How HNSW see the Problem and the Process in the Introduction
The Redfern and Waterloo areas contains a major
concentration of social housing in buildings ranging from 2-storey walk-up
blocks to towers up to 17 storeys high in Redfern and 30 storeys high in
Waterloo. Redfern and Waterloo contain
3,500 dwellings owned by Housing NSW.
This area is suffering from a wide range of physical and
social problems, including visually dominating buildings, uninviting public
spaces, crime and anti-social behaviour.
Much of the housing is also in poor condition and not up to contemporary
standards.
The Redfern and Waterloo Preliminary Masterplan Project will
provide a plan to address these issues through the renewal of the social
housing. It will provide for at least 3,500 additional homes resulting in a
total of 7,000 dwellings, to be split approximately to at least 50% private
housing, 40% social housing and 10% affordable housing. The plan will also
provide for new shops and community facilities, and identify improvements to
streets and public spaces.
During 2000 and 2011, Housing NSW has been talking with
local residents and other stakeholders about their ideas for the renewal of the
social housing area.
In November 2011, a series of Community Design workshops
were held to provide local residents and other stakeholders with an opportunity
to contribute to the plan for the renewal of Redfern estate. This report
outlines the process and outcomes of these workshops.
Waterloo
Loved Aspects of Waterloo Summary
Amongst the
aspects of Waterloo that the residents love identified through this activity, a
series of common themes emerged. These included:
- Proximity to facilities and public transport
- Diverse people
- Sense of community
- Trees and parks
Waterloo Issues Summary
Amongst the
concerns about Waterloo identified through this activity, a series of common
themes emerged. These included:
- Lack of community facilities and services
- Feeling of insecurity
- Lack of sun and daylight reaching dwellings and
open space due to dense tree foliage - Lack of seats with backs
- Poorly maintained and cleaned paths
- Poor visibility of shops
Common Ideas for improving Waterloo
Amongst the
ideas for the improvement of Waterloo identified through this activity, a
series of common themes emerged. These included:
- Central hub of local shops, services, community
and medical facilities on George Street south of Raglan Street - Larger shops/ showrooms
on McEvoy Street with apartments above - Pedestrian plaza at the heart of a community
focal point - Varied building heights
- New parks of varied types
- More open-canopied trees
- Underground car parking
Redfern
Loved Aspects of Redfern Summary
Amongst the
aspects of Redfern that the residents love identified through this activity, a
series of common themes emerged. These
included:
- Proximity to the city
- Redfern Park
- Cafés
- Trees
- Parks
- Community
Redfern Issues Summary
Amongst the
concerns about Redfern identified through this activity, a series of common
themes emerged. These included:
- Uninviting and unused open spaces
- Feeling of
insecurity in streets, open spaces and building entries - Lack of seating along key pedestrian routes
- Poor lighting in streets and public spaces
- Lack of shops, community facilities and toilets
Common Ideas for Improvement of Redfern
Amongst the
ideas for the improvement of Redfern identified through this activity, a series
of common themes emerged. These included:
- A central hub of local shops, services,
community and medical facilities on Morehead Street OR - Shops and services on Redfern Street with
apartments above OR - Shops and
services on Elizabeth Street south of Redfern Street with
apartments above - A pedestrian plaza at the heart of a community
focal point - Business space facing Elizabeth Street north of
Redfern Street - New streets or paths through long blocks,
particularly Poets Corner - Varied types and sizes of park
- Communal open spaces between buildings
- Underground car parking
What HNSW Say about the Next Steps
The ideas generated by the workshops will now be used to
formulate and refine concepts to deliver the best outcomes. This will result in
preferred concepts which will identify the proposed location for new shops and
facilities, new and upgraded streets, paths and open spaces, and new residential
buildings.
The refined concepts will form the basis of the structure
plan within the Preliminary Masterplan and will be presented to the community
in March 2012. This will form part of a second series of community design
workshops intended to develop more detail around the concepts.
Finally, a Preliminary Masterplan will be developed that will provide more
detail about the nature of the proposed new and upgraded buildings, streets and
open spaces. This will be presented to the community in the second half of
2012.
The full reports from which the above has been extracted can
be found at:
Redfern – Redfern
Nov 2011 Community Design Workshop Report – HNSW Masterplan
Waterloo – Waterloo
Nov 2011 Community Design Workshop Report – HNSW Masterplan