Manly Council has called for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to build and construct a new car park under Manly Oval which will "accommodate at least 470 cars, but is designed to be expandable, with construction by others, to 760 spaces in the future".
This has surprised a number of Councillors who were expecting that the EOI would be for the original larger car park of 760 spaces, which Council has been stating from day one was what was needed; would be the most cost effective solution; and could be built for $34m. "Once again this process is flawed", claimed Independent Councillor Candy Bingham. " We are now being told that 'based on the demand study, a car park with 470 spaces now and 760 in the future will deliver the "best value for money outcome” with the additional capacity not needed until 2030' she said. So why the sudden switch to a smaller car park? Consider these facts: 1. Manly does not currently need additional parking. 2. The new smaller car park will only replace parking removed from the street, and parking currently available in Whistler St (which is to be redeveloped for mixed use and apartments with no parking). 3. The cost of the smaller car park will be closer to the original budget of $34m. 4. Forecasts show that a larger car park will not be required until at least 2030. 5. A larger car park of 760 spaces is likely to cost $45m-$50m not $34m as originally budgeted. “Even if the Council is successful in getting a long-term lease for the Whistler Street site to offset some of the cost of building a new car park under Manly Oval, the facts still remain. They are replacing a well-located, very profitable car park with a new car park further away which will carry a very large debt and major ongong operating costs. “Why? There must be more to this than the vision of 'pedestrianising Manly'.” Clr Bingham said. The EOI closes Friday 12th June with a report expected to come to Council in July 2015.
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Building a smaller car park under Manly Oval is not the solution according to Cr Candy Bingham following another workshop by Councillors. "It's a typical example of a committee designing a horse", she said. Building a smaller car park under Manly Oval has emerged as the favoured option by councillors in a Manly 2015 workshop last weekend.
The good news is that councillors have recognised the value of the centrally-located Whistler St car park and agreed to retain it "indefinitely". They have also adopted Good For Manly's idea of refurbishing the car park building and converting its forecourt area into a pedestrian plaza. The car park will be retro-fitted with a new lift and fire stairs, and accessible parking spaces will be relocated nearby or on the first floor. The exterior will also be jazzed-up. However the majority of councillors remain wedded to the oval car park proposal, but half the size as previously proposed. The new proposal is for a car park with 460 spaces (down from 760 spaces), which would cost $30M. That works out to a massive $65,000 per car space. Good For Manly councillor Candy Bingham said building a smaller car park under the heritage oval made no financial or logistical sense. "The previous KPMG assessment of the viability of a new oval car park was on the basis that costs would be underwritten by the transfer of parking revenue from the Whistler St car park and the sale of the site," Cr Bingham said. "That no longer applies and the total cost of $30m would need to be borrowed." She called for a new parking demand study based on the changed scenario. Such a study should determine if the car park would function as anything other than an overflow car park, used only on days of heavy demand. It should also clarify the huge cost of such a facility. As well there are operating costs of $250,000 a year (based on comparable underground car parks) and debt payments of $1.8M a year (based on borrowing the entire $30m at an interest rate of 5%). The car park would therefore have to generate $2.050M a year just to cover costs. Cr Bingham said this is unlikely given that the debt-free Whistler St car park, which has 342 low-maintenance spaces in the heart of the CBD, makes a profit $1m a year. Major problems, including the distance of the oval from the beach and the CBD, and the expense of building a car park in a flood plain, remain. And there is now an additional difficulty. Building half a car park under half the oval means that water drainage will be dramatically different between the two halves. What that will do to the playing surface, or the cricket pitch, is anyone's guess. "The council retaining Whistler St car park is a good decision," Cr Bingham said. "But Good For Manly can not support spending $30M on a poorly-positioned car park when the need has not even been demonstrated." Manly Councillors meet again at a workshop on 21 February to explore a number of options relating to the controversial Manly 2015 Plan. Manly Councillors will meet again at a workshop on 21 February to explore a number of options relating to the proposed 760 space car park under Manly Oval, and the proposed demolition of the centrally-located Whistler Street car park to build shops and apartments, with both projects becoming a driving wedge between the interests of the Chamber of Commerce on the one hand, and of those local residents on the other. As reported last year in the Manly Daily. Council is currently looking at a number of additional options with the view to finding a compromise. These include:
Is a smaller car park under the oval a viable idea? Not according to local experts who have reviewed the concept and come to the conclusion that the cost per parking space would be in the vicinity of $80,000 each , or $32m for the 400 space car park. (Download the full report at the bottom of this article) In the meantime, as part of the Manly 2015 Plan, work has commenced on Raglan Street, which will include new bike paths and beautification of the footpaths, from Belgrave Street to The Steyne. Also, installation of the retention tank in the existing Oval has begun, with the view to reducing flooding of this area during heavy rains. A government grant was obtained for that work.
