Loss of public assets

On 4 December 2012 Ku-ring-gai Council settled on the purchase of 828 Pacific Highway,Gordon, following a number of confidential reports considered at council meetings that were closed to the public. The purchase was resolved without any prior community consultation. The acquisition was only made on the basis that it would be funded by the rationalisation of what council staff described as 23 “under-utilised” council assets. 

These 23 “under-utilised” assets included the Culworth Avenue Car Park, Killara; the Lifeline Centre, Gordon; the Gordon Community Pre-school; public land adjacent to East Killara, West Pymble and East Lindfield shops; and the Ku-ring-gai Town Hall at Pymble.

The purchase price of 828 Pacific Highway was $22.5 million, with the costs of refurbishing, upgrading and moving from the old building (next door) expected to bring the total cost to more than $30 million – all without any firm plan for financing the purchase and move!

Council has commenced the process to reclassify and sell off a number of these assets including the Culworth Avenue Car Park, Killara; 17 Marian Street Killara; 9 Havilah Lane, Lindfield; 19 Hughes Place, Lindfield; 97 Babbage Road, East Roseville; 23 and 25 Griffith and 30 and 32 Calga Street, Roseville Chase; Kulgoa Road, West Pymble; and Pymble Playgroup, 57 Merrivale Road Pymble. And the list continues to grow with the Lindfield Library site, the Bowling Clubs at 47 Warrane Road, Roseville Chase & 4 Pennant Avenue, Gordon.

 

With an increasing population and Council’s Open Space Strategy not meeting its targets, it is absurd in the extreme to allow the reclassification of so much community land to operational, so it can be sold to developers!

FOKE remains opposed to the reclassification and sell-off of valuable public assets which are finite and cannot be replaced.