Lord Mayor
Clover Moore spoke to the gathering and presentations were given by the AHC’s
project manager, Greg Colbran from Dei Corp, their architects Norton and Jago
as well as other consultants engaged to refine the plans.
The
Pemulwuy Project, the AHC’s vision for regenerating the area known as The Block
by creating a multi-purpose residential and cultural space, has been years in
the making. With this latest phase, the AHC is hopeful the project will finally
come to be built, citing a commencement date of May next year.
Over the
years the project has met both fierce opposition and vocal support from various
groups, and has changed noticeably in response. In this latest version, the AHC
has given close consideration to those earlier concerns and further developed
the proposal.
As it now
stands, it will provide: 62 homes for Aboriginal families, ranging in size from
two-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom townhouses; cultural spaces including an
art gallery and public plaza; commercial businesses including a gym, a
childcare centre and a student apartment complex; and 115 underground parking
spaces for residents and business operators.
Notably,
the commercial parking lot proposed previously (which was criticised over
traffic concerns and its lack of sympathy with the City of Sydney’s plans for a
greener city) is gone, with the project now expected to generate income from
the increase in student apartments, all of which will be available for students
from all backgrounds and rented at commercial rates.
The
atmosphere on the night was a telling mixture of celebration and apprehension.
While most attendees were enthusiastic about the project, several community
members voiced surprise at the scale of the project (up to six-and-a-half
storeys high), while others were disappointed to see much of the land given
over for purposes other than Aboriginal housing. As one person said, “The whole
purpose of The Block was to give Aboriginal people somewhere to live.”
The AHC
acknowledged this concern, but argued they have a responsibility not only to
provide housing, but to ensure that housing and the organisation managing it
remain financially viable. The student apartments are expected to generate
sufficient income so that the AHC and the Pemulwuy Project will be able to
operate with ongoing financial autonomy.
Several
members of the audience also registered concern that a number of fundamental
principles of the original social plan developed for the Pemulwuy Project were
no longer included or were greatly reduced. As the AHC readily acknowledged,
opportunities for affordable home ownership for Aboriginal families was
previously held out as a key strong point of the plan, as a way of helping
those families to secure a home and also to foster a sense of ownership amongst
residents that would empower them to discourage antisocial behaviour in the
neighbourhood.
Under the
latest proposal there will no longer be any such opportunity, for two reasons:
the AHC believes it will have more control over what happens in the community
if it remains the landlord; and the AHC could not ensure those homes would
remain Aboriginal-owned once it had sold them to private owners.
Further
concern was raised that, while the Lawson Street end of the development is
receiving detailed attention – as demonstrated by the multiple pictures on the
night showing how it will look when developed, including a new footbridge built
over the rail-line to increase public access and visibility, as well as
cultural spaces and public areas – the sections of the development intended
solely as places for Aboriginal people to live (Louis, Vine and Eveleigh
streets) did not rate a single image or detailed description on the night.
What was
evident though is that Louis and Vine streets in particular will include none
of the fundamental features of the social plan, such as public space, line of
sight to neighbouring areas, or mixed residential-commercial-cultural use.
While Caroline Street, the Community Centre and parts of Eveleigh Street will
have direct line of sight to Redfern station, with wide open public areas and a
mixture of commercial, cultural and residential, all of Louis and Vine streets
will remain enclosed behind an even larger building than has previously been
the case, now expected to be six-and-ahalf storeys tall. Residents on Louis
and Vine streets will have no line of sight to anything other than their own
immediate street and surrounding walls, and no direct access to any of
Pemulwuy’s public spaces or cultural/commercial areas.
The AHC and
Dei Corp were clearly interested to listen to these concerns of the community,
most notably by seizing the opportunity to join a meeting that Council is
conducting with concerned residents from Caroline and Lawson streets to discuss
the reconfiguration of Caroline Lane. The AHC is to be commended for this
engaged and responsive attitude, and has emphasised that community responses
are welcome until December 6, with the Development Application to be submitted
on December 16.
Noting this
is close to the Christmas holiday period, the AHC also assured audience members
that it would ask the Department of Planning to delay closing the window for
public comment on the DA until the New Year, to ensure adequate time for all
concerned parties to consider the application and contribute their views.
The key
points:
- Residential
will include 62 dwellings, up to 4 bedrooms per home - Mixed
usage will include commercial, cultural and residential, including a childcare
centre, commercial student accommodation and a gym - Approximate
115 underground car spaces will be provided for residents and business operators - Purchase
of homes in the project no longer an option - NRAS
funding, which is available for low-income workers who might earn too much to
qualify for public housing, has been secured to provide affordable housing for
all the residential complex - Commercial
child care and student housing, open to users from all backgrounds, have been
included to generate income so the AHC can be financially independent and
secure
Points
of concern raised at the meeting:
- Purchase
of homes no longer an option for residents - The
project now includes other uses that are wider than the AHC’s original purpose
of providing homes for Indigenous Australians - Scale
of the project – up to 6.5 storeys above ground - Caroline
Lane reconfiguration may create secluded locations in known problem areas - The
residential precinct, particularly on Louis and Vine streets, incorporates none
of the key principles for safe healthy communities that underpin the project’s
social plan - If
you want to submit your opinion prior to the DA submission, contact Andrew
Turnbull the Design Director at Scott Carver before December 6 by email to: hello@scottcarver.com.au
Source: South Sydney Herald December 2011 www.southsydneyherald.com.au