[Please use the list of articles at the top of the email to find what is of interest to you. We do not expect you to be interested in everything. Depending on your email programme and computer settings these headings may also give you a link to jump directly to the story of interest.]

In this Update:

RWA Built Environment Update

Eveleigh Pedestrian & Cycle Bridge

Blacksmiths Shop DA Re-exhibited – Until 4 October 2007

RED Square still missing in RWA Action

Redfern Waterloo in the Media

Strategy for Waterloo Green in response to Safety Audit

Mosaic Project Completed

Police New Aboriginal Strategic Directions 2007-2011

Chippendale Potential Flashpoint in Urban Design Study

Inner West (Darlington / Chippendale) Community Forum – Monday 24 September 6pm

The Settlement & The Factory AGMs – 25^th September 2007

Frasers Property Community Information Display and Viewing on CUB Site – Wednesday 26 & Saturday 29 September 2007

Rabbitohs keep Redfern in the news

What is Souths Cares? - REDWatch Public Forum –– 6pm Wednesday 3 October 2007

Late Night Trading Premises DCP Exhibition – until Monday 1^st October 2007

Settlement DA – on exhibition until 4^th October 2007

Connect Redfern – Changes by Friday 5^th October 2007

Poverty and Dignity Conference - Wednesday 17^th October 2007

Have your say – Summary of Current Consultations

Coming Events (look at the new local events entered on the REDWatch website that are not covered here)

RWA Built Environment Update

The RWA Ministerial Advisory Committees met in September and community representatives have been given an update on the RWA’s planning. Here are a few of the things we have learnt that we have not covered elsewhere.

The railway station joint concept design study has been signed off by RailCorp, but cannot be put out to the community until it is approved by ministers and cabinet. Cabinet has only funded feasibility in current budget. It will be an upgrade of the station with a commercial building next to it. There is starting to be some developer interest in consolidation of the area between Regent and Gibbons Sts, but it may take some time before the building of towers up to 18 storeys becomes feasible.

The North Eveleigh Concept Plan will be drawn up by the winner of a design competition currently underway. The RWA wrote to a number of large architectural firms seeking expressions of interest to participate in a design competition for the site. The winner’s work will provide the basis for a concept plan to be completed for the RWA by early next year for submission to the Department of Planning. The RWA has provided design briefs to four short listed companies. The design brief is based on the BEP and SEPP. The competition will be judged by an expert panel but it will be all done inside the RWA so the community will only see the winning concept when it is a completed concept plan.

The RWA is looking at some adaptive reuses for the Paint Shop, including the possibility of retail shops linked to the Carriageworks and the proposed markets in the former Blacksmiths Workshop as part of making the CarriageWorks area an important destination. The RWA is also considering the possibility that heritage buildings, such as the Chief Mechanical Engineers Building and Scientific Services Building, might not be sold as part of the redevelopment package but refurbished by the RWA. RWA thinking on this his has changed over the last three months showing the RWA is continuing to look at possible ways of handling heritage buildings on the site.

The BEMAC was told that if the Large Erecting Shop area was surplus to Railcorp requirements and the RWA got vacant possession, the RWA would adaptively reuse the building as part of the ATP. This depends on RailCorp not requiring the building. There is currently a lot of interest in space at the ATP and if some of this eventuates the space at the ATP could be fully occupied in the next 6-8 years. The Channel 7 project will start in the near future and should be completed by the end of 2009. The new ATP entrance and roads are almost complete.

The preparation for the sale of Rachael Forster is continuing with the proceeds of the sale funding the Community Health Centre at the old court house. Until the new health centre is built the existing community health centre will continue to function in part of the Rachael Forster site. Development of the concept plan has taken longer than expected.

The PCYC has still not signed up for the ILC’s National Indigenous Development Centre at the former Redfern School, but everyone involved seems to think it is the best outcome and it is only a matter of time. The approval of the ILC plan by the Department of Planning is expected soon.

