Meetings

The CCC will be meeting on eight occasions in 2008. Below is a list of meeting dates. By selecting a date, you can read of summary of each meeting's minutes.

• Meeting #1: 12 February 2008
• Meeting #2: 11 March 2008
• Meeting #3: 8 April 2008
• Meeting #4: 13 May 2008
• Meeting #5: 10 June 2008
• Meeting #6: 12 August 2008
• Meeting #7: 9 September 2008 - cancelled
• Meeting #8: 11 November 2008

CCC Meeting: 12 February 2008

The CCC met on 12 February 2008 at the Moore Park Golf House.

This was the first meeting for five new members of the CCC (new members are brought onto the CCC every two years and the maximum term for a CCC member is four years).

The main business of the meeting was a presentation on the Good Vibrations Festival and other major events up coming in the Parklands.

The CCC was briefed on the new arrangements for directing patrons leaving events and the communication strategy for neighbours informing them of these arrangements. The new arrangements will direct patrons exiting the event down Grand Drive, out of the Robertson Road gates and down to the Driver Avenue bus loop. This will ensure that patrons do note exit the park directly into adjoining residential areas.

These changes have been made specifically in response to issues raised by neighbours.

Two tickets were available for a CCC member to attend the event and report back to the CCC at the next meeting.

Other business was mainly administrative – appointment of a secretary, agreements on future meeting dates and some general business.

CCC Meeting: 11 March 2008

The CCC met on 11 March 2008 at the Parklands Office.

Presentations were given on the progress of the new Restaurant and Café and the associated playground. It is expected that the facility will be opening some time in mid-Winter.  During this time the playground will be redeveloped. There will be a short period of a couple of months during which there will be no playground in this area. From this time, Depot Road will become a 10km/h shared zone and be accessible to authorised vehicles and people with accessibility requirements. Turpentine Grove (on the eastern side of Depot Rd) will be redeveloped as a special needs access picnic area.

The Queens Park Playground will be redeveloped commencing the end of March and will take about a month to complete.

The CCC was given a report back on the Good Vibrations Festival which attracted 38,000 patrons to the Parklands. A report from the CCC member who attended this event has been put back to the next meeting after sending apologies for this meeting.

New strategies relating to noise management and dealing with patrons exiting the Parklands were trialled during the Good Vibrations Festival and while improvements in these areas were noted but there were some problems experienced. Changes will be made in these strategies for the next event (Jack Johnson) to improve these issues further. A copy of the public information relating to the coming to and leaving the Jack Johnson concert was given to the CCC for information. A member of the CCC will attend the Jack Johnson concert and report back at the next meeting.

Other issues discussed by the CCC included:

• Participation in the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub (ESBS) Volunteer group – a member of the CCC will participate in this group.
• A site visit of Parklands facilities and major projects for new members to be held in March
• Noise Management Plan – two members of the CCC attended a community meeting relating to the plan and provided feedback to the Committee. The Chair will discuss some of these issues with the Trust at the next Trust meeting.
• CCC goals for 2008 – Committee to develop a “mission statement” for 2008 to be discussed at the next meeting.

CCC Meeting: 8 April 2008

The CCC met on 8 April 2008 at the Parklands Office.

The majority of the meeting was taken up with a discussion of the three major events that have been hosted in the Parklands over the preceding 6 weeks – Good Vibrations, Jack Johnson and the V Festival. The CCC had a presentation from the Parklands Administration on the main issues associated with the events and the strategies that have been trialled to address these issues.

Major issues include: sound levels, egress strategies, anti social behaviour (particularly fence jumping) and recycling.

The CCC acknowledged that there is a demand for large music events and a need to raise recurrent funding for the Trust, however the following issues were aired:

• The size of the large music events
• the demographics of the large music events, being largely for the 18-24 age group
• the ‘fit with the Parklands’ – events that are enhanced by the Parkland setting
• the above major issues – sound levels, egress strategies, anti social behaviour.

The focus for 2008 was discussed and agreed and will be placed on the Website as follows:

In 2008 the CCC aims to strengthen ties between the community and the Trust particularly in regard to:

• management of major events (including World Youth Day);
• the Centennial Parklands Restaurant refurbishment;
• pedestrian access to the Parklands;
• road safety within the Parklands; and
• feedback from the Triennial Visitor Survey.