Hundreds of Manly residents took to the streets on Sunday in a huge display of public anger over Council plans to build a car park under Manly Oval. (Great coverage in the Manly Daily here.)
The crowd included the full spread of the Manly community, ranging from small children to business owners to older residents in mobility scooters - this group there to protest that the new car park would be too far from the shops for them to manage. March organiser Candy Bingham of Good for Manly, who welcomed the crowd, drew the biggest response when she criticised Manly Council for its secrecy and lack of community consultation throughout the car park project. Cr Bingham also cited the car park's cost - at least $34 million; the fact that it will be built in a flood plain; its distance from the CBD and the fact that the existing Whistler St car park, which is well used and well-situated, can be given a makeover rather than being pulled down. She said the oval car park had already been considered on three previous occasions and rejected as not financially viable each time. Cr Bingham, accompanied by Manly's other independent Manly councillors Barbara Aird, Hugh Burns and Green’s Councillor Cathy Griffin, led the march procession past the oval site and Whistler St car park to Manly Town Hall. The big crowd, helped by a drummer and flautist, chanted "No oval car park. No massive debt" throughout the entire march before crowding into the square in front of the Town Hall building. According to Cr Bingham the march was a huge success. She said over 700 people had signed the 'No Oval Car Park' petition on Sunday alone, and that the 650 people marched to show just how worried Manly locals are. "We are not just a vocal minority," she said. The four independent councillors hope the big turn out will convince their Liberal colleagues, who hold the balance of power, to take the community seriously and rethink the Oval Car Park plan. A crucial vote to abolish the oval car park plan was lost 5 votes to 4 on Monday night (October 13) with the Liberal councillors stating the matter was “still in process”. A clever parody of the anti-development song, Big Yellow Taxi by Jodi Mitchell, has been released on YouTube to promote the Protest March against the Manly Oval Car Park on Sunday afternoon 12 October. Called Big Oval Car Park, the song has locals in tune with the protest. Today's Sydney Morning Herald has run an article about resident's concerns over the financial risk associated with the proposed Oval Car Park and raises questions about certain links to the Oval. See story here - it's worth a read! Precincts Question the Financial Viability of the Oval Car Park In a front page story published in the Manly Daily on 13th September, 2014 it is clear that the Car Park proposal is not supported by the Resident Precinct Groups either. See story here Formal Complaint Lodged with the NSW Ombudsman The North Harbour Precinct lodged a formal complaint to the NSW Ombudsman on 8th September, 2014 citing "the lack of due process by the General Manager of the Council in providing the precinct residents with information that has been requested by the residents about a Car Park Proposal that is part of the Manly2015 Masterplan as well as not consulting with the residents about their views." Visit their website for more information.
While the recent Council resolution to delay lodging a development application (DA) to proceed with the controversial Oval car park has been welcomed by the Independent Councillors Candy Bingham, Barabara Aird, Hugh Burns and Cathy Griffin, it is clear that the 5-4 deadlock will take some time to resolve. A series of workshops have been scheduled to give the Councillors time to work through the issues. Clr Candy Bingham, while pleased by the delay, questions whether the correct process has been followed. “In my opinion the process has been flawed from the start. Although the Manly 2015 Vision has been on Council’s agenda since 2008, the Good for Manly group were the only Council candidates who took a stand on the Oval car park in the lead-up to the Council elections in 2012. “Nowhere in the Liberal campaign materials was the Oval car park or Manly 2015 mentioned, even though the project had been put on hold by the previous Council,” she said. Without any resolution to proceed, the newly-elected Liberal dominated Council launched the 2015 Vision and in particular the construction of a car park under Manly Oval. This month, following a mixed response from the Office of Local Government regarding the capital expenditure of the project, the Council administration recommended that the car park move to a DA, even before any design plans had been developed, or discussed by Councillors or the community. During its term, the Council has remained divided over the car park proposal. The Mayor, Jean Hay, has responded to concerns about the lack of community consultation by stating that “this is the most consulted project Manly Council has ever done …”. However it is the Council’s response, or lack of it, to community feedback and questions that has caused major concern. As has the Council’s refusal to provide copies of relevant due diligence reports to Councillors. “The lack of transparency is a furphy being promoted by the opponents of the Plan,” according to the Mayor at a recent Council meeting. Thousands in the community would disagree. As would the nine Resident Precinct groups which still have not had their concerns and