Mayor's Message

18 December

Our civic centre

After more than a decade of inaction, poor decision-making, and financial mismanagement by previous Council bodies, the time has come to finally solve the puzzle that is Ryde’s much-needed civic centre.

During 2024 I enlightened the community, via a series in this column, about the events that have led to us lamenting the ‘hole in the ground’ at 1 Devlin Street.

This Council is now delivering on its promise to move ahead with this project for the benefit of our community for generations to come.

Soon, we will engage a suitably qualified company for an Expression of Interest campaign to test the market potential for a long-term leasehold of the 1 Devlin Street site. The campaign will also test other options put forward by the market, where Council retains ownership of the site.

There will also be schematic designs and related investigations made for a potential town hall and any additional cultural and community facilities at the adjoining 150-156 Blaxland Road site.

I will keep the community updated as these exciting new plans take shape.

TG Millner Fields

I have been frustrated by the mixed messaging coming out from the State Government in relation to TG Millner Fields, which Council wants to retain as essential open space ahead of an exponential population and density growth in and around our Macquarie Park Innovation District.

The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has previously promised to collaborate with Council to assist with the compulsory acquisition of TG Millner but more recently the State Government has stonewalled this collaboration.

Without any support from either the Federal or State government of NSW, Council has now reassessed its priorities around critical infrastructure for open space and has identified the additional funding required for the purchase of TG Millner.

We will now be seeking to recommence the acquisition process for this critical 6.2ha of open space, which must be protected from developers’ bulldozers.

Christmas wishes

As 2024 winds down, I’d like to wish all TWT readers and our wider community a wonderful Christmas holiday period and a prosperous new year.

It has been another successful and eventful year in the City of Ryde and I’m already looking ahead to a busy January when we celebrate our Citizen of the Year awards, the eagerly anticipated opening of our Putney Park swim site and, of course, Australia Day.

I look forward to seeing you all in 2025! 

Sincerely, 
Trenton Brown – Mayor