The RWA and DoH have set up a joint project group to look at Stage Two of the Built Environment Plan (BEP) which involves Public Housing. The RWA and DoH reiterated that all earlier assurances to public tenants were to be honoured and that work would proceed in line with what was proposed in the BEP. The focus will initially be on some of the 2 and 3 storey walk ups which are seen as problematic. The redevelopment may be done in a similar manner to Elizabeth Street where some land is sold off to pay for new DoH housing or in some other, as yet unspecified, way. The RWA and DoH have undertaken to consult widely with tenants and as reported in the last RWIU they have been meeting with key tenants and workers. The RWA say this will enable them to get the word out about what they are doing and counter any rumours that may arise. Stage Two BEP will come out in first half of 2008 and it will cover affordable housing, public housing and the public / private housing mix in the area.

The RWA will put out a newsletter soon which will hopefully provide more details about some of these areas.

Eveleigh Pedestrian & Cycle Bridge

The RWA has been issued the Director-General's Requirements (56 KB PDF) for their Preliminary Assessment (889KB PDF) of the Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge to link CarriageWorks and the Australian Technology Park. Consultants have been appointed to put together the plans for the bridge and to negotiate what could be the drawn out process of getting RailCorp approval for the bridge to build across the state’s busiest railway corridor. It may be 3 years before the bridge is completed. The details of the proposal can be seen in more detail on the Department of Planning’s Register of major projects - Metropolitan Area website under - Eveleigh Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge (MP 07_0063).

It is of ongoing concern that the Department of Planning does not have in place a consistent approach to listing Major Projects on their website register. Some projects are listed when the Minister agrees to deal with a project under section 3A, others take much longer and are only listed when the Director General’s Requirements (DGRs) for the site are given. In the case of the Eveleigh Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge we have known it has been with the Department for many months, but it was not put on the website until about two weeks after the RWA received the DGRs. It is of significant concern that the Department’s website does not show an accurate current list of projects that the Minister is dealing with as Major Projects.

Blacksmiths Shop DA Re-exhibited – Until 4 October 2007

On 16 May 2007 the RWA placed on display plans for remediation of the Blacksmith Shop and its future use as a mixed facility - permitting its use for parking, markets and as a performance space. During consultation some issues were raised concerning the hours of operation proposed in the DA and the RWA has now made an Amendment to Development Application 021-05-07 (88Kb PDF) by letter on 23 August 2007. The amendment sets out the times of operation for weekend and Thursday night markets with parking, as well as a full time market scenario. The RWA is now re-exhibiting the DA with the revised times until 04 October 2007. More information and the full DA details are available from the RWA - Blacksmith Shop Markets & Parking DA - Until 4 October 2007.

RED Square still missing in RWA Action

Those with long memories may remember the RED Strategy Redfern town centre proposed by Cox for the RWA’s predecessor - the Premiers’ Department’s Redfern Waterloo Partnership Project. If you do not remember you can see it here - RED Proposed Town Centre (JPG File is 380Kb). This was back in the days when The Block was going to be an important part of the plans for the area. The plan shows an extended bridge over the railway line opening up Red Square named after the meeting places in the old Eveleigh rail yards where many Aboriginal people also worked. The AHC has continued to push for Red Square in a smaller form as a way of opening up The Block and removing the top end of the brick wall which closes the area off from Lawson Street and the station. With the stand off between the AHC and the Minister over plans for The Block there has been no progress in discussions with RailCorp on the construction of a truss across to the railway bridge to make the smaller version of Red Square. In case you missed it, the Sydney Morning Herald picked up the story from the Aboriginal Housing Company’s community meeting Pemulwuy to test Government and ran it as Square shelved after RailCorp pulls pin. While the accompanying graphic got some of the details of the AHC plan wrong, it did give Red Square another airing. Hopefully if the AHC can get approval for their Pemulwuy Project concept plan the Minister might revisit how The Block connects to the rest of Redfern and Red Square may be back on the agenda. The AHC plan allows for Red Square to be completed at a later time if support can be found for the project. Much also depends on the entrance to unseen design for Redfern station which is expected to move more towards the ATP rather than open onto Lawson Street and The Block.

