Parramatta. Trade mission to China

Parramatta City Council Lord Mayor, Paul Garrard, will lead a delegation of business people to Yiwi and Shanghai, in the People’s Republic of China, from June 19-27, to develop closer economic ties The aim of the trade mission is to promote Parramatta as a destination for investment and to facilitate commercial opportunities beneficial to the local business community. The mission's program will include: business matching, both in Yiwu and Shanghai, three days attendance at the World Expo in Shanghai, Chinese Government receptions, meetings and briefings with both Chinese and Australian government and business officials, business networking events, in-market briefings and site visits including visits to Yiwu commodity exhibitions

Parramatta. Paul Garrard elected lord mayor

Independent councillor, Paul Garrad, has been elected lord mayor of Parramatta City Council, by nine votes to six, over Labor councillor Pierre Esber. Liberal councillor, Chiang Lim, was elected deputy lord mayor over Labor councillor, Julia Finn, by nine votes to six.

Parramatta. Motion to expand DA period

Cr Paul Garrard, proposes to present a Notice of Motion at Parramatta City Council’s March 23 meeting, which seeks to extend development approvals for an extra 12-month period, up to a maximum of 5 years. “While Parramatta is holding up better then many other areas (in the current economic meltdown), promoting the idea of lengthening DA approvals will effectively give more time to applicants to weather the economic storm and at the same time allow more flexibility for millions of dollars of construction work to begin within the next two years," he said on the Woodville Independents website. “This will result in millions of dollar being injected into the local economy, which would have been other wise lost.”