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The latest news from REDWatch

REDWatch is a community group which covers the Sydney suburbs of Redfern Eveleigh Darlington and Waterloo. These suburbs make up what the NSW Government generally refers to as Redfern - Waterloo. The area has been subject to various NSW Government interventions since the early 2000's and had its own Government Minister from 2004 to 2011. Interventions have included removing planning responsibilities from City of Sydney Council and having place specific interventions on human services, infrastructure and employment. This history is captured on this website. Currently the focus is on UrbanGrowth's Central to Eveleigh and the proposed redevelopment of the Waterloo Public Housing Estate. Below is the latest news from REDWatch about our area and its issues.

How should we plan for growth?

The NSW government wants to force councils to allow more homes to be built around suburban centres, railway stations and tram stops. At this REDWatch meeting City of Sydney staff will respond to that plan and discuss how they prefer to plan for growth.

How should we plan for growth? - Read More…

How should we plan for growth? Poster for REDWatch Meeting 4 April 2024

The NSW government wants to force councils to allow more homes to be built around suburb centres, railway stations and tram stops. City of Sydney staff will respond to that plan and discuss how they prefer to plan for growth.

How should we plan for growth? Poster for REDWatch Meeting 4 April 2024 - Read More…

People and Place Outcomes Report from October 2023 NCIE Workshop

In October 2023 LAHC held a People and Place workshop. This is the outcomes report from that workshop - it covered relocations and human services for which People and Place Reports have not yet been released and hence points to some of LAHC's approach to these parts of its People and Place approach. It is important to note that this report reflects what people said off the top of their heads in the workshop. It was not possible to comment on all material in the short time allowed and LAHC declined to allow attendees to make considered contributions after the workshop. Unlike the Waterloo Human Services Collaborative where there is discussions about different actions and a consensus reached the comments made at the session recorded have not been tested. This outcomes report was released to the Waterloo Human Services Collaborative and Groundswell and will appear on the Waterloo Redevelopment website with the other studies.

People and Place Outcomes Report from October 2023 NCIE Workshop - Read More…

People and Place Report: Waterloo Connecting with Country Framework prepared by Murawin

This is one of the one of the People and Place studies conducted for LAHC (now Homes NSW Portfolio) for the Waterloo South Redevelopment. This Waterloo Connecting with Country Framework study was undertaken by Murawin. It was released to the Waterloo Human Services Collaborative and Groundswell and will appear on the Waterloo Redevelopment website with the other studies.

People and Place Report: Waterloo Connecting with Country Framework prepared by Murawin - Read More…

People and Place Report: Waterloo Place Framework prepared by Hatch Roberts Day

This is one of the one of the People and Place studies conducted for LAHC (now Homes NSW Portfolio) for the Waterloo South Redevelopment. This Waterloo Place Framework study was undertaken by Hatch Roberts Day. It was released to the Waterloo Human Services Collaborative and Groundswell and will appear on the Waterloo Redevelopment website with the other studies.

People and Place Report: Waterloo Place Framework prepared by Hatch Roberts Day - Read More…

Silvester Fuller wins Design Competition for 600-660 Elizabeth Street Redfern (now known as Redfern Place) market housing building

Silvester Fuller wins Design Competition for 600-660 Elizabeth Street Redfern (now known as Redfern Place) market housing building

In this media release of 28 February, Bridge Housing not only announces the winner of the design Competition for the site's market housing they also advise that the site will be known as Redfern Place which will "comprise four buildings, including a community space, market and key worker housing, affordable housing, NDIS and social housing, and the new home for Bridge Housing's head office as it returns to its roots in Redfern".

Silvester Fuller wins Design Competition for 600-660 Elizabeth Street Redfern (now known as Redfern Place) market housing building - Read More…

City of Sydney Presentation - NSW Government housing changes - 13 February 2024

This is the presentation given to City of Sydney resident groups on 13 February 2024 outlining the the NSW Government proposed changes to create Low and Mid-Rise Housing and how they will affect the City of Sydney.

