A bright future … the new Block, known as the Pemulwuy Project.
The Aboriginal Housing Company’s revised proposal went on
exhibition yesterday, paving the way for three new residential and
commercial precincts in a patch of land that has long symbolised the
promise and plight of modern indigenous Australians.
The main six-storey building, bordered by Eveleigh, Vine,
Louis and Caroline streets near Redfern railway station, would comprise
36 townhouses and 26 apartments, shops, a gymnasium and an underground
car park.
The second building, between Caroline and Lawson streets,
would rise to just three storeys and be leased to retailers, other
businesses and include a childcare centre.
The third, also six storeys, would house 42 units containing 154 beds for students, along with more shops and a gallery.
Long-standing plans to develop the Block have been stymied for years by a lack of interest from private investors.
The chief executive of the Aboriginal Housing Company,
Mick Mundine, said the revised plans for the Pemulwuy Project, as the
$70 million block redevelopment is called, were to ensure the
development made money. The corporation had so far received around $22
million in government funding, he said.
”The reason why we’re building the student accommodation
and a lot of commercial and childcare [is] really to generate money,”
he said.
Future tenants – including those evicted from the Block
to allow for its demolition – would be chosen based on their past
behaviour as renters.
”It all depends on the the tenant history; if you’ve
been selling drugs on the premises, there’s no chance of you coming back
into the community again,” he said.
The revised plans are open to public scrutiny and comment
until the end of next month on the Planning Department’s website. If
they are approved, Mr Mundine said he hoped excavation work on the site
could begin in May.
The modified proposal represents a 12 per cent increase
in overall floor space from the original to 17,365 square metres. It
also includes a new bridge to be developed over part of the nearby
railway corridor, cultural installations, and improved street lighting
and paving. An initial plan for an elders community cultural centre has
been removed.
The Block was born in 1973 when the then prime minister,
Gough Whitlam, handed the local Aboriginal community a grant to buy
terrace houses there. The move came to symbolise the birth of urban land
rights in Australia.
The Aboriginal Housing Company has managed the
properties for almost as long through controversy, allegations of
mismanagement, and decades of infamy as the Block, by reputation, became
synonymous with drugs and crime.
The last of its original buildings was demolished in October last year.