It has been another busy and productive year at the City of Ryde in 2025, and we would like to share the work that has been delivered for our community.
Below is a summary of the highlights.
Libraries
West Ryde Library had a makeover, complete with welcoming spaces to read and study, two Quiet Pods for dedicated focus time and an inspiring children's area complete with STEM installations.
The Library of Things was launched in August, offering more than 20 items to borrow and use for household projects, hobbies and celebrations.
We celebrated NSW Seniors Week with 15 events across all library branches, including a special Musical Morning Tea with performers The Guitar Shed and an author talk from Debra Oswald.
Eastwood Library was transformed into the Granny Smith History Hub to celebrate the festival's 40th anniversary, showcasing an exhibition on the festival's history, our interactive community apple tree, artefacts belonging to Granny Smith herself and a special appearance from some of her descendants.
Preparing for the rollout of the 24/7 After-hours library access began.
Community Services
Our Community Services team delivered the Diwali Celebration at West Ryde Plaza which was full of colour, dance, food and culture, and announced the Diwali Festival of Light competition winners.
They held the All-Abilities Disco - Jingle Bell Rock and Roll for people of all abilities to celebrate Social Inclusion Week, create friendships and have a good time.
Another successful event was the Men's Cook up, a program that brought men in our community together to share food, learn new skills, connect with others, to start the conversation around men's health and wellbeing and reduce social isolation.
Youth Week 2025 kicked off this year with an Education and Employment Expo with Meadowbank TAFE followed by our annual Youth Skate Competition and Battle of the Bands competition.
Events and Communications Team
The Events and Communications Team delivered and promoted a range of Major and Civic events for the community including Australia Day, Lunar New Year, West Ryde Easter Celebrations, ANZAC Day, Cork & Fork by the Riverside, Granny Smith Festival and Christmas Cinema in the Park to name a few.
Plus they collaborated with other teams to deliver Nowruz, Volunteer of the Year Awards, Diwali and the Sustainability Festival.
They also facilitated a community rally to protest the decision by the Sydney North Planning Panel to approve the rezoning of the iconic TG Millner Fields.
Approximately 170 eNewsletters were sent out to staff and the community with regular updates about Council events, initiatives and programs.
A new internal Intranet website was built to provide an improved online resource for staff.
Circular Economy & Resilience
The Circular Economy & Resilience team held the Sustainability Festival in partnership with Cambridge Markets at which a range of Council departments and community members had stalls. The Festival included workshops, a reptile stall, inspirational talks, live music and bike recycling.
The team also ran the Sustainable Waste 2 Art Prize Competition, an environmental art competition to raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage positive behaviour change using artworks and design objects made from upcycled waste materials. The team introduced the Fridge and Freezer collection program whereby 14.2 tonnes of metals were recycled in the first four months of being introduced and 2kg of gas was captured and responsibly disposed of.
They worked closely with building managers to better manage onsite resource recovery and there was a clothing swap held in collaboration with Libraries which saw 170 participants recycling more than 300kg clothing.
There was 111,340kg collected from Smarter, Cleaner, Greener charity clothing bins across Ryde.
The Waste team completed approximately 68,000 merit actions (enquiries), relating to the delivery of bins, replacement of damaged bins and responding to customer enquiries.
Development Advisory Service
Our Development Advisory Service has seen a significant improvement in DA lodgement time, now 5 days down from 20 and is one of the best performing councils in the state in this regard.
The team continued to provide expert technical submissions on complicated state significant development applications in the LGA and provided expert duty and pre-lodgement advice to a high volume of customers.
Finance
The Finance team successfully delivered the 2025/26 Operational Plan, 2025-29 Four Year Delivery Programs and Long Term Financial Plan within the prescribed legislative timeframes and the information presented to Council was accurate.
The team successfully supported the transition from an on‑premises TechnologyOne environment to a modern, cloud‑based platform through specialist expertise and hands‑on support and verification that all cloud functionality operated as intended. This achievement was further consolidated through two TechnologyOne system upgrades completed during the year.
They also assisted in replacing the legacy LINKS booking system with PerfectGym's platform at the Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre. This upgrade delivers streamlined facility management, online bookings, integrated payments, and enhanced member experience.
The team developed financial scenarios to support Council's proposed transition to a Food Organics & Garden Organics (FOGO) collection service,.
A Property Lease Register was established in collaboration with the Property team, providing enhanced oversight of Council's extensive property portfolio. This register captures over 140 properties and footpath licenses, enabling accurate tracking of rental income and helping identify and correct properties missing scheduled rental adjustments.
A Utility Recovery Register was also established in collaboration with the Property team, addressing gaps from previous processes and recovering an additional $100,000 in income. The register enables Council to accurately track tenant utility costs and supports effective cost recovery.
Grant Register success was achieved, which passed Audit NSW review and tracked over 77 grants with a total value of $11 million in actual receipts during the financial year. This included the development of a comprehensive Risk Assessment Matrix and Grant Register Guideline.
