“Only community opposition
and Green Bans stopped this happening – and look at the significant part of Sydney which has been
preserved as a result. The Rocks significantly adds to Sydney’s character and it would have been a
tragedy if it had been lost in the 70’s.
If these buildings aren’t
retained, then a City asset will be destroyed. This is a unique opportunity to
give this development character and preserve our history.
“As a sophisticated global city, we should
have moved beyond urban vandalism, but apparently the State Government hasn’t.
Most of the development industry is responsible and have advanced well past the
1960s and 70s cowboy mentality of “bulldoze, build and ignore the public
interest for a quick buck”.
Successful companies know
this approach is short sighted and doesn’t deliver value to their development.
To achieve acceptable shareholder value and ROI (return on investment)
successful companies now adopt a triple bottom line approach which incorporates
environmental sustainability, heritage conservation and high quality design
principles in their approach to inner city urban renewal projects.
There’s been 3 heritage
consultants involved in evaluating these buildings and 2 of them are the
pre-eminent experts in Sydney.
They all say the group of original brewery buildings on the site is just
as important as the merit of individual buildings. They all reinforce the heritage
value of this precinct. The State Government Heritage Office endorsed the
site’s Conservation Management Plan.
Other
development sites have respected and featured our history rather than
destroying it.
There are a number of old
brewery buildings on this site which can be retained, reused and incorporated
as a feature in any new development. These buildings are an important part
of Sydney’s
history and the character of Chippendale and together these buildings make up a
very special heritage precinct.
Retention of this heritage
fabric as part of the development has been earmarked in the City’s draft
planning controls as a public “brewery square”. This special precinct has a
rich tapestry of public spaces and laneways which are co-located and relate to
the open space areas. The two are linked and together provide a unique
opportunity that is unavailable on any other re-development site in Sydney.
Extensive studies were
undertaken to consider how this heritage precinct could be retained and allow
higher densities on appropriate areas of the site, taking into account sun
access and the relationship to surrounding buildings.
The State government is only interested in maximising
density on this site to increase developer contributions. They are not
interested in all the expert opinions or in preserving the unique character of
the area – it’s just the upfront payment that matters, not history, and
certainly not the public interest.
The process has been
protracted because the landowner sought excessive floor space. If the
Government increases the floor space beyond the level set by the City we will
have slums of the future. The developer has tried to squeeze as much as
possible on the site, at the expense of the site’s heritage and decent amenity
for surrounding and future residents.
The length of the complicated
process is a direct result of State Planning laws. This includes a requirement
for a “Voluntary” Planning agreement which allows the owner to
dictate terms to deliver open space, community facilities, child care
facilities and road connections.
The City’s position was
compromised by the State Government claiming three times as much money as the
City could levy from the site. This money will be used by the Redfern Waterloo
Authority away from the development zone, making it difficult to secure local
benefits and placing pressure on the developer to seek more floor space.