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What are the main issues facing your area over the next 10 years?
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Comment 1 30 Jan 2010, 12:15 PM
I think the future use of the Parammatta Road transport corridor is critical - enhanced public transport has to be a priority.
Also (more in the power of council) we are close enough to most facilities for many more of us to cycle if only there were safe cycleways available that are segregated from traffic - this would be good for the environment and for community safety and health
Comment 1.1 4 Mar 2010, 11:31 PM
I agree with PamH, council should encourage and promote cycling, especially to local venues such as parks, shops and libraries etc. If only there were more bike parking zones (to lock the bikes on safely) and trust to leave your bicycle parked (even with a lock) as this area is becoming more dangerous all the time. I am constantly amazed at the amount of thefts and acts of violence that I hear about in Dulwich Hill and Marrickville, on the news, or just from the shopowners themselves.
Comment 2 25 Feb 2010, 9:54 AM
Boarding Houses - Dulwich Hill, Lewisham and Petersham.
There are approximately 200 boarding houses in the Inner West region. They provide a crucial housing alternative for people who can't afford private rental or are have not been able to obtain social housing. However, conditions in many boarding houses are appalling and residents have virtually no rights or protections available to private / social housing tenants.
There's a need for organised support for various organisations to promote services for boarding house residents as well as networking with boarding house owners. The owners need carrots and sticks to improve living conditions as well as establishing some sort of security of tenure for residents. At the moment, people living in boarding houses can be evicted overnight and have their possessions thrown out on the street.
Any input on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Comment 2.1 4 Mar 2010, 11:39 PM
I am all in favour of boarding houses - they can be really inexpensive and that means that people who might otherwise be doing it tough on the streets have somewhere to stay. I think boarding houses (and keeping them affordable) are a great preventative measure against homelessness. (Seriously, in these economically challenging times, they are needed) Perhaps council can take a cue from organisations such as Mission Beat, who go around the local area and check to make sure the less fortunate are being looked after - giving them at least the basics, food and water, and someone to more…
Comment 3 26 Feb 2010, 8:07 PM
The biggest issue facing Petersham can only be the filthy stinking boarding houses. No one should be living in these conditions and noone should have to walk past them. Decent hostels need to be built for those incapable or unable to live in other rental accommodation. Marrickville Council should be working with Housing to deal with this shameful situation. Health services could take a bit of the blame too - for goodness sake many of the people living in the Petersham boarding houses are clearly mental health casualties. Who is looking after these people? They need care not filthy stinking accommodation that our Councillors and Council staff walk past daily. For an otherwise responsible Council, how can the councillors and the staff ignore this issue. It is cruel.
Comment 3.1 4 Mar 2010, 11:43 PM
I think Rachael is getting at what I was trying to say a bit in my comment above.
Council should have some contact and some sort of role with helping the tennants of boarding houses. If you can help people at this level, you won't have as many homeless people and other problems on your hands.
Council places brochures on all sorts of things on their website, in the libraries, at Centrelink etc. What if these people can't get to those places or don't know about them? Some could be mentally challenged and need assistance. Can't council organise inspections to make sure the boarding houses are safe and healthy places to live? And while your there, assist the tennants with information. Information is knowledge when you pass it on, so give them the knowledge to help look after themselves. You will only get people who want to do better and be better, and that means a better community for us all. Go on council, help them out.
Comment 3.2 4 Mar 2010, 11:43 PM
(Accidentally posted twice, tried to delete, but it won't let me delete or submit while blank)
Comment 4 2 Mar 2010, 3:09 PM
Working to eradicate the daily defacing of property in the form of graffitti has to be a priority. Most of the offenders are known in the community. There must be documented research somewhere of communities who have successfully tackled this problem.
Comment 4.1 2 Mar 2010, 11:14 PM
New York has a program for handling clean-up requests noted here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/cau/html/qol/anti_graffiti.shtml
This is part of their Mayor's Quality of Life division operations. Dumping of goods on to the street needs to be similarly handled. Even where incidents are reported to Marrickville's dumping patrol, there is no guarantee of clean-up. I phoned in a dumped wardrobe on the corner of Perry and Gordon St at the beginning of December. Three months later, it has collapsed under the weight of the garbage thrown into it and has recently had a refrigerator added to the site...
Like repeat offenders for graffiti, the dumpers are known to the community but nothing is done about it.
