Decision details

Moved by Councillor Scully, seconded by Councillor Vithoulkas -

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)          according to the 2016 Census data, 13 per cent of households within the City of Sydney include children, compared with 45 per cent across Greater Sydney, but there are signs that many more families are remaining in the inner city;

(ii)         the City of Sydney’s Social Sustainability Policy and Action Plan (SSAP) outlines a range of initiatives for children and young people over the next ten years;

(iii)        the City offers a range of services and programs for children and young people including:

(a)        childcare centres, after school care, vacation care and school holiday programs for children aged 0-12 years;

(b)        an extensive playground renewal program, and investment in libraries, aquatic centres, skate parks and leisure facilities; and

(c)         Youth Week in the City, the International Student Liaison Ambassador Program and Emerging Civic Leaders program and the Youth Interagency Forum;

(iv)       as part of the City’s engagement principles to be inclusive and accessible, the City is committed to engaging children and young people as part of its ongoing engagement activity in the community;

(v)         to inform the development of Sustainable Sydney 2050, the City undertook a major two-phase engagement program with primary and high schools that culminated in a Children’s and Youth Summit;

(vi)       the City conducts ongoing engagement with children and young people to inform the design of our parks and playgrounds; and

(vii)      the 2018 Cities for Play report sets out a series of recommendations for best practice in designing child-friendly high density neighbourhoods. The recommendations focus on design interventions and policies that promote active play opportunities and address children’s health and wellbeing in the planning and design of our cities; and

(B)        the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)          review the recommendations within the Cities for Play report and investigate how they might be incorporated into the delivery of Sustainable Sydney 2050 and report back to Councillors via CEO Update; and

(ii)         advocate to the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment to incorporate the principles of designing child-friendly cities into the review of the Design and Place State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) and the Apartment Design Guide.

Carried unanimously.

S129264