Skate Park to roll over residents- OPINION

BY ANDREW WOODHOUSE

HIGH FARCE is the only way to describe Woollahra Council’s recent environment committee meeting to discuss their highly contentious and controversial 24-hour skateboard park proposal for the quiet, historic 1883 Rushcutters Bay Park.

Locals were given just one business day’s notice in the week before Easter to attend a committee meeting.

Only four of 13 councillors are on the committee.

The Motions on the table to abandon the current proposal and seek another site were not passed and a basketball court was added to the proposed ping-pong table mix, all now recommended for approval instead, and all on the harbour front blocking views from the park.

The meeting was dominated by dozens of young and not-so-young board-short and t-shirt clad skateboarders and long-haired, three-day-old facial stubble, basketballers, some even up to 32 years old. A multitude of hair-braided “gothic” hippies joined in the chorus for youth rights against tweed-coated “oldies” with their equally old-fashioned crinkly heritage attitudes to this noble park, claimed by one to be the most beautiful harbour-side park in the southern hemisphere.

Councillor Anthony Marano chaired the meeting but was clearly out of his depth. Cross conversations, name calling, a failure to follow declared meeting procedure, motions put and withdrawn, then put and lost, objections from the public, speakers cut off mid-flight, the odd stray councillor wandering in to have a bite of the argument, implications made but not fully stated about others’ inaccurate statements and huffery and puffery, all that gave the rate-paying public, from both sides of the argument, impressions we were at a comedy festival.

Council is still the best free show in town.

Ultimately, Motions put to withdraw this mad-cap scheme were lost and a new Motion, plucked from the ether without any public forewarning by the Chair, Councillor Marana, to push on with original scheme, whatever this really is, was passed 3-1. Councillors Marano, Wynn and Cavanagh voted in favour and Councillor Andrew Petrie OAM described by the Mayor as the “elder statesman” of council with a quarter of a century’s experience, voting against.
Apparently, a big, new 24-hour, flood-lit basketball court is now also part of the design and council will not be exhibiting a development application “because it’s not a house” we were lectured by those high priests of planning, council staff. Is this legal?

We’ll know all about the design only after it’s built. So we can only guess at we might really get after design alterations and when council realises this park is built on a swamp: excavation beyond half a metre will create flooding. No structural engineer’s report exists.
This excruciating matter now goes before the full council on Monday May 1 for a hopefully, more reasoned discussion for the final decision.

This park should now be heritage-listed just as the Sydney Council side already is. Sydney Council should not be in collusion in encouraging it. Our rates shouldn’t be subsidising well-off, prestige-property-owning Paddingtonians’ playgrounds. If Woollahra can’t afford this million-dollar scheme it should be abandoned or put up its rates, charge for entry or merge with other councils to accumulate the necessary funds.

Local resident for 35 years, Robbie Hall, who cherishes the park says, “the proposal is disgraceful. Locals are in shock learning of council committee’s motion for a noisy skateboard park on the harbour edge, close to the Vibe Hotel, the stream, open grassy space where many enjoy a picnic and those who live in apartments nearby. This park is peoples’ “backyards” and takes in not only Darling Point, but Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, East Sydney and Edgecliff. For a handful of skateboarders to ‘call the tune’ on this activity in this peaceful, natural ampitheatre and bay loved by young families, grannies, cyclists and locals close to the Yacht Club has shocked many and is unfair. This park should remain ‘for all’.”

People are genuinely puzzled by council’s real motivations. After all, its own consultant’s report doesn’t give it the full tick of approval noting the idea had a “mixed reception” and 52% of those in favour stating they would not, or didn’t know, if they would use it. The report admits “the [survey] results are not a true representation of the …demographic” involved. They recommend “ … the skateboard park be reduced in scale” and “the design sign use alternative materials other than concrete”. Malcolm Turnbull, PM and local dog-walking park user, chimes in with the same comments.

Suddenly, this is of national importance.

This issue has attracted more responses, over 1200, than any other in Woollahra Council – ever. Staff were overwhelmed with work. Good I say. Only 22 percent of the written submissions were in favour of the proposal.

Woollahra Council should now realise one thing: this council does not belong to them: we belong to it, and we’re not letting go of it.

Andrew Woodhouse is President, Potts Point & Kings Cross Heritage & Residents’ Society