Comment 4.1.1 4 Mar 2010, 11:51 PM
As long as there are unhappy people who just don't care, unfortunately we will always get dumpers and graffiti-ers and the like. I am so disheartened by the dumpers and such. You can't even pinpoint this sort of activity to a certain 'type' of person or age - it is a range of people who do it and think that it's okay. Even with all the signs around the streets about illegal dumping. They just go out at night instead and think they will not get caught. It's sad times we live in where so many just don't care, and don't realise that energy passes on and affects others. Like Mike above who had to walk past this pile of mess probably everyday and even then council didn't immediately do anything about it.
Although the weight can't all be on council's shoulders in this situation. We, as members of the community can't let this behaviour be acceptable. The next time you see someone trying to dump, don't aggrevate them, but let them know it's not okay. It's actually illegal.
Comment 4.1.1.1 5 Mar 2010, 12:25 AM
One of the most persistent dumpers in my street has a boarding house. I've caught him in the act several times (even dumping stuff small enough to fit in his bins!!) but he really doesn't seem to care. Once he just walked to the other end of the block and re-dumped stuff I'd told him not to dump near my house. Every time someone moves out of his rooms, a disgusting mattress ends up on the footpath, not to mention other bits of furniture. He obviously doesn't care about the street or his neighbours. I asked the council to talk to him but that obviously has not gone anywhere.
The really sad problem is those who would rather "get even" with their neighbours for this confrontation rather than changing their behaviour. A few years back I politely asked one neighbour to cover his garbage-filled trailer which had rubbish blowing off it all over the street. He completely went off his nut at me. Within a week my car had been vandalised and my house burglarised - I'm pretty sure of the connection - but was not able to prove anything. At least that troublemaker has moved away.
Comment 5 4 Mar 2010, 11:54 PM
One of the main issues, I think, is overcrowding. Sydney in general is getting more and more people all the time. I have definitely noticed Dulwich Hill and Marrickville getting more populated over the years, and it is scary.
What used to be a relatively safe and relaxed area is now very crowded and noisy.
Of course, it's not all bad. There are great shops opening up all the time. The Dulwich Hill shops in particular are much better than they used to be, lots more variety.
But hopefully we won't have TOO many unit blocks approved over the years and just end up becoming a mini version of the CBD - lots of noise, traffic, pollution and violence. No thanks.
Comment 5.1 15 Apr 2010, 4:58 PM
The area is not more crowded,actually the population in marrickville has dropped over the last 30 years. Smaller families, fewer people in each house, but realistically we all have more cars.
Comment 6 11 Mar 2010, 11:07 PM
I am very very worried about the emphasis on hair brained schemes to lessen carbon footprint. For God's Sake one volcanic eruption will say goodbye to all efforts. This is beyond our control so why are we spending money shuffling deck chairs when we could be using this money for things that are actually useful like helping boarding house tenants. It is criminal that Council is wasting so much money to be seen to be green. It is a nonsense. I saw Council advertising for a plastic bag reducing person.If this wasn't so tragic it would be funny. I think most plastic bags will reduce down better than the "envirobags" that are being pushed by Council and supermarkets. These will get shabby and people will throw them away - hello!!!!! I read a study that said these were far worse than plastic bags - so why is Council persisting with this? But - can we discuss this at Council no - you are looked at like you are an idiot if you try to put an alternative point of view.
Comment 7 12 Mar 2010, 12:11 AM
1.Attracting economic development while preserving the cultural diversity of the area.
2. Keeping the parks, pavements and public facilities in good repair.
3. Attracting businesses to the strip shopping areas.
4. Working on housing issues. I agree that the boarding houses require input. This is a huge challenge for Petersham because there are so many boarding houses and it should not be the responsibility of Council alone to sort out the problem. Residents get shunted out of prison and mental health care and end up in Petersham. Mental health , corrections, DoH, and a range of NGOs should come together on this one. more…
Comment 8 9 Apr 2010, 4:59 PM
1) The re-vitalisation of Lewisham station/shops precinct. The Lewisham Towers proposal is a real worry and not just because of the suggested height and scale. The prospect of shops etc as part of the Lewisham Towers is wrong- emphasis should be put on the existing shops at Lewisham station. Maybe more passing pedestrian trade is needed; certainly retail competition on Old Canterbury Rd is not. Of course the existing shop owners could lift their game- maybe a Main Street project is in order.
2. The area needs more green spaces, of practical and usable sizes, for active and passive uses. The more…
