REDWatch Meeting with UrbanGrowth

Urban Growth Development Corporation is the body that is supposed to finalise the BEP2 planning controls for the public housing redevelopment and heritage handle development in North Eveleigh. The change from SMDA to UrbanGrowth is both a continuation of what was before and is a major change.

Gone are people like Roy Wakelin King and Julie Parson that the community were used to dealing with. Those in the planning and administrative functions left behind are now responsible to Landcom MD Shaun O’Toole who is directly responsible to the Minister while he is at the old SMDA because that board has been disbanded but Shaun is responsible to his board when he is at the old Landcom now UrbanGrowth NSW. Jason Perica the Acting Director Acting Director Planning and Urban Renewal Urban Growth NSW who continues at the SMDA/UGDC will be attending the REDWatch Meeting will ensure some continuity.

It is important given SMDA/UGDC’s role in coming re-developments that we get an understanding of this complex structure and its implication. Heritage protection across Eveleigh seems now much more fragmented with clear separations between ATP and UGDC responsibilities. No progress seems to have been made by the SMDA before the change in finding a heritage mechanism to bring people together across the former Eveleigh Railyards, so this is one area of concern.

There has been a lot of activity on the North Eveleigh site since our last meeting with SMDA/UGDC having two consultations on parks, Nace Civil Engineering starting Infrastructure Works at North Eveleigh and City West Housing being announced as the Affordable Housing developer / provider. Also a lot of remedial work has happened around the CME’s and Scientific Services Building. There will be an update on this work on Thursday.

So come along to the first REDWatch meeting and find out about UrbanGrowth NSW and why Minister Hazzard described it as Landcom on steroids and find out what it means for Redfern and Waterloo.