Follow the links below to the section of this page you are looking for.
Waterloo Metro over Station Development
Exhibitions – Until December 2nd
Finding information about the current
Waterloo Metro Proposals
Navigating the Waterloo Metro DAs –
submissions by 2nd December
Making a submission by December 2
REDWatch Waterloo Metro Submission
Working Bee – Tuesday 24 Nov 6pm
Waterloo Metro over
Station Development Exhibitions – Until December 2nd
On 5th
November 2020 the Department of Planning Industry and Environment (DPIE) put
the State Significant Development Applications (DAs) for the Waterloo Metro
over Station Development (OSD) on exhibition until December 2nd
2020. There are five different DAs that the community is expected to digest and
comment on within the 28 days exhibition period!
Metro Changes from last year
The Metro development has changed substantially from the State
Significant Precinct and Concept DA exhibited for the site in December 2019.
The first lot of changes come from the Approved concept DA – these are
the changes made by Sydney Metro in its response to submissions and what was
decided by the consent authority’s in its assessment. These changes allowed for
a possible substantial increase in commercial floor space and a corresponding
decrease in the number of units in development from the 700 originally
exhibited. Among other changes, it also removed the community centre building
to create more public space in the plaza. The current DA documents compare the
current proposal to the approved Concept DA as it is the reference point for
the current discussions rather than the initial proposal people saw last year.
The second lot of changes come from the successful tenderer and
developer. The joint venture developer has decided that the southern tower
residential could be used for student housing and that a better commercial
configuration was a lower fatter northern building. The bulk of the community
facilities floor space has become a childcare centre, which is an easier option
for the developer to deliver than a community centre, which featured in last
year’s concept proposal. The community centre floor space was kept but the
community centre use disappeared with the exception of a 66 m2
space. This is enough space for a small meeting room similar to upstairs at
Alexandria Town Hall. Mirvac who will manage the commercial and retail spaces
will also manage this space. There is also be an art / creative space in the
student housing building..
Understandably, residents comparing last year’s proposal with the one
currently on exhibition see a huge difference. The Waterloo Public Housing
Action Group (WPHAG) on Facebook have referred to these as Broken
Promises.
In the pre-lodgement discussion, there was substantial concern about
the proposal for student housing which had not been earlier mentioned as a
possibility. There is concern about how it might affect the area and how it
would change the use of public space. While the student housing buildings are
usually run well, in other locations resident complaints have related to
impacts on routes from the building to the nearest pubs and the use of the
nearby public spaces for rowdy parties. Recently a student-housing provider
applied to operate as a boarding house due to the lack of overseas students.
The cut in residential from 700 units a year ago to 220 now, also
impacts the number of affordable housing units delivered because it is
represented in the approval as a percentage (5%) unlike social housing which
was expressed as a set number of units (70). The initial proposal was to
deliver 35 affordable units but the decrease in residential use now only
delivers 24 units.
REDWatch is suggesting that the restructuring of floor space on the
Northern Precinct to facilitate the better commercial space should be
conditional on delivering all the 35 affordable housing units proposed in 2019.
Further changes are
expected to what is currently on exhibition as the developer responds to
submissions with changes in their response to submissions and then after the approval
conditions are set by DPIE. Other Modifications to the approved DAs may also be
lodged and exhibited during construction to cover any changes required by the
developer. Tenants on the site will also require separate DA’s for their
different uses.
Finding information
about the current Waterloo Metro Proposals
For this project the official documents on exhibition are the five separate
DAs and many thousands of pages of documents. In a later section we will try
and help you navigate that but for a quick overview there are a couple of
options.