Customers in financial hardship were supported and 105 Arrangements to Pay (ATPs) were established, assisting customers experiencing financial difficulty.
Information and Technology
The Information and Technology team collaborated with both the Development Assessment and Building Compliance teams to identify an access-to-information solution to enable crucial information to be provided to strata communities who are dealing with changes to their strata reporting requirements.
The team upgraded Council's spatial/mapping tools, including the map on public Climate Wise Communities Ryde website, to more robust and user-friendly solutions and procured up-to-date aerial photography covering the Ryde LGA for staff use.
Streamlined community and Council processes were implemented for Complying Development Certificates, Building Information Certificates and Council-issued post-consent certificates (construction certificates, occupation certificates, subdivision certificates and subdivision works certificates) by completing the final three phases of integration of Council's systems to the NSW Government's Planning Portal.
They implemented a replacement Leisure & Facilities Management solution for the Ryde Aquatic and Leisure Centre (RALC) to manage its key functions of Swim School, Facility Bookings and Memberships, including provision of a self-service portal for the community.
A state-of-the-art Incident & Risk Management solution was rolled out, which enables the capture, investigation and resolution of incidents and the proactive identification and mitigation of risks and hazards.
New tools were implemented to strengthen our security posture through monitoring, detection and response to security events and proactive vulnerability identification and risk reduction.
People and Culture
The recruitment of four Directors was undertaken to complete the Executive Leadership Team and women in leadership awareness was built within Management and Executive Leadership Team levels. Townhall Roadshows for staff to ask questions and provide feedback to the Executive Leadership Team were held. Our People and Culture team also delivered our all-staff Ticket to Ryde conference 'Shaping our Future'.
The successful completion of the Aspiring Leaders program was coordinated and staff completed 2,893 hours of learning and development in 2025.
The team represented Council at several career expos and other events and led the Fresh Start Grant process, securing eight fully funded entry level positions for Council.
They achieved 100% on-time payroll processing across all fortnightly and casual pay cycles and successfully completed internal and external payroll audits.
The team supported major health and wellbeing initiatives including RUOK? Day, SafeTee Day, on-site skin checks.
BeSafe, a cost-free and user-friendly WHS reporting system was implemented, a comprehensive WHS self-audit across all departments was completed and WHS presence across operational and corporate sites was increased.
They supported Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) compliance, traffic and excavation safety, roof replacement in the Operations Centre and incident response.
Customer Experience and Business Improvement
Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) plans were revised through internal collaboration and external engagement leading to public exhibition and adoption.
The Community Engagement team supported Council-wide Community Engagement initiatives including policies, plans, strategies, infrastructure and playground upgrades plus delivered key research studies such as the 24/7 After-hours library access trial and the Urban Heat Study. A replacement community engagement software to enhance digital interaction via Have Your Say was implemented.
The Business Improvement team applied their skills to projects including the Project Management Interactive Dashboard, Significant State Developments Dashboard, Workforce Management Strategy and Circular Economy Transition.
Customer Service
The Call Centre answers 300 calls per day, which totalled 64,877 calls in 2024/25 and resolved 88,209 enquiries/topics.
Our main Customer Service Centre at Top Ryde services an average of 13,000 customers annually and processes an average of 33,000 requests annually
Customer Service handled over 50,000 requests for service from our community and has updated workflows, processes, customer notifications and help notes, and have provided training on handling customer requests to over 50 staff.
Major Projects
Led by Major Projects, and in coordination with various departments across Council, the Council's first in-river swim site, Putney Beach Swim Site was successfully completed and launched in January at Putney Park.
The Putney Beach Swim Site consists of a safe swimming enclosure along Parramatta River, integrated with sandstone seawalls and landscaping, providing the community with a leisure landmark for years to come.
Engineering and Project Delivery
The Engineering and Project Delivery team delivered a Flood Study and Flood Risk Management Study & Plan utilising historical data, climate change forecasts and flood simulation models to understand the extent, level and velocity of flooding across the LGA to better guide development and flood risk management in the City of Ryde.
The bus shelter rollout saw 114 new shelters successfully installed across the network since the project commencement and construction of a further 23 sites now scheduled to commence shortly.
This year, the team successfully completed a comprehensive Bridge Audit across the entire LGA. This audit continues the work previously carried out in 2019 and in total, the condition of 65 bridges have been assessed, and Council continues to deliver rehabilitation and safety improvement works based on these findings.
The team has also completed Gannan Park, West Ryde Library refurbishment and Putney Park Seawall. Work also commenced on park upgrade projects at Catherine Hamlin Park and Meadowbank.
There was also the completion of design for Black spot projects in various locations and the design for Eastwood High Pedestrian Activity Area, safe speed program.
The team completed Issued for Tender (IFT) drawings for Blenheim Park masterplan delivery and the design for Meadowbank AIF Masterplan Delivery.
Public domain works for Stage 1 of the Macquarie Park Development at 11-17 Khartoum Road, Macquarie Park included an upgrade of 350 linear metres of existing road reserve and the delivery of a new Road Murrel Street, 180m in length.
