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September 2021 update on the Heart of Dulwich Hill plan

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By Liz Locksley 

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In early August 2021, I prepared the Heart of Dulwich Hill plan. This plan was then endorsed in principle, and released for consultation, by the Save Dully residents' action group.

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This blog post provides an update on progress since this time.

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The Heart of Dulwich Hill is a place management approach to the Dulwich Hill village centre.

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Implementing it calls for integrated actions from multiple teams across the Council.

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As you can see from the information below, tracking down all the people responsible for the different activities contemplated in the plan has been quite a job!

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Briefings

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Save Dully is mobilising existing and prospective councillors to commit to Heart of Dulwich Hill 

  • Save Dully plans to send a letter to the new Mayor, councillors for our ward and the GM to share the Heart of Dulwich Hill plan and seek their feedback on how and when these ideas will be implemented through asset management works and strategic plans such as the Community Strategic Plan, Local Environment Plan and Development Control Plan.

  • Save Dully will also request a more integrated approach to place management and council communications to make it easier for residents and businesses to find out what’s happening in our neighbourhood.

  • We've presented the plan to the local Greens group on 16/8/21, alongside a presentation Save Dully’s Our Suburb,Our Future vision.

  • We also understand we may be invited to present the plan to the local Labor group during October.

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Fixing potholes, trip hazards and cleaning up illegal dumping, litter etc 

 

I’ve reported potholes, trip hazards and illegal dumping via Snap Send Solve and Council’s self service reporting system.

 

I spoke on the phone to the Council officer who manages repairs such as potholes. Reporting potholes and maintenance issues gets them onto the work schedule for action. He encourages local residents and shoppers to spot and report any maintenance issues via via Council’s request website

 

I had a bike ride around the Seaview St carparks yesterday and was pleased to see quite a few potholes, trip hazards and leaning laneway fences have now been patched/repaired. 

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This shows that, when the community mobilises and addresses an issue, action follows.

 

Litter and illegal dumping are still a problem. I've left a message with the council officer who organises streetscape cleaning and logged requests for street sweeping via Council’s request website. It would be great to have a spring clean in readiness for the easing of lockdown during October. 

 

Seaview Street hall, old library and children’s health centre

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I’m still trying to speak to someone who manages the Seaview St hall and old library to find out what plans Council has for them. 

 

I’d like to see the lawn in front of the hall made accessible for public use and generally clean up litter that’s strewn around, especially inside the back fence. 

 

Longer term, Dulwich Hill Commercial Precinct DCP shows this site is zoned for seven story development.

 

Heart of Dulwich Hill recommends that Council redevelop its facilities here to provide much needed affordable housing as well as modern childcare facilities, community meeting space and perhaps co-working space. Property management plans and policies are on the Council website.

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Supporting local business and activating the village centre in the evenings

 

Last week IWC announced a new plan to encourage outdoor dining and events in public spaces such as car parks. I'm hoping this support for local businesses will result in some starting to use the Seaview St car park and laneways for outdoor activities, particularly outside busy shopping periods (as per Heart of Dulwich Hill plan).

 

Some minor works could encourage activation of the laneways such as installing lighting - maybe fairy lights to add a bit of nighttime ambience, e.g. for outdoor dining.

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The GreenWay is finally being built

 

A big breakthrough happened in the last month with the widening of the footpath under the rail bridge on Terrace Road near the entrance to Jack Shanahan Reserve (see photo below).

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The GreenWay is a fabulous boost for Dulwich Hill.

 

If it is even a quarter as popular as the Bay Run and Cooks River, it will bring new visitors to Dulwich Hill.

 

Council's economic development officer supports a marketing campaign and installing wayfinding signage from the GreenWay to shops and shops to GreenWay/light rail. This initiative is specifically mentioned in the Heart of Dulwich Hill plan.

 

I’m keen to talk to local businesses about their ideas for marketing Dulwich Hill. There are great initiatives happening such as Dully Locals.

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​Seaview St car park is to be resurfaced in the next 12 months and other improvements 

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Seaview St car park is scheduled for resurfacing in the next 12 months. Community consultation on the project will be happening early 2022. 

 

Council has consolidated asset records from the three former councils and is now working on an Inner West place design/standard - this helps Council officers create a bit of an Inner West identity for the places across our area.

 

Work is happening to prioritise village centres for upgrade works - to gradually bring all the Inner West village centres up to standard.

 

An audit of carparks across Inner West will start soon.

 

Ways to implement the green grid and increase shade and permeable street surfaces to reduce urban heat and stormwater run-off as part of streetscaping works are being investigated.

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Strategic plans for the Dulwich Hill village centre are being prepared, and will be available for community consultation in the next few months.

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Council’s strategic planners have engaged consultants to work on a Dulwich Hill urban design study.

 

It should be circulated internally to Council soon. The consultants are drawing on community sentiment built into other plans such as the Local Strategic Planning Statement, GreenWay Master Plan and previous community engagement work done at Dulwich Hill Fair (in the Marrickville Council days). 

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Community consultation on the Dulwich Hill urban design study will happen Spring 2021 or early Summer.

 

Originally planned for early Spring, COVID pushed this back a bit as the lock down restrictions limit opportunities for face-to-face discussions/events etc.

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Updating the Local Environment Plan and Development Control Plan.

 

The Dulwich Hill urban design study is one of several that Council’s strategic planners are preparing. The others are for Marrickville and North Ashfield.

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These studies will feed into the new Local Environmental Plan (LEP) and will deliver a new vision for the area more in keeping with community aspirations. It will reflect the community and Council's position of opposing the Sydney to Bankstown Corridor Strategy, which proposed a lot of high density development Dulwich Hill.

 

The new Inner West Council LEP will be the guiding planning document for the area. Council is now the planning authority for everything except the rail corridor itself.

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Council’s strategic planner says the ideas in Heart of Dulwich Hill are very much in line with the content of the Dulwich Hill urban design study which will set the future character of the area and what we want to maintain, enhance and change.

 

Connections to the GreenWay, making a feature of the laneways and encouraging shops to make a connection to the flexible town square/car park (as well as the road frontage) are all being considered.

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Dulwich Hill station area

 

Council is having constructive influence with the Metro people to improve the interaction between the station and local area. A positive community vision for the area would be a helpful addition to guide Council's work. 

 

Share your ideas for making Dulwich Hill even better with the Council and Save Dully!

 

Contact Save Dully

 

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Contact Inner West Council

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****** This update was prepared by Save Dully committee member Liz Locksley and published on September 25, 2021

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