Footpath dining

I was in Melbourne last week and noticed the method in use to mark the area of a footpath approved for outdoor dining. Small disks are inlaid or stuck to the paving every metre or so in a line, delineating the approved area.

We have had some problems with footpath dining in the City of Ryde where tables and chairs have encroached onto the passageway interfering with pedestrian progress. If the problem continues the Melbourne method may be worth a try.

New section of cycleway

Today I visited Quarry Road to see a newly completed section of cycleway. This wide concrete path on the nature strip became necessary because Sydney Water refused to allow the path to be constructed through its land between Quarry Road and North Road. The project also included traffic changes to Heath Street, which is now left in only from Quarry Road.

Jim Walsh Park

Last week I walked into Jim Walsh Park to see how the facilities have weathered since the last upgrade, which occurred some 10 years ago. At the time it was hailed as an excellent project, creating a very popular passive recreation area, well attended by families every weekend.

While the grass was nicely mowed and people were having fun, I was somewhat disappointed to see graffiti on the toilet block and the door damaged to the extent that it would not open. The very small area of bushland along the creek showed emergence of a number of weed species. At this stage they have not progressed far and it would only take about an hour or two to remove them. But it shows that Council's maintenance work is focused on grass cutting while ignoring the bushland areas.

I have placed a motion on the Council business paper for the next meeting requesting that Council undertake maintenance at Jim Walsh Park to rectify these problems. Just about all of the shrub layer in the photo is weeds.

Sad goodbye to an old church

The St Andrews church on the corner of Rutledge and Trelawney streets Eastwood was demolished over the last two weeks. The windows and organ were salvaged for use in the new Uniting Church being constructed in Lakeside Road. Sadly there is no room for the old steeple which was lifted off the roof and placed to the side of the property, pending removal.

We can only hope that there is a parish somewhere that can use the steeple because it would be a shame to see the craftsmanship turned into scrap metal.

I checked back on the voting record for the approval to demolish, issued in 2003, confirming that I had voted against granting approval. It was a close vote in Council. At the time the reason for opposing demolition was that there was no development proposal before Council for re-use of the property. I feared that the site would remain as a vacant allotment for an indefinite period. There is still no development proposal before Council for this site, so we will now see how long it remains vacant.

Department of Housing development

I am receiving correspondecne from residents of Warren Street, Ryde about a proposal by the Department of Housing to demolish four houses in a row and replace them with 17 one and two storey units. The units are intended for people who are disabled or aged over 55. Hey that's me! (over 55 I mean). There is a State Planning Policy that overrides Council codes allowing this type of development to be approved.

Issues raised in the correspondence include:

• the proposal is not consistent with the local area which contains only low density dwellings;
• only 5 parking spaces are provided for the 17 units which is substantially less than Council codes would require if they applied to the development;
• the area has poor infrastructure, with no footpaths for wheelchair-bound residents;
• it is over 1 km to the nearest shops, which would make things difficult for disabled people without a car.

We shall have to await the assessment report from Council staff.

Quagmire at the netball

Recently I visited the Meadowbank netball courts on a Saturday when games were in progress. The normal pedestrian access from the west is via a pathway from Lancaster Avenue and then across the stormwater channel and through a small break in the fence at the western side of the courts.

This route was temporarily fenced off because of some nearby works, but just as well! When I looked closely at the standard of this much used pedestrian route it was a quagmire following a week of rain.

I have asked Council staff if a small patch of concrete paving can be placed at the squeeze point to prevent these conditions developing again.