REDWatch BEP2 ISSUES: OPEN SPACE
What’s the problem?
The Redfern Waterloo Authority
(RWA) in their plan for the redevelopment of the consolidated public housing
estates propose 3500 new apartments over the next 20-25 years. No population projections
were included in the BEP2. A recent RWA estimate indicates a population
increase of 6,125 (1.75 people per new private unit). CoS project multi-story
buildings at 2.05 people per unit giving an extra 7,175 people. BEP also
proposes “infill” housing around the high-rises such as Waterloo Green reducing
space.
The BEP2 says it is to “deliver
an enhanced public domain, including new parks, open space and improvements to
the existing public domain”. The draft planning controls do not reserve specific
areas in Redfern and Waterloo for public parks or make a commitment to achieve
a per capita target for the increase in population. Open Space is left to the
subsequent Housing NSW Master Plan (see overleaf).
REDWatch is concerned that
unless the planning controls provide for adequate per capita public space from
the outset that the required level of public space for the new population will
not be delivered.
Why does this matter?
Redfern-Waterloo’s open space is
already well below the standard originally set in the Environmental Planning
and Assessment Act (EPA Act) of 2.83 hectares per 1,000 people – that’s 28.3
square metres per person. The City of Sydney public space in the Inner South
Region, which covers the proposed development, has a square meter per person
average of 6.9 compared to the city average of 11.8. Recent planning in Green Square
and Victoria Park has a target of 10sm per person.
Whether the standard used is the
initial EPA Act, the Redfern-Waterloo area, the City, or the new developments
the only conclusion is that the area has too little open space before more
people move in. BEP2 should also set a minimum 10 square metres per person
target for Redfern and Waterloo. The area may be surrounded by district and
regional parks but these are not local open
space.
What’s wrong with trying to
make district and regional parks offset low local open space?
This suggestion ignores the
realities of daily life in Redfern-Waterloo. Half the households do not own a
car and so rely on public transport for access to district and regional open
space. However, the local public transport services are inadequate for this
purpose, as they primarily pass through the area on their way to or from the
city. This creates open space access problems for people who are elderly and/or
infirmed and for families with young children.
Residents are therefore forced
to seek more indoor (and passive) recreation pursuits, or – if they do have a
car – to generate greenhouse and other negative effects by driving to wherever
district or regional open space is located (assuming they can park when they
get there!).
What do we need?
What we need is local, usable, public open space – and
not just bits of paved/landscaped area around shops or private open space
within or around new apartment blocks.
How do we get it?
By persuading the RWA & HNSW
to create zoned public open
space in the final planning controls.
Why does open space need to
be zoned in?
Unless it is zoned in, we’re
unlikely to get the quantity and quality required. If there is no provision for
open space in the controls then open space has to compete with the floor space
allocated to the block – you have to stack the floor space higher in taller
buildings to get a sizable park. The Master Plan must make provision for adequate
public parks and space and the land use controls need to zone for it.
What can we do about it?
Write to the RWA by 5.00 pm on Monday 28 February letting
it know how important local open space is to you – and why – and that you want
it zoned into the final Built Environment Plan 2 controls.
What the RWA Built
Environment Plan 2 Planning Framework say about Open Space:
4.4 Preliminary Public Domain
Strategy (Page 74)
The delivery of an
enhanced public domain is a key outcome of the social housing renewal which the
draft BEP 2 seeks to facilitate. One of the key objectives of the draft BEP 2
is to achieve an enhanced public domain by:
- Providing new public
parks and open space, and improvig the quality of existing parks and open spaces; - Ensuring parks and open
spaces are well-designed, useable, accessible and safe and comply with Crime Prevention
through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles; - Ensuring quality
landscaping of the public domain, including the retention of established
vegetation where appropriate; - Improving the safety
and design of pedestrian and cycle links and provide new site linkages to
maximise permeability within the social housing sites and accessibility to the
surrounding neighbourhood, local shops, community facilities and other
services; and - Incorporating
environmental sustainable practices in the design of the public domain.
This is reinforced by
the urban design guiding principles relating to “Public domain and open space”
identified in 4.1 and repeated below.
- Create a quality public
domain which signals and supports a successful community. - Provide for attractive,
well located, clearly defined, safe and usable open spaces and pedestrian
linkages. - Provide private open
space to all dwellings in the form of courtyards, terraces, balconies or roof
top gardens. - Delineate the
progression of spaces from public to private and provide a clear definition of
territory and ownership of all spaces. - Facilitate resident
surveillance of public and common areas. - New public open spaces
to be contiguous with streets, highly visible and overlooked. - Review the existing
landscape qualities in streets and open spaces to maximise amenity and safety
and create of new high quality landscape design for public spaces. Respect
existing quality streetscapes.
The public domain
objectives and urban design guiding principles will provide an important basis
for the development of a detailed public domain and open space strategy, which
will form part of the Master Plan to be developed by HNSW, following the
finalisation of the planning framework.
It is important that
the planning controls proposed in the draft BEP 2 are supported by key
strategies and commitments relating to public domain. Accordingly, a
Preliminary Public Domain Strategy has been developed as part of the draft BEP
2 planning framework. The Strategy relates to the public domain within and
around the Redfern and Waterloo HNSW sites. The key elements of the Preliminary
Public Domain Strategy are outlined below, which will form the basis of a
detailed public domain strategy to be prepared with the Master Plan.
New parks and open spaces
- The renewal of Redfern
and Waterloo HNSW sites is to make provision for new public parks and open
spaces. The location of future parks and open spaces is to be identified within
the future Master Plan, in close consultation with the Social housing
residents, as well as the wider community. - New public parks and
open spaces should be located along street frontages to maximise accessibility
and visibility. - New public parks and
open spaces should accommodate facilities appropriate for the envisaged uses
and functions i.e. playgrounds, seating, lighting, shading, etc. - New public parks and
open spaces are to be designed in accordance with Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design (CPTED) criteria to maximise safety of the spaces for
users. - New public parks and
open spaces are to incorporate environmentally sustainable features in their
design e.g. water sensitive urban design. - New public parks and
open spaces are to incorporate landscaping and appropriate tree planting to
maximise the use and amenity e.g. adequate sunlight, daylight and shade, while
minimising opportunities for crime and anti social behaviour.
Upgrade of existing parks and open spaces
The renewal of the
Redfern and Waterloo HNSW sites is to provide for the upgrading the existing
parks and land used as open space to ensure:
- Maximum use and
enjoyment of these spaces by the community. - Improve safety and
security within the parks and open space. - The facilities provided
within the parks and open spaces (playgrounds, etc) are most appropriate for
those using the parks and open space. - Existing landscaping
and vegetation does not adversely impact on the amenity, use or safety of the
parks and open space.
This Information Sheet has been produced by REDWatch – www.redwatch.org.au
You can download a PDF version of this leaflet from: REDWatch BEP2 Issues : Open Space – PDF Leaflet (PDF 68KB)