It is also a time for reflection and renewal as we have Council elections on Saturday 14 September. For those interested in contributing to Council, visit the Electoral Commission website.

Our youth are historically under-represented at Council, so to remove the barrier of youth representation we are establishing a Youth Advisory Committee. Anyone aged 14-24 may have the opportunity to contribute to local policy, and applications are open until 13 September.

Reflecting on my time as Ku-ring-gai’s youngest mayor, Council is in a better position now than it was before. We have commenced service reviews across Council’s operations to identify how we can give you better quality or more volume with limited funds, starting with customer operations and development assessment. Through new technology we have also reduced the cost of maintaining our ageing pipes – with expected savings of $100m over the life of our infrastructure.

We have longer term aspirations such as establishing a customer advocate, creating a services app and central web portal, and improving our range of community offerings. These now feed into the General Manager’s annual performance measures to ensure that each year builds towards the goal. I know these concepts are common in other industries, and our new Council will be responsible for overseeing their implementation here at Ku-ring-gai.

Regarding state housing policy, we confirm that support for dual occupancies will be switched on in Ku-ring-gai on 1 July 2025. Planning controls (including minimum lot sizes) are being explored and will be put before the new Council early next year. Bushfire and flood-prone land are excluded from these dual occupancies.

Within the transport oriented development (TOD) precincts of Gordon, Killara, Lindfield and Roseville, Council will consult the public in October with alternate infrastructure and dwelling-distribution scenarios to meet the State’s target. These scenarios seek to provide protections to heritage while simultaneously increasing the liveability, viability and speed of delivery of housing in the area. The new Council will consider an appropriate scenario for each suburb in February, and the Heritage Minister has been asked to consider an interim heritage order to temporarily protect our heritage conservation areas from unintended impacts prior to the February decision.

The NSW Government will announce further changes to our other train stations and shopping hubs after the local government elections. The expected population growth means that the underlying assumptions and viability of our community facility projects at Turramurra, Gordon, Killara, Lindfield and St Ives will improve, and the new Council will be responsible for delivering on this in an orderly manner.

Mayor Sam Ngai

News

What's on 

Last chance to enter the Sculpture Trail

Artists are invited to create sustainable sculptures to be displayed at the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden from 1 September to 7 October.

There is over $5,000 in cash and prizes available across three categories - Junior (14 and under), Youth (15 to 24 years) and Open (24 years and over).

Entries close this Sunday 28 July!

Your say

Clanville Road at Trafalgar Avenue, Roseville - proposed roundabout

We are seeking feedback about proposed changes to traffic arrangements at the intersection of Clanville Road and Trafalgar Avenue in Roseville. The changes include installation of a roundabout and speed cushions to reduce vehicle approach speeds.

Closes 2 August

Duff Street Reserve - nature play space

In partnership with students from Warrawee public school we have developed a draft concept plan for a new nature play facility at Duff Street Reserve in Turramurra. We are now seeking feedback on the plan from the local community.

Closes 19 August

Jobs and DA consents