At its General Meeting held yesterday, Hornsby Shire Council adopted a special Mayoral Minute extending assistance to property owners who are affected by the February − March 2022 floods which impacted parts of the Shire.
The initiative includes waiving a range of Council Development Application (DA), Compliance Levy and other fees until 30 June 2023.
In response to the ongoing hardship in communities impacted by floods, Council will offer the following forms of assistance:
- For DAs submitted to Council for construction or reconstruction works on an originally approved development affected by the February − March 2022 floods, DA fees and Compliance Levy fees will be waived.
- For Section 68 applications to carry out reinstallation works on flood-affected properties, the application fees will be waived.
- For Section 68 applications for the approval to operate a Caravan Park, the application fees will be waived.
Common ‘Section 68’ activities include water supply, sewerage and stormwater drainage works or the installation of moveable dwellings or ‘temporary’ structures.
“Where possible, DAs, construction certificate applications, and the like from flood-impacted areas will be prioritised by Council’s assessment team for any applications lodged up until 30 June 2023,” said Hornsby Shire Mayor, Philip Ruddock.
“Also, Council will be waiving the fees for Council work to assist residents with the piling and clearing of vegetation or debris caused by the flood, and for the removal of debris by others on private land where required.”
“In addition, Council has delegated authority to our senior management to approve work by Council teams on private property should the need arise to assist with clean-up activities being coordinated by other Government agencies.”
“The extraordinary weather event of the last two weeks has been challenging, and our thoughts are very much with all those who have been affected.
“Our outdoor teams have been working hard to attend to many issues, including fixing damage to roads, removing fallen trees and clearing some significant landslides.
“A number of our staff have also assisted the SES with filling sandbags for storm protection.
“We all owe a great debt of thanks to the volunteers, our State Emergency Services, Rural Fire Service, Police and other emergency teams and to Council staff for their incredible efforts during this terrible flood event.
“This severe weather event has lasted for weeks but as we are all acutely aware, it’s been non-stop for two years for these heroes, and we are incredibly grateful for all that they do for us.
Council’s recovery efforts are already underway, with a focus on our rural areas, notably road works along Singleton Road and Laughtondale Gully Road.
We will be assisting with property clean-ups where needed, particularly in Singleton Road and Wisemans Ferry.
Importantly, Council is also ensuring our foreshore assets, including pontoons and boat ramps, remain open for the community and we have already cleared an extensive amount of debris that has washed down the Hawkesbury River to Dangar Island and Parsley Bay.
Potholes will continue to be repaired over the coming days and fallen trees removed, as we keep a close watch on weather and road conditions.
We are endeavouring to maintain our waste collections, but there may be delays in service in a few areas.
Mayor Ruddock urged residents to continue to be aware of the weather conditions, follow the advice of the state agencies and report issues to the appropriate authorities.
Issues can be reported to Council through our website www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au, via email to [email protected], or by phoning on 9847 6666.
Other items of note at last night’s meeting included:
- Council resolved to put on public exhibition our community’s ambitious ten-year draft Community Strategic Plan
- Council resolved to establish an Audit Risk and Improvement Committee
- Council resolved to grant revised Delegations and Power of Attorney to the General Manager
- Council tabled a report on the status of its Investments and Borrowings for 2021−2022 (period ending 31 January 2022)
- Council endorsed an extension to the term of appointment of the current members of the Hornsby Design Excellence Panel for a period up to three years
- Council endorsed a Notice of Motion acknowledging International Women’s Day
- Council endorsed a Mayoral Minute acknowledging the many services to the community of the late Mrs Vera Judith (Judy) Cadman
The full agenda of the meeting, along with details of each item discussed, can be found at hornsby.nsw.gov.au. The video recording of the meeting will be available from tomorrow afternoon.