questions regarding the financial viability of the project addressed. In the meantime the Councillor workshops will provide a truce for now, with both sides hoping that the other will ‘come to their senses’ and vote their way. The likelihood of that happening is as remote as finding a parking spot in Manly during a busy summer weekend. UPDATE: Clr Bingham's motion to stop the Oval car park was lost 5 - 4 but the matter has been delayed. A Councillor workshop is to be scheduled to discuss further. ========================================================= The Office of Local Government (OLG) has now responded to Manly Council's submission to build a $34m car park under Manly Oval. Late Friday 1st August 2014, Councillors received notice of an Extraordinary Meeting for the following Monday 4th August, to vote on the matter. There has been no public notification of this extraordinary meeting by Council, which will take place after the scheduled Planning & Strategy Meeting which commences at 7.30pm. The response from the Office of Local Government (below) is ambiguous enough for either side to state that they are right. For example the Council highlights "..the office of Local Government's capital expenditure criteria have been broadly met" , while those concerned about the project and Good For Manly focus on comments such as "While primary concerns have been addressed, I note the significant complexity and risks associated with the project" and "I would draw the Council's attention to these concerns: 1. the viability of the project ..... 2. the ability to achieve long term cost of debt at 5% 3. the potential impact of unforeseen cost increases The response also says: "It is important to note that the response from the OLG should not be construed to be an endorsement of the Manly Oval Car Park". The OLG response and the Staff recommendation to proceed with the DA for the car park are below:
According to Clr Candy Bingham, Manly Council is misleading the public by stating that the feedback they are receiving is positive towards the Manly 2015 Plan. “Setting up an information booth in Manly Plaza was an excellent idea although the feedback I’ve received from many who attended was that they couldn’t get their questions answered, and that most around them were not happy with the Oval car park component of the Plan”, she said. This is backed up by a recent poll asking residents and business owners whether they supported the building of the oval car park and the demolition of the Whistler Street car park. “A total of 900 people have completed the poll. 75% disagree with the building of a car park under the oval; 71% disagree with demolishing the Whistler Street car park; 91.5% agree with the revitalising of the laneways and 82% agreed that these issues should be taken to a referendum so residents can have their say”, Clr Bingham said. The Poll was promoted extensively by as well as Good for Manlythe Chamber of Commerce and some Manly Precinct groups . This compares to the Council’s statement that “68 people made written comments at the information booth” – although it’s not clear what type of comments they were. The Council has also ignored the Precinct Resident Groups, all of which have stated that they are not yet convinced that the Oval Car Park is a viable project for Manly. “What’s the rush? While the concept of pedestrianising Manly and revitalising the laneways is popular, the real question of whether the high risk components of the oval car park project have been accurately assessed remains a concern”, Clr Bingham concluded. You can complete the poll here You can view the poll results as at 28 July below.
It is interesting to note that the Chamber of Commerce has changed their position, now publicly suggesting members 'ignore the negative campaign' against the project. Nonetheless we wish to acknowledge and thank the President, Mark Stanley, who organised a Meeting of Stakeholders with Council's experts to address unanswered questions. Good for Manly had two representatives present. (See minutes below for more detail.) The majority of Manly Resident Precinct Groups however still seem firmly against the Oval car park (although like most they support the regeneration of the laneways.) A number of precincts believe the Oval car park project should be the subject of a referendum at the next Council election. Manly's four independent Councillors remain concerned about the viability and impact of the proposed car park project which includes the demolition of the well-used Whistler Street car park. Councillors Aird, Bingham, Burns and Griffin have this week forwarded a final response to the Office of Local Government , who are reviewing the capital expenditure. A detailed submission, including advice from independent experts, has also been submitted. See copies below:
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Take Action .... Yes, we know you have probably already attended a public meeting; sent an email; signed a petition; written to the editor of the Manly Daily and Mike Baird ...BUT - It isn't over yet!
PLEASE EMAIL TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCILLORS: records@manly.nsw.gov.au - attn Mayor & Councillors EMAIL MIKE BAIRD, Premier & Local Member: manly@parliament.nsw.gov.au Write to the Manly Daily: letters@manlydaily.com.au Manly Council's plan for a car park under Manly oval has taken a hit after the Office of Local Government raised seven major issues for the Council to address.
