What actions do you think Council should be focussing on?

Bring sustainable transport to the forefront of your planning efforts. Develop a sustainable transport plan that influences all of your other planning decisions. Engage the community in this process and raise the level of community understanding and debate about sustainable transport.

We definetly need accessible train stations in the area. More focus on illegal dumping - enforcement is the answer. Only so many times that you can educate people! Also, Marrickville Park is long overdue for some decent play equipment - and not hand me downs from Johnson Park, which has 2 or 2 upgrades in the past 7 or 8 years! I don't think Marrickville Park playground has been touched since it was first installed

Illegal dumping and general waste in the streets; footpath maintenance and upgrades for all the dangerous trip hazards and poor access points for prams/trolleys/wheelchairs etc; playgrounds upgraded and maintained better; Marrickville station and surrounds - cleanup/safety; reinvigorating Illawarra Road - currently lots of empty shops and a dangerous feel at nightime; parking and truck movements in Warren Road and Woolworths in particular.

Good planning, well thought out and with a long term view. To be more sustainable increasing density must be part of the equation, but this must be done thoughtfully and sensitively. Good education and involvement of the community to reduce the tendency for NIMBYism.

Encouragement of Transit Oriented Developments around stations particularly Marrickville. This could be a real hive of action if properly planned and developed.

More sustainable transport including separated bicycle paths, bicycle storage and other facilities. Integration with City of Sydney and other surrounding councils. Incentives such as preferred parking for smaller cars and car schemes (e.g. Go-Get).

A sustainable energy more…

We have some great community resources in Marrickville, but what has happened to community pride? I have lived in the area for about 15 years and agree that illegal dumping is out of control. My local streets are regularly trashed with rubbish and household cast offs. Perhaps we need greater community awareness and incentives to use council collections etc. Sadly parks are also common dumping grounds. Signage & fine warnings have not worked in the past.

The state of the footpaths is appalling on some streets also. Just outside my house three elderly people have tripped and fallen recently because the path is so degenerated. Some people simply prefer to walk on the road. Sounds crazy, but it's too hard to push a pram around dumped junk and erupting concrete. A consistent approach is needed to replace footpaths, rather than simply patch up areas every time a problem is reported.

Increased accountability.

At present if you write to the Council and ask for a response, the only department who appears to do so are Planning & Development, who get a letter out to you within 2-3 days. From the others, you may never even get an acknowledgement, or have to wait so many months that it's hard to get traction on an issue.

Even when you call through the Community services line and get a ticket number, that doesn't mean anything will come of it. I called about 5-6 times over a period of months to get dumped food material removed from the verge near my house, and they just kept giving me new ticket numbers linked to the old ones.

Marrickville is a wonderful diversity place and the Council is a good, active and progressive one. Nevertheless I do think there is a need for a stronger progressive vision. I agree with much that others have said and would add these two ideas that have a common them - reducing the dominance of cars.

1. Close the Calvert Street car park and convert it into a green park. There is more than enough parking in the streets surrounding the shopping area and a park in the midst of the busy shopping area would be a great improvement.

2. Start narrowing some of the wide roadways in the area and make mini-parks in the area taken from the roadway. The wide part of Arthur Street could be a good place to start - it's one way and does not need to be as wide as it is.

I am not sure what area this should be directed to...but I believe the rezoning of Marrickville should be addressed. We live on Perry Street Marrickville which is on the cusp of Enmore/Stanmore which is not walking distance to Marrickville shops or train station, whereas I walk to Stanmore station everyday to get my train and walk to Enmore to do my shopping....yet my postcode is 2204. We also know friends who live on Enmore Road Marrickville. Why Marrickville takes in such a large area I do not know.

Acting seriously on the need to bring more trees and greenery to Marrickville, rather than treating it as a marginal issue to be left to volunteers. Surveying all potential sites for revegetation, large trees, rain gardens etc and ranking them in priority, according to size, habitat corridors, resident support and other relevant factors. Then setting down a programme of works based on available resources and sticking to it.

I think residents expecting "the council" to solve everything (esp. the dumping issues caused by other residents) is a bit naive.

What I think the council can do is working more with residents to solve difficult issues. I don't really know anyone who works in the council. They seem a little bit like the tooth fairy (come in, take the rubbish, send me a rates bill every year, etc).

I live in Petersham but use the library in Marrickville. Council needs to put some serious money into the library. The library staff are very nice but the facilities and selection of books and music are pretty pathetic.

The restaurants in Marrickville are good. Maybe Council could do something abouth the look of Illawarra and marrickville roads to give more street appeal.

A Neighbourhood Centre for Marrickville is urgently needed. There is no "one-stop-shop" for residents to go to if they need community services eg, parenting classes, emergency assistance, playgroup, settlement information etc etc. Currently there are many services in the LGA but they are scattered, diverse and difficult to access. Council's Community Team may know what services are out there but the general public doesnt. Furthermore it needs to be in a central location where people can go knowing that they will get help, information and assistance there on the spot rather than being referred on to another service at another more…

Making the area more aesthetically pleasing and cleaner: trees; rubbish; less industrial and more green; preserve the character of the area including ensuring developments are suitable and enhance rather than detract, while adapting to changing demographics of the area; basic facilities like footpaths and roads.

Greening Marrickville LGA needs to be a priority. There is too much cement everywhere. Shade trees should be planted on the opposite side of the powerlines. Main roads such as Marrickville Road, Enmore Rd, King St, Parramatta Rd & Princess Hwy should have street trees. Rockdale & City of Sydney Council as well as all the Councils along the Pacific Hwy have managed to do this.

The area around Marrickville & Sydenham Stations is ugly & dirty. Illawarra Road from Marrickville Rd to Warren Road is particularly bad.

I also think the DAs for far too many unsuitable buildings are being approved. Council could insist that developments fit into the existing streetscape. Modern does not fit & detracts from the Federation appeal.

It would be good if Council meetings were video streamed on the night.

More funding to the Libraries.

Please do not amalgamate us with City of Sydney or any other Council.