On line Information
Sessions
The developers (a John Holland and Mirvac joint venture) with Sydney
Metro be holding two information sessions where staff will be able to answer
your questions. You can book for these at the links below:
- Session 1: Thursday 19 November,
6.30pm to 8pm – https://bit.ly/3nE30lE - Session 2: Saturday 21 November, 1pm to
2.30pm – https://bit.ly/34VFic0
These sessions were held close together and early in the consultation
period. If you missed them contact Metro’s community information line on 1800
171 396 or email waterloometro@transport.nsw.gov.au and see if they
are planning an additional session if there is enough interest.
We have asked Metro to put the slides from this presentation on the Waterloo section of the Sydney Metro
project and progress site
Other
Information Sources
Other sources of information on these DAs include:
The Department of
Planning has a three tab website with summaries of the “Concept proposal” and
the “Detailed designs” on two tabs of its Waterloo Metro
Quarter over Station Development web page.
The Sydney Metro project and progress site contains a Waterloo
Station over Development section and that is where Sydney Metro and the site’s Developers
are placing their material on the exhibition. The material they have produced
includes:
- An Environmental
Impact Statement overview booklet outlining the
consultation, design and planning process associated with these applications.
It can be viewed here – print copies are
available from The Factory. A copy of this booklet is also displayed in the
window of the Waterloo Neighbourhood Centre. - A Waterloo Metro Quarter newsletter has been produced
and it gives you some information about how to make a formal submission in. - The slides from the
information session have also been requested and should be here. - You can also ask
for more information about the Waterloo Metro Quarter by contacting the Metro’s community information line on 1800 171 396 or email
waterloometro@transport.nsw.gov.au.
It is important to understand that the Developers are telling the
story they want to tell about the redevelopment. Last time, for example, the
proponent omitted in their printed material to say that the proposed affordable
housing would only be for 10 years. The final approval changed the affordable
housing to exist in perpetuity. This time the proponent has not pointed out
that building more commercial lessens the number of affordable housing it needs
to produce.
Navigating
the Waterloo Metro DAs – submissions by 2nd December
To help you navigate the DAs we have prepared
this brief guide.
The Four Precinct
DAs
The Waterloo planning has been further fragmented
(it started with the Waterloo Estate and then was split from it). The developers
have split the Metro site into four separate DAs with retail at the base of
each building. The developers say the splitting of the DAs makes staging and
subdivision easier for them but it certainly makes wading through documents
more difficult for the community.
The DAs set out how they plan to divide the site,
in the case of the Southern Precinct, for example, they separate the social
housing, student housing and retail. The public space, retail, commercial and
community room are to be owned and operated by Mirvac after construction
according to information at the on-line briefing.
The four DAs below are prepared in the
expectation that the Concept DA discussed in a subsequent section will be
changed as requested. This means you may need to comment on the Concept DA as
well as the DA for the precinct of the site concerned.
The full set of documents for each DA and the
link to make online submissions on that DA is the first link for each DA below.
The second link is to the main Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) document
for that DA. The description primarily comes from the DPIE website descriptions.
The new precincts are:
- Northern
Precinct
SSD-10440 (Commercial Building) link to Environmental
Impact Statement – Northern Precinct. For a building height of 9 to 17
storeys with a gross floor area of approximately 34,681m2,
comprising retail premises at the base and office premises above. A
pedestrian through-site link from Raglan Street through to Cope Street
Plaza (“Raglan Walk”), a vehicle loading and service facilities accessed
from Botany Road, shared with loading and service facilities for the
Waterloo Metro station. Includes signage zones and
staged stratum subdivision. - Central
Precinct SSD-10439 (Private
and Affordable Housing and Community Facilities) link to Environmental
Impact Statement – Central Precinct. For a building height of 22 to 24
storeys with a gross floor area of approximately 14,924m2,
comprising ground floor retail tenancies, a 62 m2 community
hub, use of Levels 1 and 2 for a 2,200 m2 childcare centre and
residential uses above with approximately 24 affordable housing apartments
and 126 market apartments. Includes publicly accessible open space,
including a pedestrian through-site link from Botany Road to Cope Street
Plaza (“Grit Lane”), a shared zone from Cope Street Plaza to Botany Road
(“Church Square”) and expanded footpaths along Botany Road as well as
private open space, including Level 1 planting and a rooftop residential
terrace. Includes signage zones and staged stratum subdivision. - Southern
Precinct
SSD-10437 (Student and Social housing and Public Plaza) link to Environmental
Impact Statement – Southern Precinct. For construction and operation of two
residential buildings with a gross floor area of approximately 18,839 m2.
