Councillor Robert Samuel - Willoughby

06/09/2026

A reminder of a long shared retail heritage.

Blue Plaques NSW - Round 4 nominations

04/09/2026

03/09/2026

There are widespread State Government led changes to the way developments are notified to members of the public including neighbours. If you are interested in understanding what developments are being proposed near you it will be important to sign up for the planning portal.

Call me old fashioned but maybe a return to knocking on the neighbours’ doors or sending something out in the street WhatsApp group and giving them a heads up on what you are thinking of doing might lead to a quieter and more pleasant life in our suburbs! These regulations look like the grey areas of heights etc heading for judicial review.

Northern Beaches Council have a good summary of the changes.

https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/council/news/state-government-rules-development-consultation-introduced


ntial concern to the community is the exemption of certain development categories
from requiring public notification. These categories are outlined in Table 6 of the attached Statewide
Community Participation Plan.

For Willoughby City Council, the types of development that will no longer require public notification
include:

1. Additions and alterations to existing dwelling houses

2. New dwelling houses (up to two storeys)

3. Two-storey dual occupancies

4. Attached dwellings (up to five townhouses)

5. Multi dwelling housing developments (up to five apartments)

6. Tree removal on private land

If Council receives correspondence relating to these types of development applications, it will not be treated as a formal submission for the purposes of assessing the application and will not count towards referral thresholds that may otherwise require the application to be determined by the Local Planning Panel.

03/09/2026

Great initiative. Willoughby parkrun

02/09/2026

As we see the buildings go up, here are some insights from just up the road. There is plenty there for us here in local government but with a State Election looming I do want to call out the public transport need and desire here.

Better and more frequent bus services. For Willoughby this means a very significant investment in bus infrastructure ( bus interchanges and better provisioned stops) and in difficult discussions as to who gets to use our public roads when.

The Bus Taskforce commissioned by the current State Government highlighted that need but to date not much committed in our part of the world.

Thank you Councillor Indu Balachandran for sharing.

01/09/2026

Better Business Partnership and Chatswood Chamber of Commerce thank you for partnering with Willoughby City Council to welcome more than 200 local businesses gathering together tonight to compare notes. Great to see North Shore Speech Therapy being showcased tonight. Terrific to see Chatswood NSW as the gathering place for North Shore businesses.

Callout to Willoughby businesses, join us for a celebration of local business!

The Support Local Showcase Night by Willoughby City Council, is an evening celebrating the local businesses, entrepreneurs and stories that make Willoughby a vibrant place to live, work, visit and do business. This year’s Showcase Night will bring together local business owners, Chambers of Commerce representatives, Council, business support providers and community stakeholders for an evening of inspiration, insights and connection.

📅 Date: Tues 1st Sept
🕙 Time: 5-8.30pm
📍Where: The Lounge, Ferguson Lane, Chatswood
🆓 Cost: Free

For more information and registration please visit:
https://ap1.hubs.ly/H01jkK60

Willoughby City Council
The Concourse Chatswood
North Sydney Business Chamber

31/08/2026

“Chatswood Library recorded about 970,000 visits in 2025-26, making it one of the most visited libraries in NSW – second only to the State Library. Chatswood Library has been described as a “safe haven” and the “single largest touchpoint” the council has with young people”

I am pleased to be backing much longer opening hours for the most popular library in Sydney with the exception of the State Library.

However longer term though we need a better funding model to support well connected Greater Sydney services like Chatswood Library. Five minutes walk from Chatswood Metro it is much more than a service to the residents of Willoughby.

Willoughby City Council is exploring plans to allow Chatswood Library to open 24/7 after “strong and growing” demand.

30/08/2026

“No staff parking “ A reminder that not providing parking for Hospital workers on site is a choice made by our health service. Local Government should not be expected to pick up the tab as part of the discussion on available parking spots on local roads.

The parking lot of Northern Beaches Hospital has come up for sale, exposing the jaw dropping amount that gets collected in parking revenue each year. 👉 https://bit.ly/3Sz1Igc

30/08/2026

So happy to be gathering today as a community for Armenia Day. Wherever Armenian Australians live may Willoughby always be the place to call home , to gather , to remember and on days like today celebrate. Thank you Armenian Community Welfare Centre for choosing Chatswood NSW.

A special thank you to those who volunteered today.

ACYA Sydney Homenetmen Antranig

AGBU Alexander Primary School. Tarkmantchats Armenian Saturday School. Hamazkaine Armenian Sydney Dance Ensemble. Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection Sydney Australia. Sunday School at Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection, Sydney ACYA Holy Trinity

30/08/2026

A warm welcome to Willoughby to Roseville’s famous Slowbreads Roseville. You won’t be disappointed in either direction.