Anglesea a sea of trouble for local residents

Residents from 63-65 Anglesea St have successfully appealed Waverley Council’s decision over their response to off-street parking in the area.

But Waverley Mayor Sally Betts responded strongly, justifying Council’s objection to additional car spaces on the street by outlining the area has “one of the highest increases in car registration of any municipality”.

Monica Dos Santos and Shay Deguara of 65 Anglesea St roundly criticised Council’s response to the lack of parking on the notoriously narrow street.

“There’s always Council concern over the business community,” said Ms Dos Santos. “But there was never a discussion of the demand on families in the area and how they cope with parking.”

Mr Deguara said the problem was exacerbated over the years by Council’s failure to respond accordingly.

“I think it’s a matter of time and personal security,” he said. “People actually spend hours driving around the streets looking for car parks. I’ve lived here since 1980 and it’s just gotten worse and worse.”

Ms Dos Santos and neighbour Michael Coop of 63 Anglesea St jointly submitted a revised DA which proposed an alteration to the front facade of their semi-detached dwelling. The DA provided two additional spots aimed at solving the parking problem, with available spots difficult to find.

The DA was rejected at the developmental control committee meeting on March 27, 2012 on the grounds it could result in the loss of streetscape and went against Council’s aims of minimising cars within the area. Instead, Waverley Council has looked to address parking through a shared car spaces initiative, and by encouraging more people to use public transport.

“I think to say that people should just catch public transport is very short-sighted,” Ms Dos Santos said. “The reality of modern life is each family has one car, and there needs to be a balance between meeting the needs of residents and meeting the needs of visitors to the area.”

The NSW Land and Environment Court Commissioner Susan O’Neill ruled in favour of Ms Dos Santos and Mr Coop last week.

“The Land and Environment Court [said] we believe that we can approve the proposal even though it’s undersized,” said Deputy Mayor Tony Kay.

Ms Dos Santos said she hopes this will set a precedent and make sure Council stands by their commitment to addressing off-street parking in Bondi.

After her election to the Mayoralty in September, Ms Betts said a priority for Council was to stay financially accountable and to help address problems with parking across Waverley.

“I’m not sure if they want parking on their own premises, which we have certainly made easier,” said Ms Betts. “But Anglesea [St] is obviously a very difficult street.

“Unless the residents of Waverley stop buying cars, the situation will get worse and it’s not Council’s fault. Council cannot provide parking where there’s just no space on the streets.

“We did a whole lot of stuff last year, and tried to increase the on-street parking … It is impossible for us to have more roads for people to park on.”