26/02/2024

Georges River is a Council committed to being future focused and ambitious. In the coming years, we will see pockets of the future emerge through strategic initiatives that support our region to be more accessible, green, diverse, and innovative.
 
In this series of Mayoral columns, I will be highlighting the steppingstones that guide our community and economy toward our 2050 Vision. I am ready, we are ready, to create a brighter future through strong leadership and accountability.
 
Theme: Green. “A leafy, green place, where [people] and biodiversity thrives… and as a result health and environmental impacts are minimised” (2050: Leading for Change – Green).
 
Our community continually voices the importance of access to green space and being connected to nature. As a result, we are dedicated to enhancing our natural environment through promoting and protecting our biodiversity alongside sustainable development.
 
This was highlighted with the establishment of our Significant Tree Register, which was finalised in December 2023 following an extensive public exhibition period. A large volume of nominations were received for significant trees on private and public land. Council adopted 257 trees at 16 sites to be included on the Register to better recognise and protect local trees of visual, botanical, ecological and historical, commemorative, cultural or social significance. Council itself owns and maintains 266 parks and reserves, totalling 477 hectares, which means that most of our residents live within 400 metres of open space.
 
The importance of trees within the Georges River area must not be understated, as we look to increase our tree canopy coverage to 40 per cent by 2038. Many Councils across New South Wales are working towards this same goal. Through planning for a more sustainable future, we are increasing our quality of life and supporting our community's physical and mental health.
 
It is not only for aesthetics, but the canopy target is a public health issue. The Urban Heat Island effect is a phenomenon in which urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures. This is due to several factors including the concentration of buildings and pavement which absorb and retain heat that compete with the lack of vegetation that helps cool the air naturally. Each year we are experiencing more heat waves and for longer days. This effects our community directly through heat-related illnesses, failure of air conditioning, higher energy bills and reduced quality of life.
 
We are also responsible for environmental initiatives like Clean Up Australia Day. Georges River Council is an avid supporter of Clean Up Australia Day and I encourage you to participate to create a cleaner and more beautiful local area. Several community groups have already signed up for the event on Sunday 3 March in what is a great opportunity to make a positive contribution to our local environment and connect with others.
 
Furthermore, in 2021 Georges River Council updated the Local Environment Plan to include a landscaping target to reflect the value of the natural environment when building our neighbourhood. In March 2023, we presented the Biodiversity and Foreshore Studies to create appropriate controls for the three values: biodiversity, unique local character, and foreshore’s scenic character.
 
Georges River Council is a member of Resilient Sydney, a collaboration of 33 metropolitan councils of Greater Sydney to develop and implement a city-wide resilience strategy. This is an all-encompassing strategy that encourages us to think more sustainably of how we can become more self-sufficient – through food, energy, and connectivity – creating greater support for our community and business in times of shocks and stresses.
 
We are committed to advocating for a greener, more sustainable local area. Together, we can achieve this by collaborating with our community to shape a cleaner and greener future for the Georges River area by 2050.
 
In 2050 the Georges River area will be an accessible, green, diverse and innovative place, community and economy. Georges River is Connected. Naturally.