The Georges River Record

Georges River Council will keep pushing its Mortdale centre master plan through the state planning process. At Monday's meeting councillors voted to reaffirm the adopted Mortdale local centre master plan and endorse option one, the continuation of planning proposal PP-2026-0001, and to actively pursue state and federal grant funding to pay for technical studies the department says are needed.

The item was CCL 06726, the Mortdale Centre Planning Proposal response to the DPHI adequacy assessment and future strategic direction, deferred from the Environment and Planning Committee meeting held on 10 August 2026. Councillor Marnie moved it with an amendment and Councillor Jamsen seconded.

The amendment put to the meeting asked the council to note the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure's letter on the adequacy assessment for the Mortdale centre master plan planning proposal, to reaffirm support for the adopted master plan, to endorse option one as the continuation of planning proposal PP-2026-0001, and to pursue grant funding as a priority for the targeted technical studies the department identified.

The mayor put the amended motion and declared it carried unanimously. The meeting then moved on to the finance and governance committee report.

Earlier, the council dealt with a proposal to grant a right of way over Taylors Reserve at Lugarno. The item, CCL 07126, had been deferred from the Finance and Governance Committee held on 10 August 2026 and carries a confidential attachment. Councillors agreed to move it into the confidential part of the meeting at the end, with Councillor Jameson moving the procedural motion under clause 8.2 of the code of meeting practice, which was declared carried.

The motion was moved with an amendment to point A, changing the wording to identify hotspots in Mortdale Ward rather than chronic hotspots. Councillor Wang supported the motion but wanted the research and study report to cover all wards, not just one, and asked that the words be amended to cover the entire local government area.

The general manager told the meeting that illegal dumping is tracked well under a new waste contract and that reporting could go down to ward and suburb level. The mayor put the motion and declared it carried.

On a lighter note, councillors backed a motion on the 2026 National Tree Day event. The mover said 2,300 plants were planted by 200 people on Sunday 26 July, and that next year's event should grow into a broader community environmental event combining native planting with an educational platform. Councillor Marnie thanked the volunteers and looked forward to next year's event. The motion was declared carried.

After moving into confidential session, the council confirmed recommendations from closed session on CCL 035A and CCL 07126, received and noted as a resolution without alteration. The mayor declared the meeting closed at 11.18pm.