Carlton United Brewery Broadway residents meet the Minister

“The Minister for Planning, Frank Sartor, has written to me at the eleventh hour seeking increased Floor Space Ratio (FSR) controls for the CUB site and the inclusion of a Redfern Waterloo Authority (RWA) affordable housing levy in the draft Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA)”.

“The Minister’s late intervention threatens to increase height and density on the site; to derail negotiations on the VPA; and to compromise the community benefits for residents, including the proposed a 5,000 square metre public park and $2.5 million community centre, causing uncertainty for residents and resulting in Fosters backing away from the agreement with City.”

The State Government has ratified Sartor’s actions and set up a Stakeholder Reference Plan made up of residents and local business people to adequately represent community views on the development of the site.

A delegation from a coalition of Chippendale resident action groups was invited to meet the minister. A member of the delegation, Jeanette Brokman, told the South Sydney Herald, “The key issues we raised were the extent and scale of development, and an undertaking from the Minister to honour Council’s previous commitments to the community (open space, the promised 5,000 square metre park and community facilities). We are also seeking genuine community engagement, with panel meetings to be convened in early August and a public meeting to follow.”

Jeanette said there remain some major concerns.

In response, the Minister gave his undertaking in relation to the CUB Park. The Minister also said that he did not want to see high-rise slums with high street walls, providing a commitment to design excellence over gross Floor Space Ratio (FSR).

To achieve this, the minister will use a “Concept Plan Approval Process” to open up the consultation process for the development. The Minister hopes this will attract developers seeking to benefit the community. He also mentioned putting in place specific controls for parcels of land and is considering using design competitions as part of the approval process. Residents remain concerned that the scale and height of the development will be increased and key heritage buildings will be lost.

MAJOR CONCERNS

• A negative response by the State Government in relation to sustainable parking which is seen as vital to improving residential amenities and preventing traffic gridlock.
• A tight timetable for the process, with the Minister looking to get out a proposal by September and a public exhibition targeted for the year end - raising questions about the transparency of debate around the plans, with only 6 – 8 weeks allowed for the Stakeholder Reference Panel to meet and provide feedback.
• A negative response by the State Government to additional open space which is desired by residents. Even with the provision of a 5,000 square metre park, Chippendale will still have the lowest open space in Sydney – only 20% of minimum standard for the City.
• A negative response by the State Government to consider land acquisition in Wellington Street, which immediately adjoins the CUB site and could allow an innovative approach to reduce density and better integrate the site.
• What is the amount of the RWA levy?

[South Sydney Herald August 2006]