The CCC agreed that members would start attending local community meetings, such as precinct committees, and report back on these to provide additional community input into its discussions. This would not affect the agreed 2008 schedule of CCC meetings.

Members of the CCC agreed to attend the York Road bush regeneration site on a date to be arranged to meet volunteers and discuss the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub (ESBS) bush regeneration works.

CCC Meeting: 13 May 2008

The CCC meeting on 13 May 2008 was a special consultation meeting focusing on the impacts of World Youth Day 2008 on Centennial Parklands and its surrounding precincts.

Held at Moore Park Golf's function centre, the CCC was joined by a range of community stakeholders, licensees and Moore Park precinct partners in a combined forum. The forum received presentations by representatives of the World Youth Day Coordination Authority, World Youth Day event organisers, and the Roads & Traffic Authority.

CCC Meeting: 10 June 2008

The meeting was addressed by Professor John Niland, Chair of the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust.

Professor Niland noted, amongst other things, that there was increasing budgetary and population pressures on the Parklands and that balancing the legitimate interests of the general community, groups and government entities was a challenging exercise.

Professor Niland  informed the Committee that the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust (SCSGT) was now managing the event parking on Moore Park East under licence from the Trust which retains overall ownership and management of the land.

Members of the Committee expressed concern that the area around Kippax Lake might be conceded for permanent parking to the SCSGT. Professor Niland noted that, although the SCSGT had often expressed interest in gaining control of Moore Park East, that no formal application to the Trust had been received to date.

Professor Niland confirmed the Trust's solid commitment to the maintenance of green space, heritage and public access on Moore Park East no matter what transpires in the future. Further, he advised that the legal responsibility for this land rested with the State Government.

The CCC was updated about the Australian and Korean War Memorial and resolved to make a submission when the DA is placed on exhibition.

The CCC resolved to make further contacts with the general community by attending local precinct, residents and special interest meetings when appropriate, to increase the reach of the committee members into the Community.

The CCC was updated on World Youth Day and its request to use the Parklands for the spillover on Sunday 20 July at the Papal mass.

It was noted at the meeting that the Restaurant would now be open in spring due to some construction delays.

CCC Meeting: 12 August 2008

The CCC was briefed by the Trust on the Draft Park improvement Plan (PIP) Version 2. The Trust stressed that the programs had to have a firm business basis, rather than a general ‘Wish List’ and had to demonstrate an improvement to the Parklands on a number of different criteria including heritage, safety, sustainability, income production etc. There are a number of general areas where capital works are proposed, being:

• Heritage and Conservation
• Environment
• Transport and Access
• Utilities
• Annual Provisions

Compiling the PIP 2 is an extensive process and it is proposed that it be presented to the NSW Treasury later in 2008.  The CCC particularly noted that there was strong competition for State funding, but it was clear that the Draft PIP 2 was a comprehensive and thoroughly considered document.

The issue of parking in Moore Park East was addressed by the Trust at this meeting. Several points of note are as follows:

• Parking has been on this area for many years to accommodate patrons to the various sporting and cultural activities.
• There has been a gradual reduction in the number of cars, and better management over the years.
• Parking returns a significant and much needed income to the Trust to fund the increasingly crowded and intensively used Parklands.
• Parking and Traffic are issues of State significance in this area and the Trust is committed to working constructively with all stakeholders, in particular to preserve the heritage, green space and public access to the area.

The CCC continued to express its concern about using this important green space for parking, but acknowledged the position as presented by the Trust. The CCC requested an ongoing dialogue with the Trust about the parking and traffic issues in Moore Park East.

Events in the Parklands over the next few months include the following:

• Ride for Life - Sunday 17 August (5th year)
• Sydney Running Festival – Sunday 21 September
• Women’s Health – Are you Game? – Saturday & Sunday 18 & 19 September (1st year)
• NPA BioBlitz – Sunday 28 September (1st year)
• Parklife – Sunday 5 October (9th year)
• CP Foundation Evergreen Dinner - Fundraising Saturday 11/25 October
• JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge – Wednesday 12 November (9th year)
• Earth Festival – Saturday  29 November (2nd year)
• Summer Gay Day – Saturday 29 November – (2nd year)

In respect of the World Youth Day Event in July, the CCC noted that Trust staff had undertaken a considerable amount of preparation over the past 6 months, however, the crowds were much less than anticipated and their impact on the Parklands was minimal.