This DA includes: - A student
housing building of 25 storeys (12,129m2) on the corner of
Botany Road and Wellington Street for approximately 474 students. - A social
housing building of nine storeys (5,437m2) on the corner of
Wellington Street and Cope Street, above a southern Metro Station
structure, with 70 social housing dwellings. - Ground floor
and podium uses (1,273m2) on the corner of Botany Road and
Wellington Street for retail premises, a community space, a gym, communal
space for student housing, lobbies and loading facilities. - Publicly
accessible open space including a 1,341m2 plaza along Cope
Street, a shared zone from Cope Street into the site and expanded
footpaths along Botany Road and Wellington Street with the removal of 5
street trees and replacement with 25 trees along Botany Road and the
existing Church. - This DA includes
private open space, including at podium and rooftop levels for the proposed
uses, signage zones, vehicle loading and service facilities accessed from
Wellington Street and a staged stratum subdivision.
- Basement
Car Park
SSD-10438 (Parking and End of Trip facilities) link to Environmental
Impact Statement – Basement. For construction of a ground floor
slab on which all future buildings will be built, end of trip facilities
for office and retail uses and plant and services. It includes two shared
basement levels containing: - A maximum of
155 car parking spaces to cater for the Waterloo Northern, Central and
Southern precincts, as well as the existing Waterloo Congregation Church,
Sydney Metro staff and shared servicing spaces. No parking is proposed
for a student housing building in the Southern Precinct. - Thirteen
motorcycle spaces for the proposed office and residential buildings. - Residential
and office bicycle storage. - Residential
storage
It is important to note that in these DAs the
artists impressions do matter in these DAs as they are supposed to represent
what will actually be built. Artist impressions in earlier exhibitions where a
general guide but did not reflect final designs. These are the almost final
designs.
Amending the
Concept DA
Making things even more difficult for those
wanting to understand and comment, the developers have decided to change what
has already been approved for the site. This means they also have to amend the already
approved Concept DA making for a fifth set of documents:
- Concept
OSD DA Amendment SSD-10441 (Changes in the Northern and
Central Precinct building envelopes) Environmental
Impact Statement Amending DA. The main changes are illustrated in the
documents but in short are:
- Removing the
‘tower component’ of the northern precinct, reducing the overall height
of the tower envelope by 26.5 metres to make its maximum height 17
storeys. The removed floor space is moved to the south and south-east
portions of the Northern Precinct to make larger floor plates for
commercial use increasing the heights approved for these parts of the
development. There are some other small changes. - The proposal
seeks to modify the approved Central Building envelope by extending the
podium on the east to allow for a more usable floor plate shape and
design, and to articulate the entry to Raglan Walk. - Seeks minor
amendments to the conditions of approval under SSD 9393 to enable
awnings, balustrades, roof top pergolas and the like to be located
outside of the approved building envelope and provide clarity on minor
design items. - No changes are
proposed to the concept approval for the Southern Precinct.
Tips for looking at the documents
The Document labelled as The Environment Impact Statement (EIS) is the
main report for each DA and Section 4 in that report describes the development
covered by that document. Just reading Section 4 in each EIS won’t tell you
everything, but it will give you a pretty good understanding of the proposal
covered by that DA.
A lot of the
general information about the site and context is common across the five EISs. In
later sections, the developer has to detail how their proposal meets the
strategic and statutory requirements for the development of the site, how they
have addressed issues raised in their pre-lodgement community and stakeholder
engagement, and prepare a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment.
