Dear Subscriber,

Welcome to the PCAL monthly bulletin. This bulletin reports up to date news and research of interest to people who want to promote active living choices in NSW. Previous bulletins are archived on the PCAL website.

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The NSW Department of Planning has released a Position Statement on Planning for Active Living. The position statement affirms the commitment of the Department to pursue initiatives to support the continuing creation and maintenance of environments supportive of active living.

The draft Marrickville Local Environment Plan (LEP) and Development Control Plan (DCP) provide examples of how existing NSW Planning tools can prioritise active living considerations. The draft LEP objectives include promoting sustainable transport such as increased use of public transport, walking and cycling, and vitalisation of centres and integration of transport and land use. 

Parramatta City Council have completed their first commuter challenge promotion to encourage commuters to reconsider how they travel to work. North Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service has also produced their own cycling policy which addresses issues such as operating a bicycle pool and facilitating cycling proficiency training for staff.
 

The Federal Government has announced its intention to establish a new National Preventative Health Agency in 2011. The Commonwealth has also invited Local Governments to apply for funding to establish healthy lifestyle programs predominantly focused on adults who are not in the paid workforce. Applications close in February 2011.

The Federal Government has released a discussion paper on the development of a National Urban Policy. The policy includes strategies to encourage the development of more supportive environments for active living and the promotion of active travel.

Australian cities are notable for containing some of the largest homes in the world. The Reincarnated McMansion project aims to audit, dismantle and rebuild an existing McMansion to create two or three new homes, applying best practice environmentally sustainable design principles.

PCAL was invited to be a witness at the recent Committee on Children and Young People follow up inquiry into it's 2006 investigation of the relationship between Children, Young People and the Built Environment. A Child Friendly by Design Resource Kit has also been released.

PCAL has compiled a summary of key achievements to help highlight a range of recent PCAL led NSW active living initiatives.