January 2012
| EVENT NEWS |
AUTHORITY NEWS |
| Innovative technology to help visitors discover history | |
| The Rocks visitation | |
| SUSTAINABILITY NEWS | |
| BridgeClimb's '3Rs' approach | |
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PRECINCT NEWS |
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Sydney Harbour Bridge closures |
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Cruise ship arrivals |
| Next issue of The Rocks News | |
EVENT NEWS
New Year's Eve traffic management
Road closures and special event clearways will be in place in The Rocks, the CBD and various Council areas for New Years Eve celebrations.
On Saturday 31 December:
- special event clearways in The Rocks will be in place from 6 am
- all roads in The Rocks will be closed at 4 pm and will reopen after 4 am on 1 January 2012
For further details visit the New Year's Eve events page on the RTA website.
It is recommended that patrons attending New Year's Eve celebrations in The Rocks use public transport. RTA's Transport Infoline Trip Planner and 131 500 phone number can be used to plan trips. Police may restrict vehicle access along closed roads, including residents and businesses.
For more NYE 2011 event information visit http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nye/.
New Year's Eve - clearing the footpath
As occurs each New Year's Eve, all umbrellas, outdoor seating, barriers, tables and chairs need to be cleared off the footpaths by 5 pm on Saturday 31 December. The removal of all outdoor furniture assists with the management of large crowd flows and, in some areas where specific corridors are established for emergency services access, adjacent footpaths need to be free of any obstacles and clear for pedestrians.
The Rocks Australia Day Festival of The Voice
This Australia Day, the Authority is again presenting Festival of the Voice, with nine hours of free live music from more than 50 singers and songwriters from around the country.
Based on our past experiences the event has been adjusted this year to deliver greater benefits to a broader number of tenants. For the first time, a stage will be set up at the northern end of George Street below the Harbour Bridge and roaming performers along George Street will help to attract visitors to this part of the precinct. Choirs will perform in Nurses Walk and markets will trade in Playfair Street and Jack Mundey Place. Folk and acoustic music will be presented at Campbells Cove and a chill-out area will be set up at First Fleet Park.
The Authority is promoting The Rocks as a fantastic place to be this Australia Day offering historic pubs, cafes and restaurants and unique shopping experiences, while the precinct comes alive with the sounds of some of Australia's best musicians.
The Rocks Australia Day is a free event and will take place from 11.30am - 8.30pm on Thursday 26 January 2012.
For traffic management information for the day visit the Australia Day events pages on the RTA website.
Trading out on Australia Day or St Patrick's Day
Any food and beverage operators wanting to trade out for Australia Day or St Patrick's Day need to either:
- contact Brendan Burke, the Authority's Venue Hire Team Leader to discuss trading out on 9240 8861, or
- if you've already completed an application form, email it to the Authority's Property Officer Ema Scott at ema.scott@shfa.nsw.gov.au for Landowner's Consent.
Applications for Australia Day need to be in by 9 January 2011 and applications for St Patrick's Day need to be in by 17 February 2011.
Last night at Village Bizarre
The final night of Village Bizarre at Markets by Moonlight is tomorrow, Friday 23 December. Any feedback about this year's event is most welcome (once you have had time to recover from Christmas). You can email your comments or suggestions directly to ian.kelly@shfa.nsw.gov.au or phone me on 9240 8761.
The Rocks Markets Christmas trading
The markets are operating to a different schedule over the festive season, as follows:
- Friday 23 December - Foodies Market in Jack Mundey Place from 10 am to 4 pm
- Saturday 24 December (Christmas Eve) - The Rocks Market trading on George Street from 10 am to 5 pm
- Sunday 25 December (Christmas Day) - CLOSED
- Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 December - The Rocks Market trading on George Street from 10 am to 5 pm (please remind your customers)
- Friday 30 December, Saturday 31 December and Sunday 1 January - CLOSED
Note: The Friday Foodies Market will recommence operations on 20 January 2012.
AUTHORITY NEWS
ICAC recommendations on leasing in The Rocks
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) recently published a report of its investigation into leasing in The Rocks, which covered the period from 2006 to 2008.