The contents of
later sections do vary depending on the site. Therefore, how the childcare
centre meets regulatory requirements is only dealt with in the Central Precinct
report, for example.
Looking through one
EIS will give you a lot of the material that is common across all.
There is further
information in the Appendix if you need it. The (EIS) includes references the
findings of the supporting studies listed in the Appendix. The full EIS includes up to 39 Appendices (some in many parts). Some Appendices
are unique to a particular DA and some have a lot in common. The developer has
advised that the following Appendices are the same across the DAs
- Appendix G Endorsed Design Excellence
Strategy - Appendix U Pre-submission Consultation
Report - Appendix AA Social and Economic Analysis
- Appendix CC Heritage Interpretation
Strategy - Appendix DD Airspace Approval
- Appendix GG Reflectivity Statement
- Appendix KK Wind Impact Assessment
- Appendix LL Overshadowing Analysis
- Appendix MM Public Art Strategy
The Appendix
AA – Social and Economic Analysis is one report that is
likely to be of interest as the study includes a Social Needs Assessment looking at Community and
Cultural Facilities, Open Space and Recreation, Early Childhood Education and
Care as well as Education and Health Facilities. It also includes a Market
Demand, Need and Impact for Commercial Office space, Residential, Retail,
Childcare and Gym.
If you have a special interest in an topic or area, you can search the
EIS PDF documents for your area of interest such as “health” or “social
housing”. Do not forget to look also for organisations related to your area of
interest such as “SLHD” or “LAHC” using both full title and their initials.
Check any Appendix that might relate to your interest.
Waterloo public tenants might be interested in looking at the Southern
DA for example, as it includes information on the proposed layout of the 70
social housing units in the development. Some Waterloo tenants may be relocated
to this development when Waterloo South is redeveloped, and it also gives some
idea of what kind of floor layout and unit size might be used in the Waterloo
Estate redevelopment. It is noted that the social housing is being built to
LAHC requirements and does not include a community room but has a common
roof-top garden area.
No printed copies
of the DAs are available
For the Concept DA printed copied were available
at Council service centres. Sydney Metro also provided copies of the documents
to Waterloo Library, Inner Sydney Voice, Counterpoint and REDWatch so public
housing tenants could easily access them.
The Department of
Planning has advised that it currently is not circulating hard copies of
documents for public exhibition due to public health risks associated with the
Covid-19 pandemic.
People with limited
computer access at home can view the EIS documents online at the following
locations, noting that some Covid-19 precautions are in place:
- Green Square Library and Customer Service Centre, by prior
appointment. The library is open for access to computers. - City of Sydney One Stop Shop in the Sydney CBD, by prior appointment.
We are advised that the computers available to the public are operational, but
only one person can view the documents at a time in order to maintain at least
1.5m separation distance. - Any Service NSW location. We are advised that the Public Access
Screens are all operational. The closest Service NSW locations to
Waterloo are Haymarket, Marrickville, Wynyard and Bondi Junction.
The Department
recommends anyone interested in using the facilities at these locations should
call first, to ensure any requirement for an appointment is made, and in case
of changes in access arrangements at short notice in response to any public
health concerns.
The Metro
developers have also indicated they are prepared to make USB sticks with the
documents on them available to tenants with internet problems through
Counterpoint Community Services. You can also access the material through
Counterpoint Community Services. If you need any help accessing the materials
contact Adam Antonelli wrcd@counterpointcs.org.au .
The proponents own flyer says “You should read
the EIS documents for full details about the development” but this is not
possible for the bulk of public housing community if they cannot access the
internet and are not familiar with computers and navigating large documents
on-line.
This is a significant equity issue here. In the
2016 Census, the public-housing-only statistical areas of Waterloo reported
that about 35 percent of households had an internet connection. This is the
best data we have and a similar question will not be asked in the 2021 census.
