14-6-2017 HHT Letter to Council Re BP Pom

P r e s e r v i n g A u s t r a l i a ' s O l d e s t G a r d e n S u b u r b

P.O. Box 85, Hunters Hill, N.S.W. 2110

14-6-2017 HHT Letter to Council re BP PoM.doc

The General Manager

Hunters Hill Council

Alexandra St

Hunters Hill

NSW 2110

Dear Mr Smith,

Please accept this letter as a formal objection to the way two aspects of the Plan of Management for Boronia Park are being implemented. And please also accept our suggestion for a simple way to avoid such problems during the rest of the implementation.

It appears that in both cases Council has deviated significantly from the intent of the Plan of Management, producing inferior outcomes, in order to reduce costs. Our view is that the wording of the Plan of Management, arrived at after an exhaustive process, should be followed unless it is found be impracticable, and that if funds are not currently available, the item should be deferred until adequate funds are available.

I refer to the first two items mentioned in an email from Jacqui Vollmer, 20 March 2017, outlining ‘proposed works in Boronia Park for the remainder of this financial year’.

Our three concerns are discussed below:

1.Looped Walking Track

This project combines two items from the PoM, both having Medium priority:

Issue 1: ‘Uncomfortable gravel surface of pathway between Ovals #2 and #3’

Action 1: ‘Existing gravel path and stairs to be removed and replaced with a path designed to meet relevant Australian Standards with consideration of the park and user group requirements’ (Section 4.5.2, 2.3, No. 2.5 (p44).

Issue 2: ‘Absence of connections to other management areas’

Action 2: ‘Implement looped walking track for the whole site, connecting bushland with other management areas’ (Section 4.5.3 no. 3.3, second item (p50).

Our objections to the work currently underway on the Looped Walking Track are as follows:

a)The fill, of loose mulch, is more difficult to walk on than the loose gravel that preceded it, and although sometimes used as ‘soft-fall’ for children’s playgrounds, it is hard to believe that loose mulch complies with the ‘relevant Australian Standards’ for paths for these reasons:

the loose, springy nature of the mulch makes the surface itself a trip hazard,
it will break down relatively quickly,
the protruding timber edging required to contain it certainly creates a trip hazard and would likely cause injury to anybody who tripped over it. Especially offensive in the older part of the edging are the protruding steel pins.
recent rains have washed soil over part of the mulch, and have washed parts of the path away altogether.

b)The path is too narrow, at only 1.1m wide for most of its length, narrowing to 1.0m where it will join the stairs descending the slope down to Oval 3, which are to be 1.2m wide.

Please refer to the attached photos.

Accordingly we recommend that:

This path be re-constructed:

with a uniform width of at least 1.2m, matching the width of the stairs to which it will connect, and to allow walkers pass each other without leaving the path,
of a durable, relatively smooth material such stabilised crushed sandstone, decomposed granite, asphalt or concrete; it should be be smooth enough to be used by people wheeling prams and people with walking disabilities,

with any edging material set level with the surrounding surface, so as not to create trip hazards.

2.Princes Street access road

The Plan of Management propses to replace the lower part of the existing roadway ‘that detracts from natural bushland atmosphere of site for walkers’ so as ‘to allow for improved pedestrian amenity and experience, reducing road width to create 3m meandering trail and low indigenous vegetation to sides and improved swale to assist with storm water sediment control’ (Section 4.5.3 Passive Recreation Management Zone, No. 3.1, p45)

We acknowledge that the lower part of Princes St needs to be still navigable by service- and emergency-vehicles, which is presumably the reason it is still referred to as a ‘road’ rather than a path, and assigned a width of 3m, to allow for the maximum width of emergency vehicles of 2.5m, (Fire Safety Guideline GL-27).

Furthermore we note that ‘meander’ is defined by the Macquarie Dictionary as: 1. to proceed by a winding course, 2. to wander aimlessly

Our objections to the work recently carried out on the lower portion of Princes St are that it ignores the intent clearly expressed in the Plan of Management:

the existing roadway has simply been resurfaced to a greater width than specified (3.5m rather than 3m),
there has been no attempt to create a ‘meandering trail’,
the sides of the road have not been prepared for ‘low indigenous vegetation’
there is no provision for stormwater sediment control.

Please refer to the attached photos.

Accordingly we recommend that,

this section of Princes St be reconstructed in accordance with the Plan of Management ‘to create 3m meandering trail and low indigenous vegetation to sides and improved swale to assist with storm water sediment control’, and
that this work be accorded the High priority assigned in the Plan of Management.

3.Suggestion for the future implementation of the Plan of Management

The Plan of Management includes a proposal to establish Stakeholder Working Group Meetings ‘to be held twice annually with relevant stageholder groups’ (see Item 4.5.2, No. 2.5 (p44):

Strategy: ‘Coordination of park’

Issue: ‘Limited opportunities for coordination between various stakeholder groups and council’

Action: ‘Stakeholder working group meetings to be held twice annually with relevant stakeholder groups, with maximum of two representatives from each stakeholder group, to be arranged and coordinated by council’

The Trust would far prefer to be able to discuss projects in which we feel we have a stake during the planning stage, and believe we have the relevant skills to be able to contribute constructively to discussions of design and procedure.

For this reason we call on Council to set up a Stakeholder Working Group for Boronia Park, with representatives of the Trust, but suggest its meetings be coordinated with particular projects, rather than simply twice annually.

Yours sincerely

Alister Sharp (President)

14 June 2017

Attachment: Photos – Recent PoM work at Boronia Park.doc