The delivery of Road No.16 and extension of Road 1 as part of the 45-61 Waterloo Road Development in Macquarie Park represented a significant extension of the local road network in Macquarie Park. These new roads total 300m in length and 5,000 square metres of new assets for the community.
Traffic Services
The Traffic Services team secured and delivered over $3M worth of grant-funded transport infrastructure projects. Key projects completed include the construction of a new shared path within the Meadowbank Education and Employment Precinct, the installation of new pedestrian crossings near Ryde Public School and Meadowbank TAFE and the introduction of a 40 km/h High Pedestrian Activity Area within Eastwood's Koreatown.
The team delivered several community programs, which target change in travel behaviour to reduce road trauma and encourage greater adoption of sustainable transport. Key initiatives carried out include Senior Low Risk Driving Workshops, Road safety activations with Ryde Police Area Command, a pilot Walking and Riding Program with Ryde Public School, partnering with Active Recreation to deliver school holiday cycle workshops, partnering with Junior Tradies to deliver a community event promoting heavy vehicle safety and road safety advocacy during National Road Safety Week.
They assessed over 190 development proposals, 900 road activity permits and 10 major transport strategies and guidelines, with respect to its traffic, transport, parking and road safety implications. These efforts support improved transport outcomes City-wide, enhancing safety for all road users and strengthening connectivity to town centres and key destinations in the short, medium, and long term.
Operations
The Public Domain team continued their great work carrying out line marking using thermos plastic and pressure washing cleaning at town centres.
The Landscape Team worked on the Korean War Memorial at Memorial Park and completed upgrades to several playgrounds including Braemar, Adventure Park and Byron Park.
Urban Strategy
The Urban Strategy team launched the updated 2025 Heritage Walking Trail Booklets, provided urban design advice on multiple State Significant Developments, Development Applications and Planning Proposals.
The team also collaborated with teams across Council on the development of the Eastwood Urban Strategy plus increased their architectural team to develop architectural designs for Council.
Open Space and Climate
The Open Space and Climate team completed the Brush Farm Park Master Plan and the Putney Park Master Plan which will both guide the improvements and embellishment of the parks over the next 15 years.
The Meadowbank Park Plan of Management, which is an agreement between Council and the Community on how the park will be managed into the future, was developed and approval by Crown Lands.
The Integrated Open Space Strategy, Council's overarching document that provides the framework for how Council tackle the challenges associated with Open Space into the future was drafted and put on public exhibition.
The team obtained Council endorsement for the terms on which the management of the site will occur into the future for the Denistone Sports Club site.
Updates were undertaken to the Development Control Plan – Tree Preservation, which outlines the controls Council will have in place for the management of tree on private land
The Synthetic Surface Framework, which details how Council will manage, maintain and deliver new and renewal of synthetic surfaces, was adopted by Council.
The team planned and coordinated the installation of the Korean War Memorial within Memorial Park which recognises the sacrifices made by those serving in the Korean War.
Assets
Our Assets team delivered the Strategic Asset Management Plan, reevaluated Council's Civil and Parks assets and developed a high-risk footpath defect assessment criterion to prioritise maintenance works.
Economic Development
The Economic Development team launched the Net Zero Prospectus to support local businesses adopt sustainable and circular economy practices, and refreshed the Advanced Technology Prospectus, highlighting innovation strengths, emerging technologies, and doubling down on growth opportunities across our region.
The team established Empower Ryde, a peer-led program for people with disability to connect, learn and build confidence around employment.
The local small business community were invited to the Ryde Business Forum and NSW Small Business Month 2025 – Talks Over Toast, connecting subject matter experts directly with our businesses.
The team received a Highly Commended award by Local Government Professionals NSW for their work with the small business community.
They hosted international delegations from China, Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam to build global connections, share best practices and identify mutually beneficial partnerships and strengthened international relationships through a Memorandum of Understanding with Hsinchu City (Taiwan), enhancing opportunities for the Macquarie Park Innovation District.
The Hear from a Local series, spotlighting the stories and successes of local businesses, continues to garner interest and demand from the community.
An Inclusive Employment Toolkit was developed to help employers create meaningful and accessible job opportunities.
Social and Cultural Development
The Social and Cultural Development Team developed the Social Strategy and Creativity Strategy and facilitated community engagement activities that will inform the development of new Community Facilities Strategy. Plus, they commenced planning for community engagement activities for a new Libraries Strategy.
The team established and convened a new internal Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) Working Group to support implementation of Council's existing DIAP.
The Advocacy & Strategy Directorate created two permanent part-time positions, specifically for people with disability. This has strengthened the City of Ryde as an inclusive workplace, and they benefit from the valuable insights and perspectives of their new colleagues.
Transport
The Transport team led the creation of the new City of Ryde Integrated Transport Strategy (ITS) 2045, creating a document to serve as Council's platform for strategic transport planning and advocacy for the next 20 years. Together with the Community Engagement team, they undertook a six-week public exhibition and consultation campaign, including holding three drop-in sessions with the community.
