Decision details

The original Notice of Motion was moved by Councillor Gannon and seconded by the Chair (the Lord Mayor).

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         the importance of physical exercise for the wellbeing of residents and that:

(a)        kayaking is an increasingly popular form of physical exercise in the City of Sydney;

(b)        equality of access to the harbour is a policy that this Council has reaffirmed at previous meetings;

(c)        according to the Rushcutters Bay Park Plan of Management snapshot, 74 per cent of residents use Rushcutters Bay Park for physical exercise; and

(d)        the Rushcutters Bay masterplan affirms the importance of stair access to the harbour;

(ii)        Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay and surrounding suburbs are some of the densest suburbs in Australia;

(iii)       that a majority of residents in these suburbs live in apartments;

(iv)       since the start of the pandemic, more people have taken up kayaking and purchased their own kayaks, which they store along the foreshore areas of Rushcutters Bay Park and Beare Park because they do not have adequate storage in their apartments;

(v)        many people have complained to the City about the significant build-up and storage of kayaks at Rushcutters Bay Park and Beare Park without Council approval;

(vi)       the City asked people to remove their kayaks because their build-up can restrict public access to the parks, create an obstruction for the City’s park maintenance staff, and impacts on the visual amenity of the area;

(vii)      it is important that people respond to the City’s call to retrieve their watercraft from the foreshore and if they don’t, the City can assume they do not want their property anymore or wish to contribute to the discussion about a long-term storage solution; and

(B)       the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)         update signage at Rushcutters Bay Park and Beare Park to include a QR code with additional information and to encourage owners of watercraft at those foreshore areas to come forward and claim their property so the City can determine who the regular users are and get information from them to help inform a long-term storage solution including a kayak share scheme; 

(ii)        work with owners of claimed watercraft to allow access to the harbour from those foreshore areas while a longer-term solution is found;

(iii)       investigate long-term alternatives for the storage of kayaks at Rushcutters Bay Park, including the option of installing free-to-use kayak racks, similar to that of bike racks;

(iv)       establish community consultation with residents in the area regarding the storage of kayaks at Rushcutters Bay Park; and

(v)        regularly notify Councillors through the CEO Update of all progress of Council’s community consultation and alternative storage options.

The motion, as varied by consent, was carried unanimously.

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