On behalf of the Committee of the Northbridge & Castlecrag Chamber of Commerce I wish you all the very best for this season of celebration together with a Happy and prosperous New Year.

John Lightfoot,

President

Anyone who reads the newspapers, networks or is in business for themselves knows that this has been a difficult year, so there are no prizes for belabouring this point.

In the Chamber we have seen members and retailers within our area either close down or sell out. Fortunately, we have also seen some new entrants to the area and some new members.

Our Annual general meeting was held on the 24^th August at Northbridge Golf Club. Your Committee was re-elected unanimously and looks forward to assisting our members during 2012.

A major step forward has been the joining of the North Shore Chamber Alliance. This means that members who have “opted in” have included in their membership benefits at no extra cost:

• Invitations to NSW Business Chamber networking events
• Advertise your business on the NSW Business Chamber website
• Workplace Advice Line- connects to Workplace Specialists
• Ask Us How – Online business guides
• Business Vitality Express Check – online business health check
• Business Legals – online legally compliant templates and
• MORE!

We are now the recognized voice for business in Northbridge, Castlecrag and Castlecove and have been able to work with Willoughby Council to improve parking issues for some of our members. Members are invited to discuss any matters where we may be able to help with members of the Committee.

On the development front, we note that a large Woolworths supermarket has been proposed for Smith Street Chatswood on the old Sundell Motors site. This site was bought by Woolworths some time ago and has been the subject of a number of design concepts. We will report developments as we become aware of them as they are bound to have an effect on the main precincts of Northbridge and Castlecrag.

Membership Renewals

Membership renewals are due on 1^st February.

Invoices will be sent to all members shortly.

Your early payment would be appreciated and will ensure continued membership of the North Shore Chamber Alliance with all its benefits.

What will 2012 bring?

We all know it will be tough but we believe that with the right planning our members can continue to prosper. Our alliance with the NSW Business Chamber will provide some tools to help.

Perhaps we can draw some solace from the Chinese beliefs regarding the New Year. Chinese New Year begins on 23^rd January 2012 and this year will be the year of the Dragon. More specifically the water dragon.

In European culture, the dragon is considered as malevolent – hence many legends such as St George where the hero slays the dragon. In contrast, in the Chinese culture the Dragon is considered as auspicious. Mythology says that the Chinese dragon has control over water, rainfall, hurricane and flood. Moreover the dragon symbolizes the power, strength and good luck.

Given the importance of the Chinese economy to Australia and the rest of the world, let us hope that Chinese ancient mythology prevails and we all have a good 2012.

The NSW Government is preparing to overhaul State Planning Laws by re-writing the State Planning Act.

To this end they have established a working Group to advise the Government on changes to the Law. The objective is to streamline planning and remove bottlenecks while taking account of the interests of stakeholders.

As part of the process, I attended a meeting of about 250 people from Government, industry associations and the private sector. I was a panel member and had been invited to attend on behalf of the Northbridge Progress Association. My subject matter included the interests of residents in ensuring clarity and transparency of planning decisions. An edited text can be found at the NPA’s website - www.northbridgepa.com.au.

Of course there are many common interests between residents and small business, particularly relating to public areas, car parking and access. They are not necessarily the same view as Government and semi Government authorities. One of the topics put on the table was the role of Councils and the Development Approval process, which will be examined during this review.

Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting

Finally, the Annual General Meeting is coming up and I urge all members to attend.

The date, time and place: Wednesday 24th August, 6pm at Northbridge Golf Club.

I look forward to seeing you there.

John Lightfoot