“Chippendale has the least amount of public space,
possibly in Australia, and
definitely in Sydney,”
said Ms Charles, of FoCUS (Friends of Carlton United site) lobby group.
But the suburb may climb out of bottom spot under the new
plan for the Kent Street Brewery site on Broadway.
Frasers Property, the company developing the site, wants the
state government to approve a public park of 6300 square metres.
Under the original plan, one of Australia’s largest urban projects,
only 5300 square metres were reserved for a public park. But after local
residents complained about the development’s lack of public space, Frasers have
increased the size of the park.
“After consulting with the community we took a view to
achieve more public space, including upgrading the park,” chief operating
officer Nicholas Wolff said.
“We realised we didn’t need as many roads as planned so
we approached the design team to incorporate a larger park in the site’s
centre.”
But locals could have their hopes dashed, according to Ms
Charles, who believes much of the increased park space will be paved due to a
lack of natural light.
“We are happy for any increase in park space but we are
worried that it is not going to be usable,” she said.
“Most of the new park space will be paved or put on
platforms to get sunlight.”
Greens candidate Matthew Drake-Brockman opposed the
development from the outset. He later took the Minister for Planning to court
over the development.
“In the end, Frasers really came on board, implemented
their own measures and have gone beyond any expectation we had hoped for,”
he said.
The modified concept plan, currently before the NSW
Department of Planning, also seeks approval for an additional 22,000 square
metres of floor space and an increase in the height of the towers facing
Broadway.
The modified plan is on public display until September 1.