www.mosman.nsw.gov.au

February/March 2011Volume 5 Issue 1

The trip of a lifetimeSummer at the Baths

It was a dream come true for six young Chinese girls from the Council's friendshipcommunity of Mudanjiang, China, when they recently arrived in Sydney.

The girls, whose education has been sponsored by Mosman Rotary, Council and a numberof residents, are all from outlying rural villages in north-eastern China

When the girls left their home there were blue skies but it was minus 19.5 degrees C with awind chill factor of minus 25.5, so the weather was their first surprise!

The generosity of Dr Philip and Mrs Trish Arber, Councillor Jim and Mrs Marlene Reid andMr Murray and Mrs Breda Block, has brought the girls to Sydney following a suggestionwhen the group visited Mudanjiang in May last year. The visit has also been financiallysupported personally by Mosman Councillors and residents who have previously visitedMudanjiang as well as Council's staff social club. The girls have been hosted in the Mosmanhomes of the Arbers, Blocks and Reids, and attended both Queenwood School for Girls andMosman High for their month long stay.

Mosman residents taking part in a recent independent survey havepainted a positive picture of life in Mosman and have delivered a

vote of confidence for services and facilities provided by Council.

The survey, conducted by independent market researchers on behalf ofCouncil, was completed by over 400 residents, randomly selected from across Mosman'sthree wards. Residents were asked a series of questions about Council performance, as well asbeing asked to voice their views on key local issues and community well-being.

Survey results indicate that Council is extremely well placed in terms of communitysatisfaction, especially when compared to other metropolitan councils. Community pride andconnectedness is strong. For further details on survey results turn to page 3.

Big ticks for Mosman

n wsIf so, sign up onCouncil’s websitewww.mosman.nsw.gov.au and you'll receivethe news as it’s published. This issue ofMosman News can also be downloaded asa PDF from Council’s website.

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Page 2

International Women’s Day

What’s the Big Idea?

Bookends: another chapter

2011 Mosman Address

Amenities upgradesa hit with the public

The quality of public amenities in Mosman took a quantum leap inDecember with the opening of new facilities at Clifton Gardens, Balmoraland Rosherville Reserve. The new buildings feature open, well ventilatedlayouts, with baby change areas, water reuse systems and beach showersand were designed and completed in time for Christmas 2010.

Concurrently Clifton Gardens picnic area and Balmoral Tramshed wererenovated and all this work was completed on time and within the budgetprovided by paid parking.

The response to these much needed upgrades has been almost exclusivelypositive. Some have chosen to write, e.g. 'I wish to pass on mycongratulations to Council for the great job you have done in renovatingthe public amenities toilets in Rosherville Reserve. Not only are they ahuge improvement from a functional perspective, but also the design hasblended in extremely well with the surrounding area.'

Council is working with the building contractor to sort out some teethingproblems and defects that have become evident over the past months ofvery heavy use. This is to be expected but the attractive new facilities arenow in keeping with the world standard locations and will benefit thecommunity for years to come.

Tuesday 8 March, 6pm–8pm, Drill Hall, Cross Street

HerExcellency Professor Marie Bashir ACCVO, Governor of New South Wales,will be delivering an addresscelebrating the achievements ofwomen.

There is no charge for this eventhowever bookings are essential viaemail: a.landis@mosman.nsw.gov.au oron 9978 4257. Numbers are limited.

It’s the 100 year anniversary of International Women's Day.

You may have seen recent reports regarding Council’scommitment to e-technology ... Stay tuned for another launch...

An exhibition of bookends in 20th Century Australia12 April – 15 May,

Bookends were a popular gift for weddings, birthdays andretirements. Their decorativeness captured the imagination and,like a shelf of books, reflected one's sense of style and interests.

showcases treasured bookends held inprivate collections. This exhibition is an opportunity to view somefantastic pieces dating from the 1920s to the 1980s. Includedare significant works by Australian art potters depicting nativeflora and fauna as well as dancing penguins, cheeky cats, ebonyelephants, harlequins, courting couples, horses, dogs, fish andships – you name it and in all probability it is a bookend.

Mosman Library

Bookends: another chapter

Thursday 14 April, 7pm, Grand Hall, Mosman Art Gallery

The 2011 Mosman Address is to be presented by IanMacfarlane AC, former Governor of the Reserve Bank ofAustralia (RBA). Macfarlane ended his term as Governor on 17September 2006 after 10 years presiding over Australia'seconomic boom. The Treasurer at that time, Peter Costello, saidof Macfarlane: "Ian Macfarlane has been an exceptionallysuccessful governor of the Reserve Bank ... and when history ofthe last 10 years is written, it will show as one of, if not thegreatest, periods of economic management in Australian history."

