Issue - decisions

2022/485285

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Committee endorse the installation of

(A)      A single kerb extension on the northern side of Briggs Street, Camperdown west of Missenden Road within the existing "No Stopping" zone; and

(B)      Five, 1.65 metre wide, landscape kerb side traffic islands with tree planting on Briggs Street, Camperdown between Missenden Road and Church Street.

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 per cent 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, opportunity for passive irrigation and integrated stormwater management and the maximised shading of large areas of hardstand. The City has recognised that to meet the greening and canopy targets set out in the Greening Sydney Strategy some replacement of on-street parking will be required. It is noted that there is a need to always balance the need to provide canopy trees and all their associated benefits with the provision of parking for the community.

Briggs Street is a eastbound one-way street with parking located on the northern kerbside. The existing footpaths are narrow and limit the space available for tree planting. The proposal includes the installation of five landscaped kerbside traffic islands on Briggs Street between Church Street and Missenden Road and a single kerb extension on the northern footpath east of Missenden Road in the existing 'No Stopping' zone. 

The existing canopy is only six per cent, this proposal will allow for seven new trees and increase the canopy cover for the street by 330 per cent. The total projected canopy will be approximately 25% when the trees reach maturity.