ICAC concluded there was insufficient evidence to establish that the Authority's leasing decisions had been adversely affected by a conflict of interest. However ICAC did make a number of recommendations to minimise the risk of future leasing decisions being made subject to an undisclosed conflict of interest.
The Authority is implementing all of ICAC's recommendations, some of which had already been in effect for some time.
Innovative technology to help visitors discover history
In mid-January, the Authority will install innovative digital technology in The Rocks to provide interactive self-guided tours for visitors and tourists.
The project will see Quick Response (QR) codes and Near Field Communication (NFC) tag technology placed at 37 historical locations in and around The Rocks. Similar to barcodes, the codes can be scanned by almost any smart phone, providing visitors with in-depth content on the history and details of a location or building in The Rocks
The technology is designed to offer visitors a richer, more meaningful experience of the precinct's history and encourage them to spend more time exploring The Rocks.
Free rubbish removal initiative a success
Two large rubbish skips were placed in Playfair Street on 12-13 December and were available for all tenants to dispose of general rubbish items, including furniture and other large items, for free. The initiative was a great opportunity for some pre-Christmas cleaning, with almost six tonnes of rubbish disposed of by tenants and removed by the Authority free of charge.
The Rocks visitation
In November 2011, people movements in the precinct were 1,178,386, an increase of 2.6 per cent when compared to November 2010. The 12-month rolling people movements to The Rocks from December 2010 to November 2011 were 13,812,488, a small increase of 1 per cent.
SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
BridgeClimb's '3Rs' approach
This month, BridgeClimb is being profiled in The Rocks News for the great results they have achieved by reducing, reusing and recycling every day (3 R's). In just three years, BridgeClimb has made some simple changes to reduce its impact on the environment:
- REDUCING -
- paper use slashed by 25% by printing double sided and encouraging less printing
- energy use cut by 6% with new energy efficient air conditioners and LED lights
- water use reduced by 12% by installing dual flush toilets and low flow shower heads
- REUSING -
- a new staff lunchroom built using 50% recycled materials from around the business
- climber clothing removed from service while in good condition and donated to charities
- RECYCLING -
- a centralised recycling station with colour coded bins introduced to promote correct disposal
- more than 150 fluorescent globes recycled
- 594 kilograms of e-waste, including batteries, mobile phones and computers, diverted from landfill with an e-waste program.
"The entire team at BridgeClimb is embracing every new initiative and driving the change," said Jennifer O'Keefe, OHS & Environment Manager for BridgeClimb. "Our challenge is to keep coming up with new ways to reduce our impact on the environment".
For more information on how to introduce these initiatives into your business contact the Authority's Sustainability Officer, Giselle Radulovic, at giselle.radulovic@shfa.nsw.gov.au.
PRECINCT NEWS
Sydney Harbour Bridge closures
In a quick reminder, NSW Roads and Maritime Services are undertaking maintenance works on the harbour bridge on weekends during January. The bridge will be closed from 10 pm Fridays to 5 am Mondays, each weekend in January.
For more information, please read the Roads and Maritime flyer.
Cruise ship arrivals
The cruise season continues in full swing with 16 ships scheduled to dock at the Overseas Passenger Terminal up to the end of January:
- Celebrity Century, 24 December
- Rhapsody of the Seas, 27 December
- Sea Princess, 29 December
- Radiance of the Seas, 2 January
- Volendam, 4 January
- Rhapsody of the Seas, 5 January
- Diamond Princess, 11 January
- Rhapsody of the Seas, 12 January
- Radiance of the Seas, 15 January
- Volendam, 17 January
- Celebrity Century, 18 January
- Silver Shadow, 20 January
- Rhapsody of the Seas, 22 January
- C Columbus, 23 January
- Radiance of the Seas, 28 January
- Volendam, 31 January
For more information on cruise ship arrivals to the OPT visit Sydney Ports.
Next issue of The Rocks News
The next newsletter will be distributed as normal at the beginning of February.
