REDWatch Update on Redfern Station Southern Concourse Exhibition until 24th June 2020

Redfern Station Southern Concourse on Exhibition until 24 June 2020

The Redfern Station Upgrade - New Southern Concourse proposal from Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is on a month’s exhibition until 24^th June 2020. The proposal is a State Significant Infrastructure Project carried out under the Transport Access Program. The proposal, that links Little Eveleigh Street and Marian Street, is almost the same as the 2019 TfNSW Option 1. The design of the shared zones on both sides of the line has not been finalised and TfNSW is promising consultation with surrounding residents and Council in finalising those designs.

The exhibition brings the long campaigned for accessibility upgrade at Redfern Station a step closer with 18-months of construction expected to start in late 2020 or early 2021. TfNSW has said it is exploring how platform 11 & 12 can be added to make the entire station lift accessible.

Among the impacts identified in the proposal, 20 parking spaces are relocated from Little Eveleigh Street to the adjoining North Eveleigh site to make way for a shared zone in Little Eveleigh Street with no kerbside parking. The University bus stop zone is moved to the southern side of Lawson Street with a Kiss and Ride Zone added. A larger shared zone is proposed for Marian Street and the northern end of Rosehill and Cornwallis Streets where 16 street parking places will be removed and not replaced on the basis that there is alternative street parking available nearby.

Footpath widening is proposed for Ivy Street to take students heading to Sydney University. Gibbons Street also receives a footpath widening around the bus stops as well as a station Kiss and Drop Zone to the south of the bus zones. Bicycle storage will be available at both ends of the proposed concourse, but riders will need to dismount and possibly tap on and off if they or pedestrians are to move from one side of the railway line to the other. TfNSW say it has not decided whether or not there will be barriers at each end.

The main heritage impact in the EIS proposes relocating the “Platform 1 Office Building” 14 metres to the south of its current location. This would allow the retention of the bulk of the exterior of the warehouse at 125-127 Little Eveleigh Street as a concourse entrance. Those wanting to know more about the station and the areas heritage will find the Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Heritage studies of special interest.

You can see the Major Project site exhibition documents here .

The documents on exhibition are made up of the 429 page Main Document – Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the separate studies referred to and summarised in the main EIS document. The DPIE site has links to different chapters in the Main Document if you need smaller files.

Below are the direct links to the main exhibition documents. I have expanded the titles so it is clear what is covered in each Appendix and Technical report:

• Complete Main Document (429 pages – the chapters can be downloaded separately from DPIE site if needed)
• Appendix A - Assessment Requirements – This is what DPIE asked TfNSW to do for its report
• Appendix B - Stakeholder and Community Engagement
• Appendix C - Urban Design and Public Domain Plan Part 1
• Appendix C - Urban Design and Public Domain Plan Part 2
• Appendix D - Construction Environmental Management Framework (CEMF)
• Appendix E - Construction Noise and Vibration Strategy
• Appendix F - Biodiversity Development Assessment (BDAR) Waiver
• Appendix G – Geotechnical and Contamination Investigation Reports
• Technical report 1 - Landscape character and visual
• Technical report 2 – Social Impact Assessment – SIA
• Technical report 3 - Traffic transport and access
• Technical report 4 - Noise and vibration
• Technical report 5 - Non-Aboriginal Heritage
• Technical report 6 - Aboriginal heritage
• Technical report 7 – Hydrology, Flooding and water quality

Transport for NSW has also updated the TfNSW Redfern Project Page and produced a number of documents with information about the project. The direct link to the documents are:

• TfNSW EIS Newsletter Redfern Station Upgrade May 2020 (PDF, 3.32 MB)
• TfNSW Have your say on the EIS Poster May 2020 (PDF, 403.59 KB)
• TfNSW Redfern Station Upgrade FAQs May 2020 (PDF, 983.57 KB)
• TfNSW Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan, Redfern Station Upgrade March 2020 (PDF, 4.47 MB)

Please note that only comments made formally to the Department of Planning are considered in a formal exhibition. While TfNSW will undertake engagement activities during the exhibition any comments to them are not considered as input into the exhibition.

Formal submissions are encouraged through a link off the Major Project exhibition site however; you have to register with the site to make a submission. Submissions can be made by post – the details on how to do this are on page 4 of TfNSW EIS Newsletter Redfern Station Upgrade May 2020 (PDF, 3.32 MB)

TfNSW will hold an online live-stream info session via the Transport for NSW project website www.transport.nsw.gov.au/Redfern at 1pm on 17 June. They are also offering to brief groups on the proposal. They will brief a REDWatch Zoom meeting at 6pm on Thursday 4^th June (see details below).

Source: REDWatch email to members and supporters 29 May 2020