Redfern Waterloo in the Media

It has been a busy couple of weeks in the media with some excellent articles. So many needy, so little room provided a good introduction on how difficult it is to become a Department of Housing tenant. In different corners Sunanda Creagh of the SMH explored the RWA’s plans for Redfern Waterloo and talked to local human services providers about their experience of these plans. In Redfern, a map of our diminished vision Robert Reynolds in The Age explored the different faces of Redfern. We also stumbled across the UTS School of Journalism’s recent Reportage article about the changes coming to the area in Locals concerned over Redfern-Waterloo revitalisation.

Strategy for Waterloo Green in response to Safety Audit

Over the last couple of months we have carried details of the Redfern LAC - Waterloo Green Safety Audit - 14 June 2007 (PDF 1.8MB). The Human Services Plan Implementation Senior Officers Group (ISOG), which was set up in the RWA Human Services Plan, has now produced a Waterloo Green Action Plan (91Kb MsWord). The RWA ISOG presented the Action Plan at a meeting of the Waterloo Green Action Group on 14^th September 2007. The ISOG has committed to implementing the Action Plan which aims to improve the physical and social amenity on and around Waterloo Green.

The meeting was also told that the Department of Housing had already taken action to address some of the issues identified including:

• Lights had already been fixed, signs had been replaced.
• A partnership has been formed with the University of NSW CDP project to carry out some additional research to ensure community were consulted on any changes and improvement strategies.
• DoH will encourage better and positive use of the space, improve collaboration between agencies, and improve relationships between the local team and police.
• The appointment of a specialist Anti-Social Behaviour Officer who additionally will resource local teams.
• Budgets set aside for some of the recommendations made from the Audit Report.
• Extra cleaners working in the area.

There was positive support for the Action Plan and the process was seen as a positive step in the right direction although there were concerns raised about the lack of information on how the plan would be implemented. It is hoped that the plan will be extended to other surrounding DoH areas facing similar issues.

Any additional feedback about the Waterloo Green Action Plan can be taken to Michael Shreenan, HCAP Community Development Worker at the Factory, the Local Housing Team, or Don Stewart at the RWA.

Mosaic Project Completed

The large and brilliant mural mosaic is located at the Waterloo Green Marton Gardens area and brings new colour and life to the area. The project was sponsored by the City of Sydney and the NSW Department of Housing and was coordinated by the Waterloo/Redfern Housing Communities Assistance Program (HCAP) (a community development program) at The Factory Community Centre, in partnership with many community organisations in the area. Young and older residents have worked together on these projects over the last 9 months - from designing, to creating, and installing the project with over 348 young people and 363 adults taking part at various stages of the project. We thought some of the photos of the Marton Gardens Mosaic (PDF 2.1MB) were worthwhile sharing widely – congratulations to all involved.

Police New Aboriginal Strategic Directions 2007-2011

The NSW Police have released the new Aboriginal Strategic Direction 2007-2011 (PDF, 0.97MB) which sets out how NSW Police plan to work more closely with the Aboriginal community to deliver appropriate policing to and for the Aboriginal community. The updated Aboriginal Strategic Directions builds on from the previous Aboriginal Strategic Directions 2003 – 2006. Questions were raised about the earlier plan not being implemented in Redfern Waterloo at the 2004 Legislative Council Inquiry into Issues relating to Redfern Waterloo. In 2005 the Ombudsman audited the implementation of the 2003 – 2006 policy in the 14 local area commands where it had been implemented. Redfern was not one of the LACs audited as the program was not implemented in Redfern until relatively recently.

The Aboriginal Strategic Direction 2007-2011 was introduced to the Redfern LAC Aboriginal Consultative Committee on 21^st September 2007 by LAC Commander Mark Walton. One of the tasks of the Redfern Aboriginal Consultative Committee will be to put together a Redfern Aboriginal Action Plan “to guide police / aboriginal interventions”.