The Office has just released its initial assessment of the Council's capital expenditure plan for the $34M car park. It lists seven major concerns about the plan, which is already questioned by the Manly Chamber of Commerce, and opposed by all of Manly's precinct groups, a growing number of Manly residents and the four independent (out of nine in total) Manly councillors. Council is required to respond to seven key issues before the Office can complete its assessment. They are: 1. Geotechnical risk. Council's claim that building the car park - a multi story structure under Manly's heritage oval and in an area known to flood after heavy rain - is a low risk enterprise. The Office notes that the Council's own technical report does not support that claim, based on initial geotechnical work. 2. The car park operating costs. The Council has been criticised for not taking these costs into account, as required in plans of this nature. This tallies with concern by residents and independent Manly councillors, who note that Council's one underground car park - in Wentworth St - is by far the most expensive of its four car parks to maintain. This contrasts with the Whistler St car park - slated to be pulled down - which is cheap to maintain and brings in $700,000 a year. 3. Interest rate assumptions. The Office questions Council calculations, which are based on an unchanging rate of interest of 4.3%. This is despite the fact that the rate is floating, not fixed, and the term of the loan runs for 50 years. The Manly Chamber of Commerce has already questioned this claim - understood by them as "an average cost of funds of 5% over the life of the project"- 4. Public support. The Office of Local Government didn't buy the Council's claim that Manly residents were right behind the car park plan. "It is apparent to the Office that there is a growing level of community concern and opposition to this project", it wrote. That's no surprise to the 400+ Manly residents who recently attended a Car Park opposition public meeting, or to Local MP and State Treasurer Mike Baird who has publicly aired his own concerns about the car park project. 5. Project management expertise. The Office also didn't believe the Council's claim that it was experienced at managing large projects, noting that previous Council projects have not been as large or as complex as the oval car park. Residents, who remember Manly Council's recent botched job of repaving the Corso, would agree. 6. Cost to fix Whistler St Car Park. The Council has been asked to explain its wildly varying estimates for this job. Council says $5M is needed to fix the car park, and gives this figure as a reason for pulling it down and building under Manly oval instead. But the Office points to the Council's own 2012/13 financial reports, where the car park is listed as being in "average" condition and "requiring no maintenance expenditure". 7. The sale of Whistler St Car Park. The Council was criticised for not taking into account the risk of the sale not going through. While the Office of Local Government does not have the power to stop Manly Council going ahead with the oval car park plan, Mayor Jean Hay is on the record as saying she won't proceed unless the plan is assessed as financially viable. The entire Ivanhoe Park site including Manly Oval is listed as a Heritage item in Manly Local Environment Plan (LEP) 1988, yet this has not been considered by Manly Council as part of its Oval car park development. This listing prohibits any excavation or development unless a proper assessment of the impact on the items Heritage significance has been carried out and yet Manly Council has made no assessment as part of its Manly2015 Plan which includes digging up Manly Oval to create a two-level car park underground. According to local historians The Oval and Ivanhoe Park are of extremely high value to Manly both in a heritage sense and in Urban Design terms as the "village green” and is an integral part of the historic and current fabric of Manly. It is believed that Manly Oval, in its natural context, is the best example in Sydney and possibly Australia of a Public Recreation Oval integrated into a "village" area. For this reason together with the rich history of recorded events which have taken place in the Park, careful preservation and celebration of this place is essential and is currently at serious risk. Former Manly Council Town Planner and Urban Design Consultant, Rob Burgess, has headed a team of local historian which has championed the documentation of the heritage significance of Manly Oval in the light of the proposal to build a major car park under the site. "Whilst design details on the works to the Oval are limited, a number of Architects, Planners, Engineers & Quantity Surveyors agree that the extent of building work will devastate the Park and destroy this much loved place. The structure will involve massive excavation in excess of 100,000 cubic meters of material and construction of a two level mechanically ventilated 800 space car park." he said. "The structure will be below the water table and will interfere with the underground creek which traverses the site. Numerous exhaust stacks will extend above ground level and dewatering pumps will be used extensively. There will be three substantial vehicular ramps providing vehicular access from Sydney Road and extreme traffic disruption is predicted, with impacts to the whole of the area" Mr Burgess concluded. Of greater concern is that inevitably due to cost, ventilation and reduction of ramp lengths issues, the concrete structure will be above existing ground level, at least in part, and thus will destroy for all time the historic 'village green'. Manly resident, Jeremy Bingham , former Lord Mayor of Sydney and eminent Local Government Lawyer and the person most responsible for the preservation and restoration of the Queen Victoria Building and Sydney's Capitol Theatre, is also seriously concerned at the ramifications of Council's destructive plans. “The whole of Ivanhoe Park, including Manly Oval, was added by Manly Council to the heritage list in Manly LEP 1988 after a heritage report in 2010. I am staggered that at no time in the recent debate over the Manly 2015 Plan did the General Manager draw this recent heritage listing to the attention of the Council", Mr Bingham said. Clause 18 of Manly Council’s LEP prohibits any excavation or development of a heritage item unless a proper assessment of the impact on the item’s heritage significance has been carried out. It is essential this be done before Council proceed any further with the Oval car park plan. "There is no doubt in my mind that the proposed Oval car park will destroy the heritage elements of Manly Oval/Village Green,” Mr Bingham concluded. At the public meeting on Saturday 22nd February, organiised by Good For Manly, over 400 attendees unanimously opposed the Council's plans to build a car park under the Oval and demolish the existing Whistler Street car park and 18 year old library. A report on the proposal from the Office of Local Government is imminent.
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AuthorCandy Bingham, Deputy Mayor & Manly Ward Councillor on Northern Beaches Council. Background in marketing, public relations and community engagement. Author of five business books. Former Lady Mayoress of Sydney. Aka Candy Tymson. ........................................
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