penrose suburb name change - community engagement · penrose in the southern highlands was...

Ordinary Meeting of Council 24 November 2014 62

REF: CM287/14 File: Z14/229037

ITEM 5 PENROSE SUBURB NAME CHANGE - COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

In March 2014 Council endorsed an engagement strategy to determine the communities view on possible options for resolving the duplication of the Penrose suburb name in the Wollongong and Wingecarribee LGA’s. This report provides the outcome from that engagement process and makes a recommendation to be put forward to the Geographical Names Board NSW for adoption.

RECOMMENDATION

The Geographical Names Board NSW be advised of outcome of the community engagement, with a recommendation that the suburb name Penrose be changed to Avondale.

ATTACHMENTS

1 FAQ Proposed name change for Penrose 2 Feedback form Renaming of suburb of Penrose 3 Map Penrose merge option B 4 Table1: Summary of new suburb name proposals 5 Engagement Report Penrose Naming Proposal 6 Map Recommendation Extension of Avondale

REPORT AUTHORISATIONS

Report of: Mike Dowd, Manager Infrastructure Strategy and Planning Authorised by: Mike Hyde, Director Infrastructure and Works

BACKGROUND

The Geographical Names Board NSW (GNB) formally requested Wollongong Council support it in resolving the duplication of the suburb name Penrose in the Wollongong and Wingecarribee LGA’s. The Lord Mayor agreed to support a community engagement to determine the view of Penrose (postcode 2530) residents and the broader community on possible alternatives to the current suburb name.

The community engagement strategy was endorsed by Council at its meeting of 10 March 2014. The strategy proposed two broad options –

Option A: to retain the existing suburb boundaries and suggest a new name for the suburb of Penrose. The new name could either include Penrose by adding a relevant prefix or suffix (eg Penrose Meadow), or an alternate name could be proposed.

Option B: to adjust the existing suburb boundaries by absorbing Penrose into the adjoining suburbs of Cleveland, Avondale and Marshall Mount. A map showing a proposed re-alignment of the suburb boundaries was developed (Attachment 3). The re-alignment was based on existing land use patterns and natural features, current road


frontage addresses for properties along Marshall Mount Road, and on the Draft Structure Plan and LEP for the Yallah Marshall Mount precinct.

Penrose and all adjoining suburbs including Dapto come under the 2530 postcode.

A public exhibition of the proposed options was subsequently undertaken from 7 April – 14 May 2014.

Engagement Methodology

Documents provided with the initial engagement comprised a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet (Attachment 1), Feedback form (Attachment 2) and Option B map (Attachment 3). These were made available at Council’s Customer Service area, the Dapto and Wollongong libraries, and on Council’s engagement website. The website also included a quick poll questionnaire, facilitated by the Bang the Table program. The proposal was advertised through Council’s page in The Advertiser on 9, 16, 23 and 30 April 2014, and promoted through Council’s Facebook page and Twitter account during the exhibition period.

In addition, the FAQ and Feedback forms were mailed to the residents and owners of all properties in Penrose, with a covering letter inviting them to make a submission and providing links to the information on the Council and GNB websites.

Initial Engagement Results

The 2011 ABS Census statistics for the suburb of Penrose 2530 were –

Population of 1396, comprising 395 families and 591 private dwellings

Notification letters were sent to the 619 property addresses in Penrose recorded in Council’s land information database as at April 2014.

A total of 51 submissions were received through this exhibition period.

Of these –

48 (94%) were from residents of Penrose

- Of these 15 (35%) said they had experienced, or were concerned about, confusion in locating their current address

4 (8%) did not support any change to the current suburb name

9 (17.6%) supported a merge with adjoining suburbs. Of these, only 4 supported the Option B Marshal Mount/Cleveland proposal, the others preferring an Avondale/Marshall Mount merge

41 (80%) supported some change to the suburb name, offering one or more options. These varied from including Penrose in the new name to adopting an adjoining suburb name (effectively merging the suburbs), or to a totally new name (see Table 1 Attachment 4)


14 (27.5%) expressed a preference for retaining Penrose as part of a new suburb name

22 submissions mentioned the option of adopting an adjoining suburb name

Of these, 50% proposed Avondale, 32% proposed Dapto, 18% proposed Cleveland, with one proposal was for South Dapto (see Table 1 Attachment 4)

The Wollongong Heritage Advisory Committee considered the proposal at its meeting of 14 May 2014, and minuted the following –

The Wollongong Heritage Advisory Committee agreed that “Penrose” should be retained in the suburb name.