The policy and supporting documentation can be downloaded from the Aboriginal Strategic Direction section of the police website. The Pocket Guide gives a good overview but it is hard to read in electronic form so we have put a text version of it on the REDWatch website at Text of Pocket Guide to NSW Police Aboriginal Strategic Directions 2007-2011. The links to the downloadable documents on the Police website are:

Aboriginal Strategic Direction 2007-2011 (PDF, 0.97MB)
Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers (Brochure) (PDF, 607KB)
Aboriginal Strategic Direction (Pocket Guide) (PDF, 213KB)
Aboriginal Strategic Direction (Poster) (PDF, 971KB)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Origin (Community Brochure) (PDF, 628KB)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Origin (Police Brochure) (PDF, 634KB)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Support (Brochure) (PDF, 626KB)
Cautioning Aboriginal Young People (Brochure) (PDF, 608KB)
Local Area Command Aboriginal Consultative Committee (Brochure) (PDF, 631KB)
Missing Persons (Brochure) (PDF, 603KB)
Warnings (Brochure) (PDF, 602KB)

Chippendale Potential Flashpoint in Urban Design Study

The council report back on the Urban Design Study covering Darlington and Chippendale shows just how delicate the process of changing development controls for the area can be. Chippendale groups met recently with the study consultants as part of the community consultation process and were shown a proposal for a large part of Chippendale to become an “Urban Renewal Area”. The Combined Chippendale Groups screamed and council said that the proposal had resulted from miscommunication between Council and their Consultants. The proposal has disappeared and the proposed controls shown to the community meeting were very similar to the existing controls. The combined Chippendale groups put out a leaflet “Urban Renewal Area” for Chippendale dropped at the meeting letting everyone know what had happened.

A number of investors were not impressed with the residents groups being shown the plans before they came to the public meeting. They had purchased in Chippendale with the expectation that its proximity to main roads and Central station would see Chippendale’s development controls loosened. These people used the meeting to make their displeasure known and they propose to push council and staff to re-introduce the proposal. There is also some dissent about some of the proposals in Camperdown. We don’t think this will be the last that will be heard of these battles.

The proposals put by council and the consultants to the Community Meeting on 19^th September 2007 will not immediately go up on the CoS website as further work is being done to refine the proposals over the next month. Details of the Urban Design Study proposals released so far on the can be found at West Redfern Urban Design Study and community input is being encouraged by the council.

REDWatch has raised concerns in its meeting with council about the urban design study about the way Darlington has historically been taken over by the expansion of Sydney University. A recent article Unis build to solve student homes crisis reported on a possible new pressures on the area. The article said that “the rental crisis is forcing universities to build more accommodation for students who have been squeezed out of nearby suburbs and into overcrowded apartments far away from their campuses”.

It is to be hoped that the Urban Design Study also looks at how the universities and the communities around them can work together to retain some of the village character in the face of the possibly a new wave of university expansion.

Inner West (Darlington / Chippendale) Community Forum – Monday 24 September 6pm

The Community Forum for the communities around Camperdown, Chippendale, Darlington, Newtown, Erskineville, Golden Grove and Macdonaldtown is being held at Brown Street Community Hall, behind Newtown Library on Monday 24 September 2007 6pm to 8.30pm. From 6pm - 6.45pm have your say to Council officers, councillors and staff. From 6.45pm - 7.30pm find out what is happening in your area. From 7.30pm - 8.30pm discuss the City of Sydney’s Sustainable Sydney 2030 at a Community Workshop. For more information Inner West Community Forum

The Settlement & The Factory AGMs – 25^th September 2007

That AGM time is here again and we have been asked to pass on details of both the AGM for The Settlement and the AGM for The Factory which are being held at slightly different times on the same night. Community Centres play an important role in our community so why not attend your local AGM as an opportunity to find out what your local community centre does, to meet people and to become more involved in the local community.

The Factory Community Centre Inc Annual General Meeting is on at 5pm for 5.30pm on Tuesday 25th September 2007 at 67 Raglan St., Waterloo

The Settlement Annual General Meeting is on 6.30pm Tuesday 25th September 2007 at 17 Edward St, Darlington. All are welcome. The meeting will be followed by supper and a chance to see the plans for the hall renovations recently submitted to council.

Note - AGMs are open for everyone to attend, but nominations and voting are restricted to current members as set out in the articles or constitution of the relevant community centre. For more details contact the community centre of interest.

Frasers Property Community Information Display and Viewing on CUB Site – Wednesday 26 & Saturday 29 September 2007

Frasers Property, the new owners of the ‘old Kent Brewery’ (CUB) site on Broadway are inviting the community to meet with them and to see the proposed plans for the site. Two opportunities have been arranged at the Carlton United Brewery Gate on Broadway, near the Clare Hotel by Elton Consulting to view the display.