For more information and enquiries: 9978 4106

Parking in Sydney HarbourFederation Trust landsMosman residents should note that Mosman Foreshore Stickersdo not apply on Sydney Harbour Federation Trust landsincluding those at Georges Heights, Middle Head and ChowderBay. Mosman residents using these carparks will be required toadhere to the parking restrictions in place, including paying forparking where specified.

The new amenities building at the Tram Shed, Balmoral.

The stylish new facilities at Rosherville Reserve have met with praise.

Independent Development AssessmentEven before Councillors were made aware of residents’ low rating of itsdevelopment approvals process (refer story Page 3), plans were adoptedto improve transparency and processes for the consideration ofdevelopment applications.

The Honourable Paul Stein , a former member of the NSW Courtof Appeal and a judge for 12 years in the NSW Land & EnvironmentCourt, has agreed to chair an independent panel of experts to determineapplications that previously went to Council.

The panel will meet monthly commencing in May and one of its majorfunctions will be to achieve good urban design and development outcomesconsistent with the elected Council’s policies and statutory NSW planningcontrols. Members of the public will be welcome to attend and makesubmissions during the public hearings.

AM, QC

What does Mosman mean to its community?

Highs and lows

Survey respondents were asked to complete the sentence‘ ...’ Here are some of the top responses to this challenge:

The 2010 CommunitySurvey results provide anindication of how importantresidents consider various servicesand facilities to be, as well as howsatisfied they are with their delivery.

Highest on resident's 'Importance' list were (in order):

Top of the resident's satisfaction list were (in order):

Mosman is

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a wonderful/great place to livea beautiful placemy homeperfect/paradise/the best place to live

Waste and recycling collectionProvision and maintenance of parklandsOverall cleanliness, appearance and management of public spacesProviding and maintaining footpathsManagement and protection of the environmentProvision of car parking

Library servicesProvision and maintenance of parklandsWaste and recycling collection servicesOverall cleanliness, appearance and management of public spacesServices and facilities for families and children

Survey gives Council and community the 'thumbs up'

Page 3

Council shapes upThe 2010 Mosman Community Survey, conducted in October andNovember last year, shows that community satisfaction with Council hasimproved since the last similar survey in 2006.

Overall community satisfaction with Council's performance rose from amean score of 6.53 out of 10 in 2006 to 6.70 in 2010. This alsoplaces Council above the average satisfaction achieved by comparableCouncils in the Sydney Metropolitan Area.

The survey also indicated that residents feel they are getting bettervalue for their rates dollar than they were four years ago, providing amean rating of 6.22 out of 10 in 2010 compared to 5.85 in 2006.

For survey respondents who could recall recent contact with eitherCouncil staff or Councillors, satisfaction levels were again encouraging.Satisfaction with staff overall rose a full point from 6.5 to 7.5 between2006 and 2010. Councillor performance ratings also rose on 2006levels, being just above the metropolitan average.

Results from the 2010 Community Survey indicate that Mosmanretains a good sense of community, with a high level of communitypride. Nearly all residents agree 'highly' that they feel safe in theirhome and feel safe walking around their neighbourhood. 83.7% ofresidents consider that their neighbourhood is a friendly place to liveand a little over 82% say they can call on a relative or neighbour ifthey need assistance.

Community life still strong

An eye on the futureWhat are the main issues of concern for Mosman residents over the next5–10 years? Respondents to the 2010 Community Survey listed theirTop 3 as follows:

Making up the Top 5, but with considerably lower scores than the Top 3:

Traffic, transport and roadsOverdevelopmentParking

Environment and Climate ChangeOver population and overcrowding

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35.3%

0.8%

0%0 Very Very Can’t

Dissatisfied Satisfied Say1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

2010 2006

10

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

0.8%2.0%

6.3%

9.5%

11.9%

5.5%

1.8% 1.2%

24.2%

0.4%

Distribution of Overall Satisfaction Rating

Mean 2010 = 6.70Mean 2006 = 6.53

In total, survey respondents were asked to rank 34 Council services andfacilities. Lowest satisfaction scores were recorded for (in order): thedevelopment approvals process; providing and maintaining better bikepaths; enforcement of parking restrictions; provision of car parking andcondition of public toilets.

Each of these is already receiving attention by Council, with theproposed Independent Assessment Panel and amenities upgrades atforeshore locations bei mples of Council’s active response tocommunity concerns. Community feedback will continue to beresponded to in ongoing planning.

In every instance where satisfaction ratings for individual services/facilitiescould be compared with results in other metropolitan council areas,Mosman either matched or exceeded the average. In seven casesMosman's service delivery recorded the highest satisfaction score of allbenchmarked councils.

Results from the 2010 Mosman Community Survey will be reported toCouncil in early March 2011. Details are available on Council's website.

