URGENT MEETING ON CUB SITE
I reported in eNews last
week that the Minister for Planning wrote to me at the eleventh hour seeking
increased Floor Space Ratio (FSR) controls for the site and inclusion of the
Redfern Waterloo affordable housing levy in the draft Voluntary Planning
Agreement (VPA).
The Minister for Planning's late intervention has derailed six months of VPA negotiations, just as we were preparing to announce completion.
If his requested changes
occur, they could compromise proposed public benefits and lead to unacceptable
density on the site.
At stake here is
transparency and accountability: a complex and balanced redevelopment proposal
worked out through extensive planning studies, numerous public forums and
negotiations with the site owner could be compromised by a Government deal
behind closed doors.
The public decision-making
forum for this development, the Central Sydney Planning Committee (CSPC), is
dominated by four State Government appointees, including the Government
Architect and the Director General of Planning.
The CSPC this week confirmed
its endorsement of draft controls, including the expert advice that 4:1 is the
extreme upper limit of acceptable and achievable FSRs on this complex site,
contingent on design excellence and community benefits.
The State Government should
have learned from the Cross City Tunnel debacle not to push for a large cash
payment in exchange for controls contrary to the broader public interest. I
have called for the Minister to come clean on how much money he plans to take
from the site and to give assurances on how it would be spent.
The exhaustive planning process for the site weighed up the rights of the landowner and the community to enable sustainable redevelopment.
The process is one of trying
to get consensus between developer's expectations and environmental
constraints.
The draft controls for the
site target high standards for new residents, amenity for existing residents
and financial viability for the redevelopment project. The guiding principles,
workshopped with the community, focus on redevelopment that integrates into the
adjacent CBD fringe and the existing residences in Chippendale.
The proposed development
provides for the high-rise buildings to address the CBD end of the site,
stepping down towards the existing lower-scale residential precinct, with sun
access planes protected and a new 5000 square metre public park located to
benefit new and existing residents.
The plans provide for new
child care and community facilities (or a significant upgrade to the Pine Street
Community Centre); improved access to regional open space; intersection
upgrades and local traffic management measures; revitalisation of the Broadway
strip; and a high amenity residential and employment precinct with excellent
access to the city's public transport network.
Extensive heritage analysis
has resulted in additional buildings protected, with part of the site
designated as a special heritage precinct, consistent with the social and
industrial significance of the remaining Brewery buildings.
Recognising that public
benefits from the redevelopment will take some years to achieve, the City has
now begun work with the Chippendale community on an improvement plan to address
immediate priorities for traffic management, public domain, open space and
community facilities.
The project will include a
review of existing local area traffic management (LATM); pedestrian and cycle
safety and access; access to and quality of open space. The work will develop a
series of projects that complement the community's historic and desired future
character.
Information:
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Council/MeetingsAndCommittees/2006/CSPC/070606.asp
Contact Steve Thompson on 9265 9783 or sthompson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au