Recommendation: Retain the historical significance of “Penrose” by keeping the word Penrose in any new suburb name.

Moved by Carol Herben and seconded by Mitchell Gordon.

Suggested alternatives included: “Penrose Farm”, “Penrose Vale”, “Penrose Valley”.

Further Engagement with Penrose Residents

The initial engagement process was aimed at canvassing the community view across a range of possible options for resolving the duplicate name issue for Penrose. While this process was not expected to provide a conclusive result, it did identify some trends which were then used to inform a more focused engagement with the affected residents of Penrose. These include –

94% of the submissions received (48) were from residents of Penrose.

80% of submissions supported at least some change to the suburb name, with only 4 submissions (8%) objecting to any change at all.

27% expressed a preference for retaining Penrose in a new name, however over 40% of submissions saw adopting an adjoining suburb name (ie merging) as either acceptable or preferred.

While the majority of submissions were from Penrose residents, those 48 submissions represented just over 8% of the properties identified as residential in the 2011 ABS statistics for Penrose. In order to get a more comprehensive response on the views of the affected Penrose residents, a second phase engagement was undertaken focussing specifically on those residents.

Based on the trends identified from the initial submissions, a short list of the most popular alternate names (those mentioned in four or more submissions) was developed into a “postcard” format (see Attachment 5). Together with a covering letter explaining this phase of the engagement, the postcards were mailed on 22 August 2014 to all residents and owners of Penrose properties recorded in Councils land information database. Residents were requested to mark their preferred option, and return the postcard to Council by Wednesday 10 September 2014.


Outcome of Second Engagement with Penrose Residents

The outcome of this second phase is summarised in the attached Engagement Report (Attachment 5). The 239 returned postcards represent just under 40% of the 619 properties in the mail-out, or just over 40% of the 591 properties identified as residential by the 2011 ABS report.

The results show a clear preference for the most favoured option (Avondale) over the nearest two alternatives. Those that selected “none of the above” represented less than 3% of the total returns.

PROPOSAL

Feedback from the engagement process has provided a clear outcome and can be considered as being reasonably representative of the views of key stakeholders, the affected residents of the suburb of Penrose.

On this basis, it is proposed that the GNB be advised of the outcome of the community engagement, with a recommendation that the suburb name be changed to Avondale.

While this recommendation would effectively remove the current suburb boundary between Penrose and Avondale (Attachment 6), no other change is proposed to the boundaries with the adjoining suburbs at this time. It is anticipated that any other adjustments would be resolved in the course of future development of the area. The recommendation has no impact on the current property address of properties fronting Marshall Mount Road.

If adopted by Council, the GNB will consider the recommendation. If approved, the GNB will advertise the proposal locally and in the NSW Government Gazette. The community will have one month to comment on the proposal. If no objections are received, the change of suburb name will be formalised by way of notice in the Gazette, and Council will notify all affected residents and owners of the change.

If objections are received, Council will be asked to provide feedback to the GNB. The GNB will either re-advertise the proposal, abandon the proposal or make a recommendation to the Minister for Finance and Services for final determination.

CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION

Geographical Names Board NSW

Communications – Community Engagement

PLANNING AND POLICY IMPACT

This report relates to the commitments of Council as contained within the Strategic Management Plans:

Wollongong 2022 Community Goal and Objective – This report contributes to the Wollongong 2022 Objective 4.1 Residents are able to have their say through increased


engagement opportunities and take an active role in decisions that affect our city under the Community Goal 4: We are a connected and engaged community.

It specifically addresses the Annual Plan 2013-14 Key Deliverables Ensure an effective community engagement framework connects the community to Council decision making which forms part of the Five Year Action contained within the Delivery Program 2012-17.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Council also resolved at its meeting of 10 March 2014 that:

3 Reimbursement of engagement costs be sought from the Geographical Names Board NSW.

Costs incurred by Council to date for the community engagement process total $10,570. A statement detailing these costs will be forwarded to the GNB with a request that the GNB consider reimbursing Council.