Many tenants report they are reliant on low-end mobile phone plans, primarily
for phone calls, that have low mobile data allowances. Some public housing
buildings like Dobell have difficulty getting mobile signals.
None of these
suggestions works for people with no computer experience or who cannot use the
technology. Further solutions need to be found to ensure everyone can
understand the proposal and comment.
The Waterloo Redevelopment Group and NGOs are
talking to Council about how to overcome this digital divide for the Waterloo
South consultation next year. In the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the plans
for the destruction of Earth were on display for 50 years in Alpha Centauri and the people of Earth are berated for not
taking an interest in local affairs. Not making paper versions of the DAs
available are like that for some people.
Making a submission by December 2
If you want your
comments and concerns registered, your submission must be made to the
Department of Planning Infrastructure and Environment (DPIE), not the
Developer.
Depending on what
you comment on, you may need to make multiple submissions of the same or
similar information for up to five of the DAs. You may want to put together
your thoughts and then either attach a document or cut and paste the comments into
the relevant DPIE page.
You can make a
submission in the following ways:
- On the DPIE website: You will have to create an online account with
DPIE (unless you already have one) to upload to the DPIE website for a DA. There
is a blue “Make a submission” box at the top of each DA exhibition pages on
DPIE’s Major Projects website. - Email to: information@planning.nsw.gov.au
- Post to: Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Locked Bag
5022, Parramatta NSW 2124
If you are making a
submission by email or post you are also required to provide details the
following information:
- Your name and address
- The name of your application
- The reference for the relevant DAs SSD-10437 SSD-10438 SSD-10439
SSD-10440 SSD-10441 (you can find the SSD number earlier on this page for
specific DAs) - A brief statement on whether you support or object to the proposal
- The reasons why you support or object to the proposal.
- Declare if you have donated more than $1000 to a political party (see
notes) - State clearly if you do not want your submission made public (see
notes)
Submissions must be
received by 2 December 2020.
REDWatch Waterloo Metro Submission
Working Bee – Tuesday 24 Nov 6pm
REDWatch will hold a working bee to write its submission on Tuesday 24
November at 6pm at The Factory, 67 Raglan Street Waterloo.
If you can’t attend in person but want to be involved then contact
Adam and we will see if it might be possible to be involved in some way by
Zoom, but given the nature of writing a joint submission it is best done in
person, taking the necessary Covid-19 precautions.
We can also help you with your own submission, so if you put
down your ideas of what you want to say in your own submission, bring them
along to The Factory and we can assist you.
REDWatch wants input about people’s concerns. If you can’t make it on
the day you can email your comments to Adam Antonelli wrcd@counterpointcs.org.au or ring him on 9698 9569 at The Factory.
Some Issues of concern
Affordable housing
decrease
One major change between the initial Concept DA
and the current DA is that the number of Affordable Housing units proposed
drops from 35 to 24. This is a direct consequence of the Concept DA approval creating
flexibility for more commercial space in the Development. Increasing commercial
floor space decreases residential floor space and affordable housing is set as
at a minimum of 5% of residential floor space. Social housing was set as a
number (70) not a percentage so it stays at 70. Turning the Northern Precinct from Residential
to Commercial reduces the amount of Affordable Housing the developer needs to
provide.
Those concerned about the decrease of Affordable
Housing should request that DPIE place a condition of the Concept Plan amendment
to facilitate the commercial space in the Northern Precinct. That condition
should be that the 35 affordable housing units, which would have been delivered
without the change of use, are delivered as a condition of the DA change requested
to facilitate the commercial use. Alternatively, to put it another way, that
Affordable housing should be calculated as a minimum of 5% of across both the residential
and commercial floor space.
This page covers
information supplied in REDWatch Email Updates that has been assembled as a
guide to help people understand the Waterloo Metro DAs and to make submissions
on it.
Updated: 21 November
2020