4.8 Former Redfern Public School - Final

4.8 Former Redfern Public School

The former Redfern Public School is located at 160-202 George Street, Redfern. The site is bounded by residential development to the north, Phillip Street to the south, George Street to the east and Cope Street to the west.

Existing characteristics

The site has an area of 1.6 hectares of land and is dissected by Renwick Street, extending north-south through the centre of the site. Five former school buildings occupy the site. The two storey Victorian buildings on the site along George Street are listed as items of local heritage significance under South Sydney Local Environmental Plan. The school site includes a playing field on the western boundary at Cope Street and a car park on the northern boundary.

The Murawina Child Care Centre operates from one of the school buildings. The majority of the site is not used and access to the playing fields, once used by pupils has been boarded up.

The south western part of the site, fronting Phillip Street is currently occupied by the Salvation Army.

The site is located within a landscaped setting surrounded by terrace houses to the east, Department of Housing towers to the south and mixed use medium density development to the west. Some of the buildings on Phillip Street have graffiti and are vandalised.

Renwick Street terminates as a vehicular link at the northern end of the site and continues to Phillip Street as a pedestrian/cycle link.

The site and existing school buildings provide an important view termination from the south.

Existing land use zone

The site is currently zoned ‘Special Uses – School’ under the South Sydney LEP. Permissible uses within the zone are restricted to schools and supporting uses, as well as permissible uses in adjacent zones (in this case mixed use and residential zones). The south western part of the site is zoned ‘Special Uses - Community Centre’.

Proposed land uses concept

Community, recreational/sporting and educational uses. Permit serviced apartments, hotel accommodation, hostel, motel and other accommodation related or ancillary to community, recreational or educational purposes.

Mixed business and residential in the south-western corner of the site.

Diagram 4.15 (pdf ~447kb) illustrates the proposed land use concept for the site.

Proposed design concept

Respect the character and built form of the site and provide an appropriate interface to surrounding development by:

• ensuring development responds to the scale, form and design of surrounding development
• ensuring the height of new development provides a transition between the lower scale terrace housing to the north and east, the medium scale mixed use development to the west and tower development to the south on Phillip Street
• ensuring development responds to the smaller lot sizes and widths that are characteristic of the adjacent terrace house development.

Protect the heritage of the site by:

• identifying heritage items on the site in accordance with the Heritage Strategy in Section 3.5
• ensuring new development retains, restores and reuses heritage items
• ensuring new development responds sensitively to significant heritage items
• encouraging the adaptive re-use of significant heritage items associated with the former school use
• encouraging the reinterpretation of heritage through the reuse of heritage materials and fabric in any redevelopment.

The provision and configuration of open space is to:

• be in accordance with the Open Space and Public Domain Strategy in Section 3.3
• ensure a high level of amenity for new developments by providing adequate open space within and around new development parcels
• be located and designed to achieve an adequate level of privacy and separation between uses, in particular adjacent residential development
• have good solar access
• be appropriately designed and landscaped with planting, paving, lighting and benches and furniture.

The open space (oval) along Cope Street will be primarily used by the land owner to provide facilities for sports training. The owner will be responsible for managing public access to the site.

Improve safety and security for future occupants of the site, surrounding development and pedestrians by:

• ensuring active uses adjoin and overlook existing and new open space and pedestrian links to maximise surveillance
• ensuring appropriate landscaping, lighting and good design of streets and pedestrian paths
• discouraging blank facades and extensive car parking and servicing areas along public streets: George, Phillip and Cope Streets.

Protect local views to and through the site.

The proposed heights and floor space for the site are illustrated in Diagram 4.16 (pdf ~515kb).

Proposed land use zone

• Special Purpose Zone – Community
• Business Zone – Mixed Use
• Recreation Zone – Private Recreation