Randwick City Council
Ordinary Council - 28 Jul 2026
Randwick Council approved community funding and planning measures, while ordering investigations into beach lifeguards, coastal access, pedestrian safety, multilingual signage and future community batteries.
Topics
- Randwick to examine earlier and expanded professional lifeguard patrols
Council will review the operational capacity and potential expansion of professional lifeguard services, including the feasibility and cost of patrols starting at 6am.
The review could change beach-patrol hours, staffing and safety arrangements across Council-managed beaches. - Council investigates turning Coogee’s Norfolk Pine into a Christmas tree
Council will investigate replacing the temporary Christmas tree at Coogee with decorations on the iconic Norfolk Pine.
Residents will have an opportunity to comment on a potential new seasonal public display and its feasibility. - Randwick to audit multilingual beach-safety signs
Council will audit multilingual beach-safety signs and consider professionally verified translations and a multicultural QR-code information service.
Accurate, durable safety information may improve communication with visitors who speak languages other than English.
Decisions
- Community Investment Program allocations approved
Council approved Community Connect funding of $42,651, Community Creative funding of $55,198 and Community Partnerships funding of $119,240, and noted a $55,480 rollover for existing multi-year commitments.
Funding will be directed to recommended community projects in 2026-27. - Staged community-battery approach endorsed
Council endorsed the staged community-battery portfolio approach, including detailed feasibility studies at priority Council-owned sites and continued partnership investigations.
Future battery projects may improve local energy resilience, but further feasibility and approvals are required. - Kingsford Voluntary Planning Agreement approved
Council approved the Voluntary Planning Agreement for the Kingsford development and authorised administrative amendments before execution.
The agreement relates to a major development and associated community infrastructure and housing considerations. - Council seeks input on Moore Park redevelopment
Council resolved to pursue early involvement in the planning assessment for the proposed Moore Park Supa Centre redevelopment.
Randwick will seek to have cross-boundary transport, infrastructure and amenity impacts considered. - Beach lifeguard services to be reviewed
Council requested investigations into professional lifeguard capacity, additional staffing and a possible 6am patrol trial, with a briefing due to the October 2026 Governance Advisory Committee.
The review may lead to changes in beach surveillance and operating hours. - Local safety and accessibility investigations ordered
Council requested reports on pedestrian-safety measures for Darley Road and feasibility, approvals and funding for improving the Gordons Bay water entry.
Both investigations could lead to local safety and accessibility upgrades.
Discussion
- Community-battery decision subject to rescission motion
A rescission motion was lodged against the community-battery decision and will be dealt with at the next available Council meeting.
The endorsed battery approach may be reconsidered or delayed. - Advocacy on gender-based violence
Council agreed to write to the Australian Government seeking a Royal Commission into gender-based violence and unlawful deaths of women and girls.
This is an advocacy position rather than a direct local service change. - Governance and election submissions
Council endorsed submissions on proposed councillor conduct reforms and draft local-government election cost principles, including comments supporting reduced prepoll arrangements.
The submissions contribute to State and electoral administration reforms affecting future councils and elections. - Annual governance attestation
Council endorsed the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee annual attestation statement for publication in the 2025-26 Annual Report.
The statement provides public information about Council’s governance, audit and risk oversight. - Community event fee waivers and donation
Council waived or donated fees totalling at least $7,999.50 for community, sporting, charity and veteran-family events.
The approved concessions reduce event costs for the named community organisations and activities.
Impacts
- Community organisations will receive approved 2026-27 funding allocations, with at least $217,089 distributed across three programs.
- Beach safety may change following reviews of professional lifeguard staffing, surveillance and possible 6am patrols.
- Residents and visitors may see future improvements to multilingual beach-safety signage at Council-managed beaches.
- Gordons Bay water access and Darley Road pedestrian safety will undergo feasibility or options investigations rather than immediate construction.
- Major development proposals in Kingsford, Kensington and adjacent Moore Park will be subject to Council advocacy about housing, infrastructure, transport and amenity impacts.
Places
- Coogee Beach
Professional lifeguard surveillance, beach safety signage and related investigations - Gordons Bay
Water-entry accessibility and potential rock-platform improvements - Darley Road
Pedestrian-safety investigation covering the section between Carrington Road and Avoca Street - Kingsford and Kensington town centres
Voluntary planning agreement and concerns about student and boarding-house accommodation - Moore Park Supa Centre, 2A South Dowling Street
State-significant redevelopment immediately adjacent to Randwick LGA - Little Bay Beach
Multilingual beach-safety signage audit - 7 Hereward Street, Maroubra
Development and fire-safety report - 86 Belmore Road, Randwick
Development and fire-safety report
Next
- Prepare and present the professional lifeguard-services briefing to the Governance Advisory Committee.
October 2026 - Report on multilingual beach-safety signage audit, replacement needs, options, costs and a multicultural QR code.
Future Council report; date not specified - Investigate Gordons Bay water-entry improvements, approvals, consultation, costs and funding, including potential NSW Government grants.
Future report; date not specified - Prepare a report on Darley Road pedestrian-safety measures, including traffic calming, signage and speed-limit reduction.
At the earliest opportunity - Progress the bus-shelter advertising Planning Proposal and report the Bus Seats at Bus Stops Policy review before the street-furniture tender.
Before tender and subsequent public exhibition; dates not specified - Deal with the rescission motion on the community-battery decision.
Next available Council meeting - Write to the NSW Planning Minister seeking a moratorium on commercial student and boarding-house accommodation and greater public and affordable housing.
Following the 28 July 2026 resolution - Write to the Planning Minister seeking Randwick’s involvement in assessment of the Moore Park Supa Centre proposal.
Following the 28 July 2026 resolution
Extract
This is of the Minutes of the Ordinary Council meeting held on 28 July 2026 MINUTES OF ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY, 28 JULY 2026 AT 6:52PM Present: The Mayor, Councillor D Parker (Central Ward) Central Ward - Councillors D Gordon & D Rosenfeld East Ward - Councillors M Asgari, C Martin & M Wilson North Ward - Councillors C Hamilton, A Magner & C Willington (Deputy Mayor) South Ward - Councillors B Burst, N D’Souza & D Said West Ward - Councillors A Hay, A Luxford & P Veitch Officers Present: General Manager Mr R Brownlee Director City Planning Ms M Bishop Director City Services Mr T Clarke Director Community & Culture Ms K Anderson Director Corporate Services Mr J Frangoples Ma...