More support for parking strategy

Want to know more?

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Although carparking remains a significant issue of concern for Mosmanresidents, the 2010 Community Survey has highlighted a shift incommunity sentiment on Council's on-street paid parking strategy atbeaches and foreshore reserves.

The survey shows 51.3% of respondents agreed with the strategy as ameans of managing the costs and other impacts of visitors to our area.Only 30.4% indicated that they disagreed with Council’s strategy, downfrom 52% who were not in favour of on-street paid parking in 2006. Afurther 17.4% of respondents to the 2010 survey stated that they hadno strong opinion either way.

©2010 Mosman Municipal Council. All information correct at time of printing.

web www.mosman.nsw.gov.au

Mosman Municipal Council

Civic Centre, Mosman SquareMosman NSW 2088

fax 9978 4132email council@mosman.nsw.gov.au

1300 735 100

Proudly printed by:9978 4000tel

Page 4Mosman News

twitter.com/mosmancouncil

New State Government building rulesFrom 25 February new planning rules comeinto effect meaning that certain types ofdevelopment may be carried out in some areasof Mosman without the need for a developmentapplication. The State Government has madechanges to its policy for exempt and complyingdevelopment, meaning it will now apply to landpreviously excluded from the Policy. Some

minor works but also buildings such as new twostorey houses may be approved as complyingdevelopment provided they meet certainrequirements. Complying development regulationsensure a decision on the proposal in ten days butalso mean there will be no opportunity forneighbours to comment. Most complying develop-ment certificates are issued by private certifiers,

although applications can also be made to Council.

Certain areas of Mosman, most notably the slopesand heritage conservation areas, will remain excludedfrom complying development under the Policy. If youwould like more information contact Joe Vertel on9978 4172 or visithttp://housingcode.planning.nsw.gov.au/

A new celebration for MosmanPlans are well underway for the 2011 Festivalof Mosman (28 October – 6 November) to be avibrant, creative and engaging event that unitesresidents and visitors in celebrating the best ofMosman.

Council has now endorsed a Festival EventsPlan and highlights include a ContemporaryCorroboree (celebration of contemporaryAboriginal song and dance); NAFAS (WorldDrumming Concert exploring drumming fromAfghanistan, India, Africa, Pacific Island,Eastern Asia and Western traditions); MosmanOpen Day (celebrating the lookouts, walks and

Twenty-two nominations were received for the Design Awardsthis year. By the time you read this, judging will have beencompleted but the winners not yet announced. Councilencourages everyone to view the designs on the website asthey provide a snapshot of the high-quality of development inMosman, many taking advantage of water views. During thePeople's Choice voting, held earlier this month, many positivecomments were left by voters. Here's just a taste…

Mosman Design Awards 2011

63 Muston Street“I love the open plan living andlight throughout this house.Fabulous for entertaining.”

“It is a beautiful design, I wouldlove to live somewhere like this.”

1 Curraghbeena Road“A brilliant blend of new and old!”

10 Euryalus Street“The contemporary design suitsthe environment.”

Celebrating outstanding contributions to the builtenvironment & heritage conservation in Mosman

features of Mosman through communitybarbecues and street celebrations); the Unveilingof the Balnaves Collection (a donation of artworks to the value of $1 million); GoldenSummers (world premiere of a musicalexhibition celebrating the work of the famousAustralian Impressionist painters); Open Air(iPhone locative media project exploring theartists camps of Sirius Cove); and Sculpture-in-the-Shops. A complete festival program will beavailable closer to the event.

For more information or to provide supportplease contact 9978 4106.

Facelift –Marble BeautyMosman Council's marble Antico Fountain will begetting a facelift commencing mid-February. Thefountain was badly vandalised in the early 1990s andwas repaired at that time. However, those repairs arenow beginning to show their age, affecting the beautyof the fountain. The renovation works will beundertaken by specialist tradesman from InternationalConservation Services. The works will include carvingand installation of missing elements, securing looseelements by removing and rejoining, partially removingold patching and replacement with new fillers. Oncethe fountain in Mosman Square is repaired, works willcommence to renovate the surrounding pond.

COMMUNITY

CONCERTSunday 27 March

YOUTH

CONCERT

RA SI ING AWARENESS FOR MENTAL HEALTHRA SI ING AWARENESS FOR MENTAL HEALTH

beatthe

blues

beatthe

blues

EXCITINGACTSLIVE More information coming soon!FREE

MOSMANCOUNCIL

COMMUNITYEVENT

‘Beat the Blues’ is a free community concertraising awareness for issues affecting youthmental health. The event is supported by theBlack Dog Institute and other youth mentalhealth service organisations with informationand resources provided throughout theafternoon. Queenwood School for Girls haskindly donated use of their performancevenue for the event.