4.2 - North Eveleigh - Final

4.2 North Eveleigh

North Eveleigh is bounded by Wilson Street to the north, the railway corridor to the south, Iverys Lane to the west and residential development to the east fronting Little Eveleigh Street.

Existing characteristics

The North Eveleigh site is located within 50 metres of Redfern Railway Station. It comprises 11 hectares of disused railway land. The site is separated physically from surrounding residential development, Redfern Railway Station, the University of Sydney and employment activity at the ATP by a grade separation and limited connections. The site is poorly linked to the arterial road system. Vehicular access to the site is currently provided at the western extremes of the site from Wilson Street, with limited access on the eastern side of the site. Pedestrian and cycle access into the site is limited.

In past decades North Eveleigh was a hive of employment activity and railway operations. Today the site is predominantly used for storage of railway items and infrastructure and is largely inactive. There are a number of important heritage items located on the site, many of which are in a state of disrepair. This includes the Carriage Workshops, Blacksmiths’ Shop, Chief Mechanical Engineers Office, Scientific Services Building No.1, Telecommunications Equipment Centre and Paint Shop.

In 2004 development consent was granted for the redevelopment of the Carriage Workshop building as a Contemporary Performing Arts Centre for Arts NSW. Work on the redevelopment has commenced and will open to the public in early 2007. It is envisaged that the redevelopment will provide the catalyst for regeneration of activity on the site and provide the anchor for the establishment of other compatible developments on the site.

The industrial character of the site is reflected in its built form and railway infrastructure. The site comprises a single lot, with no street network and large industrial buildings, which is reflective of the site’s historical use.

The site presents a blank and inactive frontage to Wilson Street and there is a considerable grade differentiation of some 3 to 5 metres from Wilson Street. Existing views are limited to glimpses on street alignments. Forbes, Golden Grove, Shepherd, Codrington and Ivy Streets all terminate at the site providing for good connectivity and accessibility to the site from the surrounding area.

The majority of the site is likely to be contaminated and require remediation.

Existing infrastructure on the site will need to be upgraded to accommodate the change in land uses.

Land extending along Iverys Lane and the southern boundary adjacent to the railway corridor will be retained by RailCorp for rail access and maintenance, and other rail related infrastructure.

The proposed Macdonaldtown Stabling site is located directly south-west of the site. This proposal is an important component of the Railways Clearways Program, which is intended to improve the reliability and capacity of the rail network within the metropolitan area. The impact of rail related facilities must be considered in the design of future development at North Eveleigh in order to maximise amenity, while ensuring the continued operation of rail related activities.

Existing land use zone

North Eveleigh is zoned ‘Railways’ under SREP No. 26. The objectives of the ‘Railways Zone’ are to:

• provide for the ongoing day-to-day operational activities of the SRA, Freight Rail Corporation and Rail Access Corporation
• ensure that uses within the zone do not detrimentally impact on the use of adjoining land
• provide for community facilities within and public access across the zone.

Only land uses that are consistent with the above objectives are permissible within the Railway Zone. As such, permissible uses are largely restricted to railway related activities.

Proposed land use concept

Create a vibrant cultural, business and residential precinct that provides jobs, quality housing, services and facilities and opportunities for artistic and cultural expression that integrates with the surrounding established area. Encourage employment generating uses within proximity to Redfern Railway Station, to maximise the opportunities presented by public transport infrastructure and the Redfern Town Centre. Encourage residential development on the western portion of the site in proximity to existing residential development, cultural and community uses in the middle of the site and a mix of residential and non-residential development at the eastern end.

Diagram 4.3 (pdf ~430kb) illustrates the proposed land use concept for the site.

Proposed design concept

Maximise accessibility to and within the site by:

• formalising the existing east-west access spine within the site for a mix of vehicular, pedestrian, and cycle access through the site and to provide frontages for new buildings and new uses
• providing a street system on the site that connects with Wilson Street
• proposing two vehicular accesses to the site from Wilson Street–one using the existing entry to the site (western part of site) and the other opposite Shepherd Street
• proposing pedestrian and cycle access to the site at various points along Wilson Street
• creating a pedestrian and cycle link north-east of the site to connect the site to Redfern Railway Station, Redfern Street, and the north of the ATP
• the provision of a pedestrian and cycle connection between North Eveleigh and the ATP to improve access to the University of Sydney and link the site with the ATP, South Eveleigh and Henderson Road.

Protect the heritage and industrial character of the site by:

• identifying heritage items on the site in accordance with the Heritage Strategy in Section 3.5
• ensuring new development enhances the interpretation and significance of heritage items
• where practical, adaptively re-use significant heritage buildings associated with the former industrial railway uses
• encouraging the reinterpretation of heritage through the reuse of heritage materials and fabric in any redevelopment
• encouraging retention of views to significant heritage items.

Respect the industrial character on the site while providing an appropriate interface to the residential and mixed use character of the surrounding area by:

• ensuring that development along Wilson Street and Iverys Lane responds to the smaller lot subdivision pattern that characterise these streets
• respecting the character, building alignment and landscaping of established streets, buildings and laneways surrounding the site
• locating larger parcels towards the centre of the site and the railway corridor
• ensuring development along Wilson Street and Iverys Lane responds to the predominant terrace house typology within the area with a contemporary architectural interpretation in terms of alignment to the street, vertical and horizontal proportion and landscaping
• ensuring that the architectural character of new development responds to the industrial character of the site
• ensuring development along Iverys Lane is setback to minimise overlooking of existing residential development on the opposite side of the Lane
• providing lower to medium rise building heights along the perimeter of the site to respond to existing adjacent residential buildings
• increasing building heights to the southern boundary of the site and adjacent to the railway corridor with medium to high rise development
• discouraging blank facades and extensive car park entries and servicing along public streets.

Provide for the development of a landmark building at the eastern section of the site near Redfern Railway Station.

The provision and configuration of open space is to:

• be in accordance with the Open Space and Public Domain Strategy in Section 3.3.
• provide a high level of residential amenity for new developments by providing adequate private and communal open space within and around new development parcels
• be located and designed to achieve a high level of privacy and separation between dwellings
• be provided for all new dwellings
• be adjacent to active uses to enable surveillance and maximise the safety and security of spaces
• have good solar access
• be appropriately designed and landscaped with planting, paving, lighting, benches, furniture and public art.

Ensure that new development is designed and located to minimise acoustic, electrolysis and vibration impacts from the railway corridor and rail related activities, in particular the Macdonaldtown Stabling facility.

The proposed heights and floor space ratio for the site are illustrated in Diagram 4.4 (pdf ~525kb).

Proposed land use zoning

• Business Zone – Mixed Use
• Special Purpose Zone – Infrastructure