⏱️ The 141st edition of our newsletter is a five-minute read. Thumbnail: Sardaka via Wikimedia.
Morning all,
I’m working on another story about solar panels this week, this one not so much about installation but the opposite: where do solar panels go when they die?
“Solar panel heaven” is not accepted as an answer. What I’m looking at is the system of recycling — or rather, lack thereof — we have in Australia for solar panels, and why energy experts, installers, and politicians are calling for it to be totally overhauled.
So, if you’re someone who has a system approaching the end of its life or is upgrading a current set up — get in touch by replying to this email. Would love to get your perspective into the story.
🗞 Now, into the rest of the news …
HEARD THIS WEEK👂
Developers around Lane Cove will be forced to ensure their vacant lots are easy on the eye
For nearly 25 years, Green Gourmet served vegan dumplings out of its small St Leonards shopfront along the Pacific Highway. When the restaurant was evicted last year and the block was demolished, the site was meant to be replaced by a major housing development.
But the project hasn’t gone far. More than a year after demolition, the block has remained a fenced off, overgrown patch of grass.
What happened: Lane Cove Council wants to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Under new rules adopted by the council last week, developers will be forced to tidy up the sites they demolish if they aren’t going to build on them.
Mayor Merri Southwood claimed it wasn’t a big ask for developers. “It’s not intended to be a beautifully landscaped bush area,” she said. “We’re just asking for it to be turfed and have a few bushes … just enough to bind the soil and look a bit more visually appealing.”
How does it happen? In NSW, permission for demolishing a regular building can be obtained through a Complying Development Certificate (CDC): a fast-tracked planning and construction approval that allows a developer to bypass the local council.
The process of putting up something new can be more difficult. Approval may need to be sought from multiple government agencies. Alternatively, a development company might walk away from a project altogether if it can’t make the numbers work.
There are multiple sites across the northern suburbs that have been left in limbo. Demolition has occurred but approval for construction has not been granted, or complications have halted work.
The new rules specifically target these sites. Southwood pointed to the vacant lots on 14 Berry Road and 542 Pacific Highway, the former home of Green Gourmet.
Beyond visual improvements to the LGA, the policy will also enforce stricter rules on local pollution. Southwood claimed that stormwater runoff from these vacant sites has been entering local waterways, such as Berry Creek.
Under the new rules, the developer will need to show a plan for how they will manage runoff from the site, if it is left vacant.
While the policy will not be applied retrospectively to the two St Leonards sites specified, Southwood told the Lorikeet she hoped the new rules would “make the area a little nicer”.
Read the full story below.
🏺 What’s underneath the pyramid at St Thomas Rest Park?
Contributor Faith Limantono takes us through the history of Alexander Berry and Edward Wollstonecraft, and how they wound up together at St Thomas Rest Park.
⛪ Monte student capacity to grow to 1,400 under North Sydney campus expansion
A private Catholic school on Sydney’s lower North Shore is planning for a major expansion after scooping up half an acre of prime North Sydney land from the NSW Government.
What happened: Earlier this year, Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College purchased two properties sitting next to the Catholic girls school on Miller Street.
The 2289sqm land deal was brokered by Colliers for an amount between $25 – $30 million, on behalf of the NSW Government.
Now, plans have been put forward by the school to incorporate the nextdoor building into the campus, a move that will see student capacity swell to 1400, up from 1160.
Renovations: The school has submitted a development application to North Sydney Council to convert 194 Miller Street from commercial premises to an educational establishment and undertake minor renovations.
Planning documents indicate the project will not significantly alter the existing building.
Plans show the building will have underground parking, a kitchen, dining room and staff room, and four levels of classrooms, including a STEM lab.
Full story below.
LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀
🍺 The reason so many Australian pubs feel the same
Australian Venue Co and ALH between them own hundreds of pubs across the country.
ALH, part of Endeavour Group, demerged from Woolworths in 2021 and controls one in every 20 pubs in Australia.
The top three Victorian pubs for pokie revenue in 2024-25 were all ALH venues, each taking in over $25 million from the machines.
What do these hospitality mega-corps mean for Aussie pub culture?
The National Account's Archie Milligan has the rundown:
That’ll be all from me today.
As always, if you have a news tip, an idea for a story or think there’s something I should be covering, hit reply to this email or reach out at [email protected].
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Cheers,
Huw