Council will be responsible for any changes to signposting if they are required. These would be minor and managed within the existing operational budget.

CONCLUSION

An undertaking was given to the GNB that Council would support a community engagement to determine the view of Penrose (postcode 2530) residents and the broader community on possible alternatives to the current suburb name. The engagement process has now been completed and the outcome is presented in this report. If adopted by Council, the Geographical Names Board NSW can be advised of this outcome, with a recommendation that the suburb name be changed to Avondale.

Frequently Asked Questions Proposal to Rename the Suburb of Penrose All feedback must be received by Sunday, 4 May, 2014

The Geographical Names Board NSW (GNB) is the NSW Government authority for assigning and recording names of localities including suburb names. The GNB has requested that Wollongong City Council engage with residents in Penrose to consider a name change for the suburb because it conflicts with a suburb of the same name in the Wingecarribee Shire. Penrose in the Southern Highlands was established as the name of several structural entities including a railway station, school, village and forest. Penrose in the Illawarra obtained its name from its historic link with Penrose Farm. The historic farmhouse still exists, but lies outside Penrose in the adjoining suburb of Dapto.

Why is a name change required? The GNB has asked Council to engage the community in finding a solution to the problems associated with two suburbs in close proximity with the same name. This is creating confusion with deliveries and postal services, and has the potential for emergency service vehicles to be dispatched to the wrong destination. Feedback from the community will be used by Council to propose a solution to the GNB. The GNB provides Guidelines for determining place names and suburb boundaries at: www.gnb.nsw.gov.au. What are some possible options? Option A: Propose a prefix or suffix to the name “Penrose” (example: Penrose Meadows) or suggest a new name for the suburb. It could reflect a natural feature, have Aboriginal or historical significance, or other links to the current suburb location.

Option B: Merge the existing suburb of Penrose into the adjoining suburbs of Cleveland, Avondale and Marshall Mount (Map Attached: Option B). This would place the rural properties fronting Marshall Mount Road into the suburb of Marshall Mount, consistent with the proposed future development of the Yallah / Marshall Mount precinct. A new boundary would run west from Huntley Road / Marshall Mount Road intersection along a natural ridge line to meet the Avondale boundary. The northern section of Penrose would be merged into Cleveland. The historical link to the name would be retained through Penrose Villa, Penrose Park and Penrose Drive.

Can I propose an alternative solution? All community feedback will be considered in developing a response to the GNB. Only proposals that conform to GNB Guidelines will be put forward as possible solutions.

How is a final determination made? Council will review the community feedback and may propose one or more solutions to the GNB for consideration. The GNB will consider the proposal along with the supporting evidence and the community engagement outcome. If approved, the GNB will advertise the adopted proposal, providing a further opportunity for community input before the GNB makes a final determination. The full process is outlined in the GNB Guidelines.

www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au

What happens if the suburb name or the boundary changes? Council will notify the owners of all properties affected by the determination. The existing house numbers and road names will not be affected, only the suburb name would change. Council will make any required changes to signposting and maps and will modify its own records including rates information. Council will also notify the following:-

- Australia Post - Emergency Services - Utility and Telecommunication Services - Australian Electoral Commission - Valuer General’s Office NSW

Property owners will need to notify other agencies or persons of the change to their address.

How can I have my say? The easiest way to provide your feedback on the proposal to rename the suburb of Penrose is to complete a feedback form available on this website, or from Wollongong and Dapto libraries. For further questions please call 4227 7060 or email: [email protected]

We want to know what you think of the proposal.

Now’s the time to have your say…

You can have your say by: Visiting www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/council/haveyoursay

email [email protected]

or fax 02 4227 7580

For more information please phone 4227 7060

www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au

Proposal to Rename the Suburb of Penrose

Feedback must be received by 4 May, 2014

We would like to hear your thoughts on the proposal to rename the suburb of Penrose. Please note that all

suggestions must meet the Geographical Names Board NSW Guidelines. The guidelines can be found at

www.gnb.nsw.gov.au

Please read the Frequently Asked Questions sheet and provide your comments in the space below.

