BUILT ENVIRONMENT PLAN - REPORT ON AMENDMENTS AND SUBMISSIONS

·            The draft Plan did not include podiums along Gibbons and Marian Street. To assist in minimising existing adverse wind conditions and provide a more appropriate urban scale at street level a 5 storey podium has been introduced along Gibbons Street and Marian Street.

·            The maximum height limit in the area north of civic square has been reduced from 7 storeys to 3 storeys. This will improve amenity and sunlight access to the Civic Square.

·            The 18 storeys towers have been centred within the blocks and setback behind podiums on all street frontages to minimise existing adverse wind conditions for pedestrians.

·            The 2 storey podium proposed in the draft Plan along Lawson Square has been increased to 5 storeys.

North Eveleigh

·         To ensure adequate provision of publicly accessible open space with the future development of North Eveleigh, the revised Open Space and Public Domain Strategy included in Section 3.3 of the BEP identifies the indicative location of the open space. The areas identified include:

Part of the Fan of Tracks (located to the east of the Paint Shop Building)

Traverser No. 1 (located on the eastern side of the Carriage Works/ Performing Arts building).

Little Eveleigh Street Park (located to the east and south east of the CME building).

·         The floor space ratio for the central precinct has been reduced from 2:1 to 1:1. A floor space ratio of 2:1 has been maintained for the eastern and western precinct.

·         The 4 storey height limit along that part of Wilson Street comprised of the Blacksmiths Shop has been replaced with the existing building height of the Blacksmith’s Shop, which has been identified as a heritage item in the revised Heritage Strategy included in Section 3.5 of the BEP.

·         The 4 storey height limit within the western part of the site has been setback approximately 7 metres from Iverys Lane. This setback provides a transition of scale between future development and the existing dwellings backing onto Iverys Lane. The setback will also minimise overshadowing of the private open space of these dwellings. The setback also maintains Railcorp access to the rail corridor.

·         A 5 storey podium height has been introduced to the south of the Chief Mechanical Engineers Office to provide a more sensitive interface with the Chief Mechanical Engineers building which has been listed as a heritage item.

·         Various buildings and structures within North Eveleigh have been identified as heritage items in the revised Heritage Strategy included Section 3.5 of the BEP and detailed below in Heritage Considerations.

Eveleigh Street Precinct and the Block

The following amendments deliver a significant increase in non residential and residential development potential, encourage employment generating activities and uses and support the objectives of a Business Zone-Mixed Use:

The land zoned ‘Local Recreation’ under South Sydney LEP adjacent to the Railway line has been rezoned to Business Zone-Mixed Use. The maximum floor space ratio has been set at 2:1 with a maximum residential floor space ratio of 1:1. A 5 storey height limit has been introduced for this land (Site F).

The maximum height limit on land adjacent to the railway line immediately north of the existing open space has been increased from 4 storeys to 5 storeys. The maximum floor space ratio has been increased from 1.5:1 to 2:1. The maximum residential floor space ratio has been increased from 0.5:1 to1:1 (Site F).

The maximum residential floor space ratio for land including the ‘Block’ has been increased from 0.5:1 to .75:1 (Site D).

South Eveleigh

·            The floor space ratio in South Eveleigh has been reduced from 2.5:1 to 2:1 to be
consistent with the densities and character of the Australian Technology Park.

·            The existing floor space ratio has been adopted for the residential development currently located within South Eveleigh.

·            The Large Erecting Shed has been identified as a heritage item in the revised Heritage Strategy included in Section 3.5 of the BEP, and detailed below in Heritage Considerations.

n       Public open space within South Eveleigh has been identified in the revised Open Space and Public Domain Strategy and accompanying map included in Section 3.3 of the BEP.

Former Rachel Forster Hospital

·         The 5 storeys maximum height limit proposed in the draft BEP has been increased to 6 storeys and the FSR has been increased from 1.5:1 to 2:1.

·         To ensure the provision of adequate publicly accessible open space with the future development of the former Hospital site, the revised Open Space and Public Domain Strategy included in Section 3.3 of the BEP identifies the indicative location of public open space within the site along the Pitt Street frontage.

·         Relevant elements of former Rachel Foster Hospital buildings have been identified as a heritage item in the revised Heritage Strategy contained in Section 3.5 of the BEP, and detailed below in Heritage Considerations.

Former Redfern Public School

·         The zoning of the playing fields within the former Redfern Public School has been changed from Community Uses to Private Recreation. The Indigenous Land Corporation, as the owners of the site, have indicated that managed public access to the playing fields will be available. The open space is identified in the revised Open Space and Public Domain Strategy included in Section 3.3 of the BEP. The balance of the site will be zoned Special Purpose -Community Uses as proposed in the draft BEP.