City of Sydney Presentation - NSW Government housing changes - 13 February 2024 - Read More…

Back to basics: Social housing maintenance call centre back in public hands

This media statement of 13 November 2023 sets out the major changes proposed to public housing maintenance to come into effect mid 2024. This was a major focus of many questions to the Minister for Homes NSW and the CEO at the REDWatch meeting of 5 February 2024.

Back to basics: Social housing maintenance call centre back in public hands - Read More…

Look before you leap: A community guide to social impact assessment by Alison Ziller PhD February 2024

This Guide to social impact assessment is for communities concerned about the social consequences of a proposed project or development. The redevelopment of Waterloo South will need a social impact assessment. This guide explains when a social impact assessment (the process) is required, what a SIA (the document) is expected to include, and when and how decision making takes place. The Guide sets out what communities should look out for, when they may provide a response, for example in a submission raising concerns about a proposed development or project, and the timelines affecting these steps.

Look before you leap: A community guide to social impact assessment by Alison Ziller PhD February 2024 - Read More…

Homes NSW Fact Sheet and Services diagram PDF - 5 Feb 2024

This PDF contains the Fact Sheet and the Services diagram provided by Homes NSW to the REDWatch meeting on 5 February 2024 on the establishment of Homes NSW. This meeting with Minister Jackson and senior staff was recorded and can be viewed on REDWatch_Redfern-Waterloo YouTube at https://youtu.be/5nh_20Y3Xro?si=80HyXjidBZoy8am5

Homes NSW Fact Sheet and Services diagram PDF - 5 Feb 2024 - Read More…

Homes NSW Services

Homes NSW Services

This Homes NSW Services diagram shows what makes up Homes NSW and how it proposes to deliver services.

Homes NSW Services - Read More…

Homes NSW Launch Statement

This is the media statement of 2 February 2024, issued by Minister Rose Jackson, about the launching of Homes NSW.

Homes NSW Launch Statement - Read More…

Minister Jackson's message to tenants about Homes NSW

This message to tenants from Minster Jackson was sent on February 1 2024 on the launch of Homes NSW. The email also contains a link to a Homes NSW information page at www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/homes-nsw. More information will be available at the REDWatch meeting on February 5th 2024.

Minister Jackson's message to tenants about Homes NSW - Read More…

Homes NSW Introduction with Minister Rose Jackson 5 Feb 2024 6.30pm Flyer

This flyer / poster is to promote the REDWatch Meeting on Homes NSW with Minister Rose Jackson for Monday 5th February 2024. What is Homes NSW? How will it operate? What can tenants expect from the change?

Homes NSW Introduction with Minister Rose Jackson 5 Feb 2024 6.30pm Flyer - Read More…

Rebecca Pinkstone named as inaugural head of Homes NSW

The Government has just announced the new head of Homes NSW which is to start operation on 1 February 2024. Homes NSW will be established within the department of Communities and Justice. The text of the DCJ media release of 21 December 2023 is provided below.

Rebecca Pinkstone named as inaugural head of Homes NSW - Read More…

Waterloo Consortia down to the Stockland and Lendlease consortia

Waterloo Consortia down to the Stockland and Lendlease consortia

LAHC have announced that the Stockland and Lendlease consortia have been shortlisted to undertake the Waterloo public housing redevelopment with a final decision on the successful tenderer expected mid 2024.

Waterloo Consortia down to the Stockland and Lendlease consortia - Read More…

REDWatch Explorer Street Rezoning Submission

This submission on the 2023 rezoning of Explorer Street South Eveleigh was produced by REDWatch. REDWatch objected to the proposal on the basis that a delay on this rezoning was likely to result in a better social and affordable housing outcome.