• Wednesday 26 September, 5-7pm – meet Frasers Property and see the information display
• Saturday 29 September, anytime between 11am-3pm – take a site tour, meet Frasers Property and see the information display

You need to RSVP by Wednesday 26 September to take part in a tour. Register at broadway@elton.com.au or contact Laura or Caline at Elton Consulting on 9387 2600.

Frasers have set up a new website to keep the community informed of their activities and consultation opportunities at www.frasersbroadway.com.au. Frasers have also produced their first Frasers Broadway Newsletter One September 2007 (PDF 276KB). More details about Frasers and the Consultation can be found on their website.

Rabbitohs keep Redfern in the news

The Rabbitohs may have been knocked out of the finals but they have not disappeared from the news - with articles appearing about their lease for Redfern Oval, the proposal to ditch the League Club’s poker machines and Souths Cares’ entry into employment creation.

The Redfern Oval lease story kicked off in the lead up to council considering a draft lease between council and the football club with Rabbitohs must share $25m oval. Quickly both the football club Rabbitohs refute Redfern Oval claims and the Council Rabbitohs return to Redfern Park replied assuring everyone that the deal was amicable. The Council signed off on the draft to go out to community consultation with Clover Moore absented herself from the decision due to a potential conflict of interest involving some free tickets she received to a Rabbitohs game. The Lord Mayor in her latest eNews confirms that everything is now set for the Community and Rabbitohs to share Redfern Park Oval. The council papers can be downloaded from the CoS website Redfern Oval - Licence Agreement with the South Sydney Rabbitohs | PDF 21Kb and Attachment A | PDF 996Kb. The proposed Licence Agreement will now be advertised as required by Section 47 of the Local Government Act.

Under the proposed licence agreement, included in the Redfern Park Plan of Management adopted by Council in 2006, the Rabbitohs will have:

• exclusive use of clubrooms within the grandstand which will comprise change rooms, gymnasium, physio room, toilets, store room and offices.
• use of the public amenities and public areas.
• priority use of the playing field for 10 hours per week during the pre-season and 20 hours per week during the competition season.

On the League Club side - Peter Holmes a Court has floated a vision of the Club opening without poker machines in response to the social issues in the Redfern area (see for example the Daily Telegraph’s Machine ban win for losers and Rabbitohs raising the stakes). Everyone, including the club’s board, waits to see the detail of the proposal that Holmes a Court and Russel Crowe put up for a viable club without pokies. The South’s proposal has helped fuel a wider debate about gambling and the relationship of registered clubs to their communities, as well as questioning the state government’s reliance on income from poker machine turnover. Some people concerned about the proposal for the club to sit on top of a supermarket may sleep easier if the club does not have pokies!

One of the new developments in the reborn Souths has been the creation of ‘Souths Cares’ which is a new community development/engagement initiative designed to raise funds to help people and organisations that are part of the South Sydney community (see the details of the launch and some initial programmes). Souths Cares recently received $2 million form the Federal Government to go into Indigenous employment creation in part as a replacement for the areas CDEP programme see Souths reap $2m to find work for Aborigines. Retiring Aboriginal player David Peachey is joining Souths Cares. With ongoing players like Dean Widders doing a job for life at South Sydney, Souths look set to play a strong role in addressing the area’s issues as well as on the football field.

What is Souths Cares? - REDWatch Public Forum –– 6pm Wednesday 3 October 2007

The next REDWatch meeting will provide an opportunity to find out about Souths Cares. It will start with a presentation about Souths Cares from its manager Simon Dirs. The presentation will be followed by the regular monthly REDWatch meeting. So come along for one or both parts of the meeting to the Factory Community Centre.

Last month REDWatch held its AGM. Details of those on the new REDWatch co-ordination group can be seen on the REDWatch website at REDWatch Incorporated Office Holders & Committee.