·         As the playing fields of the former Redfern Public School have been zoned Private Recreation the height and floor space ratio controls have been removed from this part of the site in the final BEP.

·         Relevant elements of former School buildings have been identified as heritage items in the revised Heritage Strategy included Section 3.5 of the BEP, and outlined below in Heritage Considerations.

Salvation Army

·         The Salvation Army site, which directly adjoins the southern boundary of the former Redfern Public, was proposed to be zoned Special Purpose – Community under the draft BEP. As the site does not form part of the former school site, it has been zoned Mixed Use to allow a range of uses, that are compatible with the community and recreational uses carried out on the former School site. This will be reinforced in development control plans to be prepared in the future.

·         Due to the size, irregular shape and location of the Salvation Army site the proposed maximum height has been reduced from 7 storeys to 4 storeys.

Transport, Vehicle, Pedestrian and Cycle links

n       To overcome the physical disconnection created by the railway corridor and to improve accessibility within Redfern-Waterloo, two pedestrian and cycle links are identified in the final BEP.

- A pedestrian/cycle link between the railway station and eastern end of North Eveleigh which is being considered as part of the overall concept design study for the station upgrade. The RWA is part funding the design study with Railcorp.

- A pedestrian/cycle link between Australian Technology Park and North Eveleigh. RWA has approved $6 million budget for this link and design work has commenced.

n    The potential for a tunnel connecting North and South Eveleigh will not be pursued at this stage however the desirability of linking these two sites for vehicles remains an objective for enhancing the research/innovation Zone from the University of Sydney to the Australian Technology Park.

n    The Authority has engaged a traffic and transport consultant to provide preliminary technical advice on the provision of transport to the area as well as proposing strategies to manage new development on the strategic sites. Key transport initiatives include:

-         the upgrade of the Redfern Railway Station

-         increased densities within proximity to the Station and bus interchange

-        a mode target of 60% for non car use journey to work trips in general with a 70 per cent non car use journey to work trips close to Redfern Railway Station

-        a car parking policy for RWA sites to be incorporated into a Development Control Plan

-        partnerships with the RTA, Ministry of Transport, City of Sydney, Railcorp and the Chamber of Commerce to address regional and local traffic issues.

n            Intersection analysis on key intersections indicated a good and acceptable level of service could be achieved post development for all intersections. Three intersections may require modification of traffic light cycle times and minor changes.

Heritage Considerations

The Heritage Strategy has been amended to include the following list of heritage items with an accompanying map. The list includes heritage items currently identified in the South Sydney Local Environmental Plan 1998 and Sydney Regional Environmental Plan No. 26, as well as additional items.

A statement has been included in the BEP to indicate that in cases where the proposed maximum height on a site exceeds the height of an existing listed heritage item, the achievement of the additional height is contingent on detailed heritage studies and satisfaction of Clause 5 of the SEPP.

Open Space

To ensure the provision of publicly accessible open space on RWA sites the Open Space and Public Domain Strategy included in Section 3.3 of the BEP has been revised. The Strategy is accompanied by a diagram which identifies the indicative location of public accessible open space within RWA sites. The diagram illustrates existing open space at Australian Technology Park, South Eveleigh and Eveleigh Street. The diagram also illustrates the indicative location of future publicly accessible open space at North Eveleigh, Gibbons Street (Marian Park and the Civic Square) the Former Rachel Forster Hospital and Former Redfern Public School.

RWA commissioned a landscape architect to undertake a preliminary analysis of possible open space treatments, which has been included the Open Space and Public Domain Strategy in the BEP A Public Domain Improvement Strategy will be prepared in the future which will form the basis of a Public Domain Contributions Plan and more detailed open space and public domain plans to guide future development.

Sustainability Principles

The Plan has been amended to include further information on how sustainability principles will be met in the development of RWA strategic sites.

Affordable Housing

The Affordable Housing Programme is currently being developed and will be supported by contributions raised through developer levies. Funds collected will be used in a number of relevant ways including the following:

·  purchase of established dwellings

·  purchase of newly constructed dwellings

·  construction of new dwellings

·  joint venture or other partnerships/financial arrangements that may promote provision of affordable housing in the RWA’s operational area.

Infrastructure

The Plan has been amended to include a more detailed assessment of infrastructure requirements and capacity of agencies to meet demands generated. Further work is being undertaken with providers to determine final requirements for each development site.

Education/Community Use

The Redfern Waterloo Authority has been instrumental in facilitating the purchase of the former Redfern Public School by the Indigenous Land Corporation which is to be developed as a National Indigenous Development Centre.

The Authority has also been instrumental in facilitating the proposed transformation of the former Redfern Courthouse and Police Station into a major new community health facility.