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We want to know what you think about the proposal to rename the suburb of Penrose.

Now’s the time to have your say…

Not sure what to do? Scan the QR code or contact our Customer Service Team on (02) 4227 7111 and they’ll point you in the right direction.

PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF - THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WILL REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL Question 4: In which suburb do you live? ________________________________ Question 5: Your gender □ Female □ Male Question 6: Your age (please tick category) □ <18 years □ 19-25 years □ 26-35 years □ 36-45 years

□ 46-55 years □ 56-65 years □ 66 -75 years □ 76+ If you would like a reply to your feedback please fill in the section below. Name:

Address:

Suburb: Postcode:

Telephone: Email:

Please return this feedback to Community Engagement Unit Organisational Improvement & Strategy Wollongong City Council Locked Bag 8821 Wollongong NSW 2500

Telephone: 02 4227-7060 Facsimile: 02 4227-7580 Email: [email protected]

Information about your submission. In accordance with the Local Government Act 1993, your submission including any personal information such as your name and address, will be made available for public inspection. You may request, in the form of a statutory declaration, that Council suppress the personal information in your submission from public inspection, if you consider that the personal safety of any person would be affected if the information was not suppressed. Any such request will be dealt with in accordance with the Privacy and Personal Information Act 1988. You may also make an anonymous submission however if you choose to do so Council will be unable to contact you any further as to the outcome of your submission. Additionally, anonymous submissions will be considered however it should be noted that the lack of information as to the respondent’s place of living may affect Council’s consideration of the potential impact of the subject proposal. Note: If Council receives a submission from any person who is legally required to provide a disclosure of any reportable political donation and / or gift under section 147 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, Council is legally required to publicly disclose all relevant details of the reportable political donation or gift onto Council's website. This will include the name and residential address of the person who provided the political donation or gift onto Council's website for full viewing by the general public.

Community Engagement - Proposed re-naming of Penrose

Table 1: Summary of new suburb name proposals

Proposed Name Proposed in n Submissions Reasons/Evidence provided Response of WCC

Avondale 11 Avondale Road di-sects suburb

Existing suburb - merge boundaries

Dapto 6 Area previously commonly known as Dapto

Existing suburb - merge boundaries - railway forms logical boundary and GNB may not support

Penrose Valley 5 Retain historic link; viewed as valley from Avondale Rd

GNB guidelines - may not be related to distinct natural feature, needs consultation

Penrose Vale, Penrosevale 4 Retain historic link

Variation on Valley - as above

Penrose Meadow(s) 4 Retain historic link

Probably acceptable to GNB if supported by community

Cleveland 4 Adjacent suburb Existing suburb - merge boundaries

Penrose Park 3 Retain historic link

Clash with local park name & GNB assigned name to reserve in Penrith, may be acceptable to GNB if supported by community

Penrose Gardens 3 Retain historic link; as viewed from Avondale Rd


New Penrose 3 Like New Berrima in Sth Highlands


Penrose Estate 3 Commonly know as Unclear if acceptable to GNB, needs consultation

Penrose Hill, Heights 3 Similar to nearby Mt Brown, Marshall Mount

GNB guidelines - not related to natural feature, unlikely to be acceptable to GNB

Elouera (aboriginal) 2 aboriginal meaning

No specific association to suburb, otherwise complies with GNB guidelines

South Dapto 1 none

GNB guidelines - compass points not favoured, unlikely to be acceptable to GNB

Proposed Name Proposed in n Submissions Reasons/Evidence provided Response of WCC

East Avondale 1 none

GNB guidelines - compass points not favoured, unlikely to be acceptable to GNB

Osborne 1 Henry Osborne, original land owner

May meet GNB guidelines, needs more evidence of link

Mount Penrose, Upper Penrose, Penrose Range 1 none

GNB guidelines - not related to natural feature, unlikely to be acceptable to GNB

Penrose Glen, Gully 1 Means valley

GNB guidelines - not related to natural feature, assigned to a gully near Lithgow, unlikely to be acceptable to GNB

