Recommendation(s)
That
Council approve the installation of ‘No Parking, EV excepted while
charging’ parking restrictions with markings to comply with TfNSW
requirements at each of the following locations:
· 18 Morwick Street, Strathfield, for a length of 11.5 metres.
· 22 Church Street, Burwood, for a length of 12 metres.
· 1A Gloucester Avenue, Burwood, for a length of 12 metres.
· 12 Boundary Street, Croydon, for a length of 12 metres.
(Item
LTC12/25) Brighton Street, Croydon – Changes to Parking Restrictions
Recommendation(s)
1. That Council approve the introduction of
‘No Parking’ restrictions for a length of 5.5 metres directly
adjacent The Brighton pedestrian entrance at 6A Brighton Street
2. That Council approve the extension of the
unrestricted parking along the frontage of 6A Brighton Street 5.5 metres to the
north.
(Item
LTC13/25) Park Avenue, Burwood - Compound for Burwood Park Inclusive Playspace
Recommendation(s)
That
Council approve the closure of six of the 90 degree angled parking spaces on
the northern side of Park Avenue, Burwood for the duration of the Burwood Park
Inclusive Playspace project.
1⇩
Burwood Local Traffic Committee Agenda - 10.04.2025
2⇩
Burwood Local Traffic Committee Minutes - 10.04.2025
Item Number RC4/25 - Attachment 1
Burwood Local Traffic
Committee Agenda - 10.04.2025
Item Number RC4/25 - Attachment
2
Burwood Local Traffic
Committee Minutes - 10.04.2025
