Decision details

2024/525041

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Committee endorse the installation of 2 metre wide landscaped median strips in Walker Street, Redfern between Cooper Street and James Street between the following points north of Cooper Street:

·                21.1 metres and 44.1 metres

·                62.8 metres and 79.3 metres

Voting Members for this Item

Advice

The Committee unanimously supported the recommendation.

Background

The Greening Sydney Strategy was adopted in July 2021 and sets a vision for a greener Sydney that will help improve our health and wellbeing, reduce urban heat impacts, and bring nature into the city. The strategy is made up of six key directions and 20 key actions.

Streets account for 23 per cent of the total local government area (LGA). The target for streets as a collective land use area is 39 per cent green cover with a minimum of 34 percent canopy cover. To achieve the overall LGA targets a variety of measures are defined in Action 1 of the Greening Sydney Strategy. The City has committed to develop policies, programs, and projects to increase the number and type of street gardens, increase the number and type of inroad plantings, plant more street trees, and ensure the largest tree species appropriate for the space is planted.

The planting of trees within the road pavement area is an opportunity to increase tree canopy within the street network above that provided by typical planting within the verge. Planting in the roadway provides a range of benefits including traffic calming by narrowing roadway down and reducing speed, opportunity to install trees clear of overhead services, and the maximised shading of large areas of hardstand.

As part of this strategy implementation, the proposal to install two raised medians strips in Walker Street, Redfern will provide space for planting of trees and general landscaping in the road.