Updates on COVID-19 (coronavirus)

Last updated on: 30 March 2020

This webpage provides information on the COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation affecting North Sydney Council.

We will keep you advised through this web page and other channels.

The health and safety of our community, staff and volunteers is Council’s top priority.

The situation concerning COVID-19 (coronavirus) is rapidly changing, both here in Australia and overseas. We are paying very close attention to the evolving situation and are working to continue delivering essential services to our community.

As the pandemic continues to move through our communities, we will follow the advice of State and Federal health departments to implement measures in the best interests of our staff and our community. We are continually reviewing our cleaning arrangements and infection control procedures. Hand washing facilities and hand sanitisers are available at our customer service areas and work areas.

Council will work to ensure minimal disruption over the coming weeks and provide support to those who need it. At this time, please look out for and support the vulnerable members of our community and seek to show kindness to one another.

For the latest health information please visit NSW Health and the Australian Government Department of Health websites.

Council Facilities Closed

Following the Prime Minister's announcement on Tuesday evening, a number of Council facilities have closed until further notice.

These include:

North Sydney Olympic Pool Stanton Library North Sydney Oval The Visitors Centre and Recycling Centre at The Coal Loader Don Bank Museum Sexton Cottage Museum The Men's Shed Primrose Park Arts and Craft Centre Kirribilli Community Centre North Sydney Community Centre Crows Nest Community Centre Local playgrounds, skate park, outdoor gym and fitness

Essential Council services including waste and recycling collection, street cleaning and park maintenance will continue.

Meals On Wheels and the linen service provided by the community centres will continue.  

Council supports local businesses during pandemic

Council knows that local businesses are doing it tough in the current COVID-19 climate. There’s no short-term fix so today it has launched a local business support package.

Some of the key features of the package include:

Cafés and restaurants who lease space in Council owned properties will not have to pay rent while they are in forced closure. When they reopen, we will be giving them an additional two months free rent to help them get back on their feet. Footpath licensing fees and food inspection charges have also been temporarily waived. Other small businesses who lease Council property and are experiencing financial hardship due to restrictions, may also have their lease fees temporarily waived. As home delivery services becomes essential, food businesses will be assisted with improved access or dedicated parking. Council has also refunded the fees to anyone who hired Council facilities and were forced to cancel their events.

We will continue to work with the Federal and State governments to ensure our community receives the financial relief that is needed. We are also continuing to work with supermarkets and our suppliers to maintain essential services. Read more here.

North Sydney Local Planning Panel - 1 April Postponed

Due to the social distancing restrictions announced by the Australian Government, the North Sydney Local Planning Panel (NSLPP) meeting on 1 April 2020 will be postponed for two weeks and will take place on Wednesday 15 April via a live webcast at 2pm. This can be viewed by the public here: https://livestream.com/northsydneycouncil/nslpp

The Panel will not meet physically but will hold their meeting online to discuss and determine applications. It is anticipated this will be a three-way exchange between the Panel, applicants and members of the community over a digital platform.

 The normal practice of a Panel site visit on the day and the subsequent public meeting will not occur. Instead, panel members will need to individually satisfy themselves that they understand the issues and carry out their own individual site inspections as they see fit. Contact with the public will be avoided. Interested parties are advised that there are numerous digital tools available so they can avoid visiting the site.

These measures meet the stringent standards mandated by the Government.

The aim is to ensure the safety of Panel members, Council staff, applicants and the community alike.

Further details and updates of how applicants and members of the public can be involved in the panels deliberations will be published on this web site.

Bushcare suspended

Council has taken the difficult decision to suspend the Bushcare Group work sessions (including Adopt a Plot meetings) and the Bushcare activities and event program until further notice. As the reality of COVID-19 continues to unfold, the health and wellbeing of volunteers and staff is Council’s primary focus.

Northside produce market – cancelled.

The Northside Produce Market on Saturday 4 April has been cancelled and the market will be temporarily closed until further notice. It is important to the North Sydney Community Centre Management Committee to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the potential threat it poses to stallholders, market staff, volunteers and the public. The Community Centre is now looking at setting up a Northside Produce Virtual Market. The details will be posted on the Centre’s website and social media soon.

Resident Parking Permits

The due date for renewing Resident Parking Permits has been extended to 30 April 2020 to support members of our community who find it difficult to renew their permit online and are reluctant to attend in person to our Customer Service Centre. We will be monitoring health advice leading up to the new deadline and will decide on any further extension that might be necessary in due course. This means that old permits can be displayed on your vehicle after 31 March until 30 April inclusive and will be deemed as valid by Parking Officers.

JP Service

Customer Service will no longer be offering Justice of the Peace services at this time.

Council meetings Important Notice – Cancellation of Public forum

In response to the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation, Council has introduced the following changes to the Public Forum sessions:

The Public Forum is cancelled until further notice Individuals who have registered to present at the Public Forum can provide a written submission, which will be provided to the Councillors.

Members of the public are reminded that Ordinary Council meetings are live streamed - when Council meets you can access the live stream online here. 

For all enquiries please contact the Governance Coordinator on 9936 8100, or [email protected].

Stanton Library

In line with Federal Government health and safety measures for COVID-19, the library is closed to the public until further notice

Please check our website for updates: www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au

You may want to take the opportunity to explore our online collection of eBooks, magazines and databases, as well as our range of online children’s resources that are available any time.

North Sydney Olympic Pool and Maccallum Pool

North Sydney Olympic Pool is closed to the public until further notice. Maccallum Pool is is closed to the public until further notice. 

North Sydney Oval

North Sydney Oval will be working with venue hirers to ensure that any events at the venue comply with all Government advice regarding COVID-19. At this stage, most events are postponed, including:

NSW Rugby League competitions has been suspended until at least 31 May. Rugby Union competitions have been postponed until the first week of May. All AFL programs have been postponed until 31 May. Sunset Cinema has been cancelled for the rest of the season. Beer Footy and Food Festival hosted by The North Sydney Bears has been postponed.

For all enquiries please contact our North Sydney Oval Manager at (02) 9936 8557 or [email protected]

Council events

Various council events have been suspended due to COVID-19 concerns – if you were planning to attend any events, please visit the What’s On page for updates.

Truck delivery curfews

Council has lifted delivery curfews for supermarket delivery trucks in the wake of shortages of critical supplies at local supermarkets. This will aid in the effort to restock shelves and keep up with the increase in demand.

Council business

There are various ways to contact Council and conduct Council business without face to face interaction, find out more on our Contact Us page.

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