2 September 2024
By Grahame Lynch
Godfrey Santer, Labor’s North Sydney Deputy Mayor and candidate for the St Leonards ward, is positioning himself as a key advocate for sustainable energy solutions and community-focused governance as he seeks re-election.
Reflecting on his recent term in council, Santer told the Sun of his efforts to introduce innovative policies aimed at addressing North Sydney’s unique challenges, with a particular emphasis on expanding access to renewable energy in the area.
At the forefront of Santer’s initiatives is a groundbreaking neighbourhood power-sharing scheme designed to make solar energy more accessible to residents in medium and high-density buildings.
Recognising the barriers to solar adoption in such areas, Santer has pushed for a system where residents can share solar-generated power through a community battery.
“The challenge in areas like ours is the low roof area relative to the number of dwellings and the high proportion of rented properties. This makes it difficult for individual units to benefit from solar power,” Santer explained.His proposed solution allows for solar panels to send energy to the shared battery, ensuring that all residents can benefit.
“By linking to a community battery and sharing the load, we can significantly increase our self-sufficiency in renewable energy,” he added.
Santer’s ability to advance this initiative has been bolstered by his close working relationships with state and federal Labor officials, including direct discussions with Federal Minister for Energy, Chris Bowen.
“It’s better to be doing things inside the tent rather than from outside trying to get in,” Santer noted, highlighting the advantages of his connections to other arms of government in the cause of getting things done.
In addition to his focus on renewable energy, Santer said he strongly advocates for community consultation and governance reforms. “We’ve introduced a progressive tone to the council by showing much more concern for the consultative process with the community,” Santer said.
A key aspect of this approach has been his defence of the precinct system, which he sees as a vital conduit for community sentiment. “There are precincts where you get 40, 50 people along, and it’s a good mix of gender and age,” he pointed out, highlighting the importance of maintaining these community connections.
Santer also addressed the significant challenges facing North Sydney in terms of high-density development and the need for accompanying infrastructure. He expressed concern that state-mandated development targets do not adequately consider the unique characteristics of North Sydney, where 80% of residents already live in medium to high-rise buildings.
“We’ve said to them that perhaps there hasn’t been due recognition of the fact that we already have a very high density of population,” Santer remarked.
He called for a holistic approach to development, insisting that infrastructure must keep pace with new housing to maintain liveability.
“It’s not just the building of a high-rise; it’s what surrounds it. We need to have the infrastructure to meet that,” he stressed.
One of Santer’s key proposals to address the loss of parklands due to recent developments, including the Warringah Freeway upgrade, is the creation of a rooftop park over the freeway. “We’re putting a proposal in for a rooftop park to connect Cammeray Park with Anzac Park and St. Leonards Park,” Santer explained, advocating for this as a way to reclaim green space lost to infrastructure projects. He argued that the government should invest in this initiative, especially given the significant funds allocated to freeway expansions.
“They’re spending $20 billion on this Warringah Freeway, Western Harbour Tunnel thing for cars. We’re saying, how about giving some of that money towards doing something for the people who live in the area,” he added.
Santer also highlighted the significant loss of tree cover in North Sydney, which he estimates to be around 25% over the last decade due to ongoing development.
“Trees are the lungs of our society, and we need measures to compensate for their loss,” Santer said, stressing the importance of maintaining green spaces in urban areas.
Looking ahead, Santer is eager to focus on promoting small business and tourism in North Sydney. He sees significant potential in leveraging the area’s natural beauty and historical significance to attract visitors.
Santer also discussed the need to revitalise the North Sydney CBD, which he believes has the potential to become a vibrant hub, particularly on weekends.
“We need to encourage small business to come here and bring the supply for the demand for their products,” he said.