REDWatch Explorer Street Rezoning Submission - Read More…

Shelter NSW Explorer Street Rezoning Submission

This submission on the 2023 rezoning of Explorer Street South Eveleigh was produced by Shelter NSW which was unable to support the proposal.

Shelter NSW Explorer Street Rezoning Submission - Read More…

Counterpoint Community Services Explorer Street Rezoning Submission

This submission on the 2023 rezoning of Explorer Street South Eveleigh was produced by Counterpoint Community Services

Counterpoint Community Services Explorer Street Rezoning Submission - Read More…

Stockland Lendlease shortlisted LAHC letter to tenants

LAHC letter of 5 December 2023 to tenants regarding short listing of Stockland and Lendlease consortia for the redevelopment of the Waterloo public housing estate. This letter was distributed prior to media announcement in line with LAHC commitment to tenants.

Stockland Lendlease shortlisted LAHC letter to tenants - Read More…

Explorer Street South Eveleigh public housing rezoning proposal - exhibition until 1st December 2023

The Explorer Street South Eveleigh public housing rezoning proposal is on exhibition until Friday 1 December extended from 17 November 2023. The area proposed for redevelopment includes social housing dwellings on Explorer Street, Station Place and Aurora Place, but not nearby properties in Rowley Street, which are managed by Bridge Housing. Here you will find information about the exhibition. This page was updated with new information on the DPE webinar recording and Council's submission on 17 November 2023.

Explorer Street South Eveleigh public housing rezoning proposal - exhibition until 1st December 2023 - Read More…

Explorer Street Rezoning Issues for Consideration

This page has been prepared by REDWatch to assist people in preparing their submissions about the Explorer Street Rezoning which closes on 1 December 2023. It covers background context to the proposal including on broader government policy that impacts the rezoning. It also covers the intended effects and identifies issues raised by the community.

Explorer Street Rezoning Issues for Consideration - Read More…

Summary of the SIA Recommendations for Explorer Street Eveleigh

This is a searchable PDF of the Section 8 of the Explorer Street, Eveleigh Social Infrastructure and Social Impact Assessment. This section summarises the recommendations from the SIA that are assessed in the earlier section 7. Appendix F deals with the scoping of the issues and Appendix G deals with the assessment of significance against the DPE SIA framework. As the issues or the redevelopment of an existing public housing estate in Eveleigh will be similar to the issues faced on other inner city public housing redevelopments (such as Waterloo) we have extracted the SIA recommendations as they are likely to have a wider audience that Explorer Street.

Summary of the SIA Recommendations for Explorer Street Eveleigh - Read More…

Towards a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for Waterloo

Eight years into the Waterloo redevelopment there has still not been a Social Impact Assessment (SIA), it is not required until the first Development Application (DA) probably in 2025. The Department of Planning undertook a SIA for the rezoning of public housing at Explorer Street Eveleigh in 2023 using the state government’s SIA requirements as part of a joint SIA and Social infrastructure study. As the Eveleigh site has an existing public housing community that will be impacted, the findings of that SIA portion gives us a good starting point to think about what should be covered in a Waterloo SIA. The social infrastructure element of the Eveleigh report is site specific and is not readily comparable to Waterloo.

Towards a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for Waterloo - Read More…

Explorer Street, Eveleigh Social Infrastructure and Social Impact Assessment (fully searchable PDF)

This is a copy of the Social Infrastructure and Social Impact Assessment for Explorer Street that is searchable as a PDF. The report on exhibition have pages throughout the report that are not searchable and hence make it difficult for interested people to find all the references that may occur. As the Social Impact Assessment Section of this report is of potential relevance to other public housing redevelopments in the inner city and was undertaken for the Department of Planning and Environment, REDWatch has performed an optical character recognition (OCR) on the non text pages. OCRs are not perfect so users should check the PDF search result against the underlying text. It maybe that some search occurrences may not show up if the OCR has not correctly identified the letters correctly. Users of this document should hence exercise their own judgement in extracting text and check it against the underlying image. Even though the OCR process may create errors this process makes this document much more accessable to users who wish to find parts of the document that might be of interest.