Penrose Flats 1 none Penrose Field 1 none

Penrose Village 1 none

GNB guidelines - refers to point locality, Penrose assigned to village in Wingecarribeee, unlikely to be acceptable to GNB

Penroseville 1 incorporates Penrose name Penrosia 1 incorporates Penrose name Rosedale, Rosebrook, Rosemount, Mountdale, Penavon, Roseavon, Rosevilla, Pendale, Avonrose 1 none Penrose Orana , Cooinda 1 none

Penrose Place, Penrose Close 1 none

Used for street types, unlikely to be acceptable to GNB

St Penrose, La Penrose 1 none

Huntley Vale 1 none

GNB guidelines - duplicate nearby suburb Huntley, unlikely to be acceptable to GNB

Penrose Woods, Grove 1 none

GNB guidelines - not related to natural feature, unlikely to be acceptable

Penrose Haven none

Penrose Renaming Proposal - 2014 Community Engagement Report Page 1

ENGAGEMENT REPORT

PENROSE RENAMING PROPOSAL

Penrose Renaming Proposal

October 2014


Executive Summary The Geographical Names Board NSW (GNB) has requested that Wollongong City Council engage with residents in Penrose to consider a name change for the suburb of Penrose because it conflicts with a suburb with the same name in the Shire of Wingecarribee. Council has reviewed the community feedback and will provide this feedback to the GNB for consideration. Online and print media notifications, along with a letter outlining the proposal to stakeholders, were the key engagement techniques used during the exhibition period. The first round of community engagement occurred in April and early May of 2014. A Frequently Asked Questions document was made available on Council’s engagement website and residents were contacted and asked to provide feedback on the following options. Option A: Retaining the reference to Penrose by adding to it or by choosing an alternate

name.

Option B: Merging the current suburb of Penrose into an adjoining suburb.

The information and an opportunity to provide feedback were exhibited on the WCC website and in local advertisements over a four week period. During this period N=51 submissions were received, with N=48 of those identifying as being residents of Penrose.

In August and September 2014 letters were sent to N=619 property addresses in Penrose asking residents to further consider six of the options that arose from the first round of feedback (See Attachment A - Name change for Penrose Letter to residents and postcard). Residents were asked to vote for their favourite option so the results could be sent to the GNB for consideration. There were N=239 postcards returned. Results were as follows:

Penrose Valley N=49

Penrose Meadows N=6

Penrosevale N=21

Avondale N=99

Cleveland N=11

Dapto N=46

None of the above N=7

Avondale was the most favoured option.


ATTACHMENT A «Owner» «StreetNoandAddress» «SuburbStatePostcode»

Dear NAME CHANGE FOR THE SUBURB OF PENROSE The Geographical Names Board NSW (GNB) requested Wollongong City Council to engage with residents in Penrose to consider a name change for the suburb because it conflicts with a suburb of the same name in the Wingecarribee Shire. Your property is one of those that would be affected by this proposed change. In April and early May 2014 Wollongong City Council sought community feedback on the following options.

Option A: Retaining the reference to Penrose by adding to it or by choosing an alternate name.

Option B: Merging the current suburb of Penrose into an adjoining suburb.

Letters were sent to 619 property addresses in Penrose asking residents for feedback on the options listed above. The information and an opportunity to provide feedback were exhibited on the WCC website and in local advertisements over a four week period. During this period 51 submissions were received, with 48 of those identifying as being residents of Penrose. Council would like to thank all residents who took the time to provide this valuable feedback. The enclosed postcard shows the name options that were most frequently put forward in the submissions. As the owner and/or resident of a property affected, we would like to provide you with the opportunity to consider these options and to have your say by ticking your preferred option. Please select only one option as the choice you would most like to see implemented, and send the postcard back to Wollongong City Council. This information will act as a guide for Council in providing feedback to the GNB on the proposal to change the suburb name. Postcards must be received by Wednesday, 10 September, 2014. If you have any enquiries about this stage of the process please contact Council at: [email protected] or ph: 4227 7111.

This letter is authorised by

Kim Batley Infrastructure Systems & Support Manager Wollongong City Council