Newcastle City Council
Newcastle Council Chamber
City Hall NEWCASTLE

Dear Councillors,

Item 76 Council Strategy Committee business paper 19thDec. 2000

I would like to thank you and your fellow Councillors for adjourning Item 76 last night to the next Strategy Committee Meeting.

Not only did you have the huge amount of business to manage last night but to have set the statutory process in motion for reclassification would have been an unfair imposition the citizens living near the reserves in question.

There was no urgency in this matter and one wonders why such issues are initiated without reference to the local community. I hope that you will have the opportunity to listen to residents before next meeting.

It was very important for Council not to be tied into the statutory reclassification process before Christmas and before hearing from the community.

The community land provisions of the Local Government Act were meant to usher in a "new approach to the concept of public land management" and "enable community land to be more appropriately managed" (Second reading speech of Minister)

The machinery in the LG Act for reclassification should only be used for an essential public purpose and Operational Land Classification be only used when the land is meant to be a temporary asset or needed for a long term lease.

Parks and Playgrounds Movement would also like permission to address Council on the matter of community land early in the new year.

For the last thing this year I would like to thank you for deferring this matter and to wish you the very best for Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

Yours sincerely,

Doug Lithgow

Parks and Playgrounds Movement

Councillor John Tate Lord Mayor of Newcastle.
City Hall Newcastle
NEWCASTLE

Dear John,

I would be pleased if you would withdraw Item 76 (Community Land Reclassification) from the Council Strategy Committee business this evening.

This is a diabolical proposal for Council to bring forward at Christmas time.

There is no urgency in this matter and it could be deferred for wiser counsel.

Not one of the 7 parcels of community land have to be dealt with at tonight’s meeting

Parks and Playgrounds Movement would also like permission to address Council on this matter in the new year. We feel that it is very important for Council not to be tied into the reclassification process before Christmas and before hearing from the community.

All citizens naturally expect their Community Land and public reserves and parks to be guarded and protected by their local Councillors.

The community land provisions of the Local Government Act were meant to usher in a "new approach to the concept of public land management" and "enable community land to be more appropriately managed" (2^nd reading speech of Minister)

Citizens and Ratepayers don’t need to be faced with a year of campaigning next year against their Council to halt reclassification of land held in trust for the public.

I want to make it very clear that Community Land is not free land up for grabs and moral and ethical issues must not be set aside as council starts the process of reclassification to operational land a few days before Christmas.

Operational Land is land temporally held and has no protection whatsoever.

It can be sold or leased without restriction.

The ethics of retaining community land need to be stressed and good park management encouraged.

I would be pleased if would reject Item 76 Community Land Reclassification or defer it until the New Year.