Sutherland Council has released an updated safety audit report for the town of Bundeena.

The Bundeena Safety Audit was undertaken in October 2004 as a joint project between the Sutherland Shire Crime Prevention and Community Safety Committee and local residents and organisations.

Introduction

The Bundeena Centre Community Safety Audit was held over two days in October, 2004 as a response to concerns voiced by some members of the local community. It was a joint initiative of the Sutherland Shire Community Crime Prevention and Safety Committee and local residents. The safety audit involved background research including resident comments, demographic examination and a reported crime profile of the target area in addition to a physical examination of the village centre and other key areas.

As a result of that audit, a number of key recommendations were delivered in a report in December 2004.  Since then work has begun on the 75 recommendations listed in the report. These recommendations were  divided into the areas of : Policing; Footpaths; Traffic and Transport; Roger Summers Reserve: Wharf and surrounds: Lighting and Additional recommendations. This update outlines the achievements to date and the areas in which further work needs to be undertaken. Additionally, the detailed results of each recommendation are outlined in the table at the end of the report.

Recommendations

Of the 75 original recommendations:

• 27 are fully implemented and complete
• 8 are fully implemented and require ongoing care and maintenance
• 39 have been included in planning documents and/or have been scheduled
• 1 has not been implemented.
  

Many issues of concern to the local community require ongoing care to be maintained in a safe and secure way. For example, where vegetation obscures a path it will need to be trimmed on a regular basis. Additionally issues such as graffiti removal, litter retrieval and lighting need to be maintained for the benefits to the community to be long term. Council requires the help of the community to report maintenance needs where possible. Issues such as street lighting and graffiti on private property should be reported directly to the relevant authority or landowner for prompt attention.

In many cases recommendations have been listed as 'planned'. Due to proposed upgrades of many of the public spaces in the Bundeena Township, items on the list of recommendations have been incorporated into master plans and public space upgrades. For example many of the recommendations pertaining to Roger Summers Reserve will be implemented in conjunction with an upgrade of that park.

Policing Recommendations

There were 2 recommendations directly related to policing issues. The first related to the Police Emergency Call Box and highlighted the need to raise community awareness of its existence and operation. The Sutherland Local Area Command Crime Prevention Officer (CPO) has attended a number of meetings in the Bundeena Area to achieve this. Additionally, regular testing of the call box by patrol officers are scheduled and Sutherland Shire Council has provided an enlarged sign indicating its location. The second recommendation related to the need to increase visible police presence in the township. Sutherland Police indicate that they have increased the number of visits by the CPO to the area, and provided patrols when required and at peak times and special events. Highway Patrol officers have also undertaken a number of operations in the National Park.

Footpath Recommendations

A total of 14 recommendations related to footpaths and safe pedestrian access were generated. Of these 8 are fully implemented and complete, 5 are listed in upcoming work schedules and/or included in masterplans, and 1 is not required to be implemented (Rec 6). The key achievements in this area are the completed pathway on the western side of Brighton Street which provides alternate access to Scarborough Street. It was considered to be more. appropriate to construct this new footpath rather than upgrade the existing path on the eastern side for safety, slip resistance, disability access and surveillance reasons. The planned upgrade to footpath on Scarborough Street has addressed all issues raised in the safety audit including road safety and drainage concerns. The two new paths will be linked by an upgraded intersection designed to slow traffic and provide a convenient and safe crossing points.

Traffic and Transport Recommendations

A total of 10 recommendations highlighted concerns in particular parts of Bundeena particularly areas near to the primary school and with concerns such as illegal parking and dangerous driving. NSW Police Highway Patrol responded to these concerns by undertaking a number of operations in the National Park and at the entrance to the village. Sutherland Shire Parking Enforcement Officers have also increased their presence in the village in high season. Council engineers have embarked on a program to increase the safety of the main streets and are currently focussing on intersections and crossings close to the school. Parking arrangements near the school will depend on the outcome of existing unresolved development applications.

Roger Summers Reserve Recommendations

There are 21 recommendations related to Roger Summers Reserve. The key issues raised included alcohol consumption. Poor lighting, ease of access, improved vegetation, cleanliness and facilities. The majority of recommendations in this section are listed as 'planned' (16 in total). Sutherland Shire Councils Parks and Waterways Unit has completed extensive consultation and research on a landscape plan to improve this area and its surrounds including the wharf, and the relationship between the reserve and the shops. The landscape plan has addressed  all the issues raised in this section and a number of recommendations highlighted in other secrtions of this report including parking, pedestrian access between the shops and the wharf and lighting issues.

Wharf and Surrounds Recommendations

Most of the recommendations pertaining to the wharf area were addressed in the above-mentioned landscape plan and are therefore listed as 'planned'. The remaining 3 recommendations related to passenger amenities including lighting, shelter and telephone. A new ferry shelter has been completed and this included provision of lighting. The location is unsuitable for a public telephone, however there are three nearby existing telephones available for public use.

Lighting Recommendations

There were a total of 7 lighting strategies of which 4 four are complete, with another 1 being complete but requiring ongoing maintenance. These include the repair of blown globes and dysfunctional lighting, the examination of additional lighting in key areas and the trimming of vegetation to improve lighting in pedestrian areas. The remaining 2 recommendations deal with improved levels of lighting on the wharf and in Roger Summers reserve and are covered by the landscape plan for those areas.

Additional Recommendations

The additional recommendations section deals with issues which are particular to a specific location are do not fit neatly under the other categories. A total of 9 recommendations are listed in this section. Three recommendations relate to the seasonal impacts on the area due to weather, animals and tourism placing pressure on the existing infrastructure. Some issues raised here will be improved by planned upgrades in existing public spaces. Additionaly special events will require individual response to issues such as rubbish and parking. Street signage and road repairs have been completed in response to specific issues. A key achievement is the dedication over $500,000 to the upgrade of Short Avenue which was raised during the audit as being unsafe for both vehicles and pedestrians. These works are planned for this financial year.

Conclusion.

Although not every recommendation listed in this report has been completely implemented, a large percentage of issues raised by the community have received some attention, in some cases major works are planned to upgrade existing facilities. Key achievements of the safety audit include providing information for the Landscape plan for Roger Summers Reserve and the Wharf, increasing the safety of pedestrian access between the shops and the school by the provision of a new footpath on Brighton street and improved pathway on Scarborough street, improved traffic safety repaired lighting and potholes and the upgrade of Short Avenue. Many of these improvements have resulted form the partnerships and ongoing communication created during the audit between Sutherland Shire Council, NSW Police Sutherland Local Area Command and the residents and business owners in Bundeena.