17-STOREY TOWER APPROVED FOR THE JUNIORS KINGSFORD

SOUTHEAST EASTERN SUBURBS VOICE RANDWICK CITY COUNCIL COMMUNITY MAGAZINE SPRING 2022 • BOTANY • CHIFLEY • CLOVELLY • COOGEE • EASTGARDENS • EASTLAKES • HILLSDALE • KENSINGTON • KINGSFORD • • LA PEROUSE • LITTLE BAY • MALABAR • MAROUBRA • MASCOT • MATRAVILLE • PAGEWOOD • RANDWICK • ROSEBERY • ZETLAND •

17-storey tower approved for The Juniors Kingsford POTHOLE REPAIR

The Juniors Kingsford has been given council approval to build a 17-storey tower. At September’s Extraordinary Council Meeting, councillors voted in favour to increase the maximum height on part of the site from 31m to 51m.

Council minutes state that the Kingsford site still requires the “preparation of a site specific DCP chapter to address design implications for the site.” A DCP, or Development Control Plan provides detailed planning and design guidance for new developments, in line with Randwick Council’s Local Environmental Plan. Although the NSW Planning Department does have the final say on increasing building heights. The news was met by a swarm of backlash from residents concerned with overdevelopment in the area. One Facebook user wrote, “the developers will be wringing their hands in glee, with all the profits they’ll make, and the new precedent it creates.” Recent construction such as the Meriton site in Eastgardens have only exacerbated resident concerns about the impact of developments on the community, including increased traffic, loss of privacy and increased noise. The Juniors site was previously rezoned in 2019 to 31m, which now due to 2022’s meeting is approved to 51m, or as high as 17-storeys. Greens Councillor Philipa Veitch said that “this kind of development has no place in our community and our residents have had enough.” It comes as issues of gambling continue to dominate the Australian news media landscape. The SMH reported last month that the club had a 30% increase in pokies revenue in its 2020-21 annual report, amounting to $8 million. Some residents still have hope, saying it will “be several years before the plan would be realised” as South Juniors are still yet to lodge an application with the NSW Planning Department.

Hannah McKinney

One thousand six hundred and one. That’s how many potholes have Pot hole hot shots

been repaired between the start of

the year and mid-August 2022. Page 12

That's three and a half times more than a usual six-month period.

The Council's pothole team (known as the asphalt team) has been busier than usual. For them, work begins at sunrise, and they start by loading up the truck with the emulsion and asphalt needed to get their job done.

On average, they repair around 10 to 12 potholes a day, depending how far they need to travel between each one.

As any drivers on our roads know, it’s been a particularly rough season for potholes. Rain is the enemy of the pothole. To be repaired properly and effectively, the road and the hole needs to be bone dry. That’s been a tough ask with the kind of year we’ve had.

Sydney received 1547.4mm of rain during the first six months of this year, making it the wettest January to June period in 164 years. Then July arrived. It was recorded as the wettest July ever, just in the first two weeks of the month. The average rainfall for the month of July is usually 96mm. This July, we received 404mm of rain in the month. And now we're bracing for another wet summer ahead.

For the team, this has meant a lot of never-ending work under tough conditions.

Which roads does Council look after?

It’s worth noting that not all the roads in our Council area are Council responsibility. Some are state roads and are the responsibility of Transport for NSW to repair and maintain. These include parts of Alison Rd, Anzac Pde, Avoca St, Carrington Rd and Frenchmans Rd, just to name a few.

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How to report a pothole

Once Council receives a pothole request, they aim to repair it within three days. However, this can be tricky when they receive many requests. They do their best to prioritise high-traffic areas. Here’s how to report a pothole: 1. Visit the website and use the Contact Us form. Choose “Report a Problem” from the drop down menu and you’ll be taken to a map. Enter the address of the pothole and click next. From there, you’ll be asked to fill out a form and you’ll receive an email confirming the pothole has been reported.

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2. Call 1300 722 542 and speak to one of the Customer Service representatives who will log the pothole for you over the phone. Or email with all the information on Council@randwick.nsw.gov.au.

3. Use Snap Send Solve. Download the app and register to use it, then take a picture of the pothole and it will be sent to the appropriate authority – whether Council or Transport for NSW.