“This pandemic has reminded us of the immense value we all place on our public spaces – our parks, streets, plazas, cycleways, foreshores, bushland and walking trails,” says Perrottet.
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100 new public space projects planned for NSW
Communities across the state will share in $250 million worth of funding to create a legacy of green and accessible public spaces as part of a program that is the first of its kind in NSW.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the funding supported 60 successful council proposals for more than 100 projects as part of the NSW Government’s inaugural Public Spaces Legacy Program.
“This pandemic has reminded us of the immense value we all place on our public spaces – our parks, streets, plazas, cycleways, foreshores, bushland and walking trails,” Mr Perrottet said.
“This program and the funding behind it will not only lead to better public spaces, but the work to construct them will boost local economies through the creation of more jobs.”
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Improved council processing times a must do
The Property Council has welcomed the NSW Government’s announcement of projects to be funded under their $250 million Public Spaces Legacy Program, which links State government funding grants for open space to the delivery of improved development assessment (DA) processing times for local councils.
“Local communities benefit from private sector investment in the homes, offices and buildings of the future, so it makes sense to tie funding for improved local amenity to the timely approval of new development,” the Property Council of Australia’s NSW Executive Director Jane Fitzgerald said today.
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Playground and community centre considered for funding
Two new community places have been proposed thanks to the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment’s NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program.
The program was initiated by the Department to allow for faster delivery of ‘legacy’ planning proposals – those projects that had received a gateway determination more than three years ago but were not yet fully funded.
Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne, thanked the NSW Government for the opportunity to propose two key community projects – a playground and pathways network at Bella Vista Farm and a new community centre and car park at Anthony Skarratt Reserve – for funding consideration.
In the media
Change management crucial for local government sector in 2021
In 2021, it will be essential that councils prioritise broadening the digital tool kit and ways in which they engage with citizens, mobilise their field workers with cloud-based technologies that enable them to work from anywhere at any time, and reduce costs to service (14 January 2021). More.
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Audit finds gaps in procurement compliance
An audit of NSW councils has found gaps in procurement management that potentially put them at risk of fraud, waste and corruption. The Auditor General s report, Procurement Management in Local Government handed down late last year looked at procurement practices at six NSW councils. View the Procurement Management in Local Government (15 January 2021). More.