Late Night Trading Premises DCP Exhibition – until Monday 1^st October 2007

The council has their proposal for controls for late night trading on exhibition Draft Late Night Trading Premises DCP  until 1^st October 2007. We thought you mite like to know that the proposal has the following to say about late night trading in Redfern:

“Some areas have the potential to be Local Centre Areas (for example: Redfern and Regent Streets) which have the capacity to support an increase in night-time activity that would encourage greater main street activity at night, ultimately contributing to revitalisation.”

“Local Centre Areas may also include places within the City of Sydney that have the potential to support an increase in night time activity, particularly in instances where a notable number of commercial premises are vacant or underutilised such as Regent Street and Redfern Street in Redfern.”

Settlement DA – on exhibition until 4^th October 2007

We gave you a sneak preview of The Settlement’s DA in an earlier RWIU. The Settlement plans for 17-19 Edward Street Darlington are now on public exhibition until 4^th October 2007 at DA Number D/2007/1594. The DA proposes:

Alterations and additions to rear of existing community hall and ancillary rooms (The Settlement Neighbourhood Centre) involving demolition of part of hall and construction of a two storey addition for new stage area, commercial kitchen, meeting room and toilet facilities, program rooms for mezzanine level, and construction of a single storey utility shed along Edward Lane. Internal and external restoration to existing buildings, and reinstatement of artist mural.

The Conservation Management Plan is particularly interesting as it outlines the history of the area back to before white contact. The main Settlement building was built in three stages. The original terrace house, which was only as wide as the area with the veranda, was built in 1869. The part of the building with the relief mural above the present kitchen window was added in 1897 by a dancing master who also built the corrugated iron hall at the back to use as his dance studio. So the use of the building for community purposes extends back to the end of the 19th century well prior to The Settlement’s purchase of the building in 1926.

The Settlement is looking for ideas for fund raising as, although the Department of Community Services has given them a grant of $100,000 towards the renovations, they have a large amount of money to raise before the plans can be realised.

Connect Redfern – Changes by Friday 5^th October 2007

Jo Fletcher is currently updating the Making Connections brochure for Term 4. If you would like to have any programs, workshops or courses advertised in the next brochure please email connectredfern@yahoo.com.au by Friday 5^th October 2007.

Poverty and Dignity Conference - Wednesday 17^th October 2007

REDWatch arranged a meeting between the local DoH community and Minto residents a couple of years back so they could share stories about their experiences of community dislocation as the result of major housing changes in their housing estates. The discussion included the involvement of the Vincent de Paul Society Animation Project in empowering the Minto community as they opposed the negative impacts of the development on their community.

A conference is being held as part of the Vincent de Paul Society, Wollongong Diocese Animation Project’s ten year anniversary celebrations. The Animation project has been very involved with Minto residents and other issues in Western Sydney. The conference will provide an opportunity to discuss, question and reflect on what has have learnt from ten years working alongside low income communities.  Other events include a community picnic and celebration November 10 2007 and Art Exhibition March 2008.

Program Highlights at the University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown Campus (free parking available) on Wednesday October 17 2007 (9am – 4pm) include:

• Professor Mark Peel, Author of  “The Lowest Rung: Voices of Australian Poverty”
• Dr John Falzon, well known social justice advocate and CEO St Vincent de Paul Society National Council
• The ‘Animation’ story: an alternative community development tradition, Mauro Di Nicola and Julie Foreman
• Workshops from the grass roots focusing on successful community enterprise, advocacy and community leadership

For more details contact The Animation Project, 24 Iolanthe St CAMPBELLTOWN NSW 560, PH: 4627 9018 email:  Animation@svdpwgong.org.au

Have your say – Summary of Current Consultations

Below we have listed consultations currently open for community input and provided a link for further information:

• CoS - Inner West Community Forum - 24 September 2007
• Frasers Broadway community information display and site tours - Wednesday 26 and Saturday 29 September 2007
• CoS - Draft Late Night Trading Premises DCP - Until Monday 1 October.
• RWA - Blacksmith Shop Markets & Parking DA - Until 4 October 2007
• CoS - Settlement Neighbourhood Centre DA - Until 4 October 2007
• CoS - Sustainable Sydney 2030 - What kind of city do you want Sydney to be in 2030?
• UWS - Backpacker Research – Online survey for residents and tourists.