Issue - decisions

2023/714732

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Committee endorse the installation of 2 metre wide landscaped median strips in Mitchell Street, Centennial Park east of Cook Road between the following points:

·                20.4 metres and 43.7 metres

·                80.3 metres and 99.3 metres

·                108.9 metres and 122.9 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 three raised medians strips in Mitchell Street, Centennial Park will provide space for planting of trees and general landscaping in the road.