Ku-ring-gai Council removes St Ives bench after safety complaints

A suburban battle over a street bench on a leafy Sydney street will cost ratepayers thousands of dollars after neighbours complained of safety risks, traffic hazards and noise.

A Sydney council has been slammed for spending thousands of dollars removing a wooden bench from a north shore naturestrip after the seat sparked a two-year battle between warring neighbours.

Concerns over safety and anti-social behaviour resulted in Ku-ring-gai Council paying $6000 to remove and relocate the bench from Mariana Close in St Ives in a move some residents have labelled “a waste of ratepayer funds”.

The decision follows a protracted dispute involving residents, police, road safety experts and federal politicians.

The saga started when Mariana Close resident Andy Bloom campaigned for the seat to be installed on the nature strip outside her home in 2021.

But the seat has drawn staunch opposition from some neighbours, who say its location near a road presented a public safety and traffic risk.

The bench has sparked mixed opinions among residents.

Since the seat was installed, the council has carried out multiple traffic and safety assessments, commissioned a private consultant to undertake a risk assessment and brought in a mediator to oversee a community meeting.

Meanwhile, residents have conducted their own asbestos testing of the area around the bench while others have captured CCTV footage highlighting alleged safety risks from the seat.

Resident complaints over the bench have also been referred to NSW politicians and local federal MP Paul Fletcher.

Police confirmed officers have been called to Mariana Close at least once in relation to reports of traffic incidents associated with the bench.

The decision to remove the bench was based on a majority vote of Ku-ring-gai councillors during a fractious hour-long council meeting debate.

The meeting heard the council had carried out two separate risk assessments of the bench as well as conducting a public survey which showed a majority of residents supported its retention.

The bench was installed opposite the intersection of Mariana Close and Cassandra Ave.

Ku-ring-gai councillor Christine Kay – who voted to remove the bench in December – said she could not “morally” support the bench, which she argued presented a public safety risk.

“Instead of creating harmony and inclusion it’s creating the complete opposite – it’s creating disunity. Morally, I feel the bench should be removed,” she said.

Ms Bloom said the decision to remove the bench was “ludicrous” and accused the council of wasting “significant resources and ratepayer money” on the issue.

“The bench was only ever intended to be a place for residents to sit and for parents to watch their children,” she said.

Ku-ring-gai Mayor Sam Ngai voted to remove the seat.

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said she believes the naturestrip near two roads was “never an appropriate location” for the seat to be installed.

“It should never have gotten to this point because it’s come at a huge cost and shouldn’t have been allowed to be installed in the first place,” she said. “It’s not safe and it was never safe.”

Another neighbour said she believes the bench has also put the lives of children at risk.

Ku-ring-gai Council’s operations director George Bounassif said the cost to remove the bench would tally about $6000, which includes reimbursing Ms Bloom who contributed $3000 toward its installation.

The council will also consider alternative locations for relocating the bench – subject to another vote expected to take place in March.

St Ives carpenter Fred Bazrafshan said the maximum he would charge for removing and relocating a bench would be $2000.

NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig said “councils have a responsibility to ensure residents’ money and council resources are appropriately directed towards delivering the services and infrastructure their communities need most”.

The decision to remove the bench came despite a council report recommending permanently retaining the bench. The report also deemed the bench as “a place of social gathering and interaction”.

Ku-ring-gai councillor Christine Kay

A photo of the bench.

The council’s decision to remove the bench has drawn criticism from Melissa Neighbour, co-founder of the Sydney YIMBY community group which was formed to counter Sydney residents opposed to urban development.

“Councils are very good at responding to pressure from residents and this is another example of a vocal minority ending up having the loudest voice,” she said.

“It highlights the way bureaucracy has gotten out of control in our country and the layers of red tape that have just become nonsensical.”

Councillor Martin Smith believes the council should be focusing its resources elsewhere.

“We’ve got enough battles to be dealing with that are a lot bigger than a seat in a very quiet location that a member of the public has gone to the trouble of paying for herself.

‘What message are we sending the community?”

A council spokesman said the “matter of the bench is of interest to the local community and as such council is dedicated to working with the community to address any concerns”.