OH WHAT A NIGHT! COUNCIL VOTE UNANIMOUS!

It was a roller coaster ride for those forestlodgetrees campaigners able to attend the City of Sydney Council meeting last night.

First the acting CEO Monica Barone tabled her report, advising against both purchase of the land and the vesting of it to Council under section 76 of the Crown Lands Act.

Following strong counter arguments from the Deputy Lord Mayor Verity Firth and Councillor Robyn Kemmis, and their tabling of a joint resolution, Council voted unanimously to work to save this land as public open space.

Section of Council's resolution
(D) Council note the announcement by the Minister for Lands, the Hon Tony Kelly on Thursday 11 May 2006 that he was suspending the sale of the Crown Land at 9 Alfred Road, Forest Lodge pending an urgent report from the Department of Lands outlining options for the site.
(E) calls on the Minister for Lands to:
(i) reverse his Department’s decision to sell the site for development and retain it in state ownership; or
(ii) sell the site to Council at a peppercorn rate for use as publicly accessible open space; and
(F) offers to fund the care and maintenance of the site for public access and enjoyment, if required by the State Government to retain it in public ownership.
(G) immediately enter negotiations with the State Government regarding the options for this site.

So now it's over to the Minister!