Explorer Street, Eveleigh Social Infrastructure and Social Impact Assessment (fully searchable PDF) - Read More…

Have your say on rezoning plans for Explorer Street in Eveleigh

This media release was issued on Friday 13 October 2023 by Paul Scully, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces and Rose Jackson Minister for Housing about the rezoning exhibition until 17 November for Explorer Street Eveleigh.

Have your say on rezoning plans for Explorer Street in Eveleigh - Read More…

People Power in Cities - Kurt Iveson Presentation Slides 5 Oct 2023

This is the presentation slides from a presentation to REDWatch in October 2023. A video with audio is also on YouTube at https://youtu.be/QWmT76xCYzA. This session was well received by attendees and should be of value for tenants, activists, NGOs and political party members - basically anyone interested in change.

People Power in Cities - Kurt Iveson Presentation Slides 5 Oct 2023 - Read More…

People Power in Cities - Presentation to REDWatch by Kurt Iveson 5 Oct 2023

This is a recording of a presentation to REDWatch in October 2023 on YouTube. This session was well received by attendees and should be of value for tenants, activists, NGOs and political party members - basically anyone interested in change. Around Australian public housing estates and in the wider civic society there are a range of different approaches to how people bring about change. Kurt Iveson from Sydney University started with asking attendees to explore strategies to get a pedestrian crossing at his local school and then relates this to the ways different communities around the world bring about change. What can we learn from what is happening elsewhere? And how can our communities have a greater say over what happens to them? Kurt’s around the world research with Amanda Tattersall identifies five models people are using to bring about people power and change. They call these 5 approaches playing the game, mobilising, organising, prefigurating and parties and Kurt unpacks the strengths and weaknesses of these different approaches.

People Power in Cities - Presentation to REDWatch by Kurt Iveson 5 Oct 2023 - Read More…

Making Change

Here are materials that might be if use to those looking at change and how to bring it about

Making Change - Read More…

Waterloo Human Services Action Plan Update - 13 October 2023

This update on the Waterloo Human Services Collaborative's Action Plan appeared in the October 2023 Waterloo newsletter.

Waterloo Human Services Action Plan Update - 13 October 2023 - Read More…

Waterloo Community Update Newsletter 13 October 2023

This newsletter was distributed to Waterloo public housing tenants in October 2023. It provides an update on the redevelopment of Waterloo South after the increase in social and affordable housing to 50% and some reporting on meetings with tenants in Waterloo South and responses to some of the rumours that were raised. It also has an update on the Waterloo Human Services Action Pls\an dealing with the current issues facing tenants.

Waterloo Community Update Newsletter 13 October 2023 - Read More…

LAHC Waterloo South - People and Place Feedback Overview

This feedback overview was provided to attendees at a workshop for government and non-government organisations on 11 October 2023. It gives a very high overview of what LAHC heard from consultations about it People and Place framework. Concern has been expressed by some NGOs including REDWatch that the report does not adequately reflect the input from NGOs at previous meetings. As an example the "Community Plan workshop" report on page 27 makes no changes to the strongly criticised four sheets shown.

LAHC Waterloo South - People and Place Feedback Overview - Read More…

People Power: Models that are changing communities and cities - REDWatch 5 October 6pm

Kurt Iveson from Sydney Uni will explore examples of different ways in which different communities around the world bring about change. What can we learn from what is happening elsewhere? And how can our communities have a greater say over what happens to them?

People Power: Models that are changing communities and cities - REDWatch 5 October 6pm - Read More…

People Power: Models that are changing communities and cities - Flyer

This is the flyer for the REDWatch Meeting 5 October 2023 @ 6pm at the Factory – People Power: Models that are changing communities and cities.

People Power: Models that are changing communities and cities - Flyer - Read More…

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