Minister
for Planning Frank Sartor wrested
control of the site from the Sydney City Council in June, saying a proposal for
redevelopment was log jammed with constraints.
A public
meeting was held this week where the plans for the site were revealed to local
residents, including the skyscraper and the removal of a number of
heritage-listed buildings.
The
chairman of the panel set up to advise the minister, Chris Johnson, says the
height of the skyscraper is only a maximum, but the building needs to tie in
with the high rise building at the University
of Technology.
“We’ve
got to relate somehow to the scale of the University of Technology (UTS)
tower,” Mr Johnson said.
“We
can’t pretend it’s not there, and the previous jury said a building that masks
the UTS tower from Chippendale [is] probably not a bad solution.
“It’s
also potentially a major gateway [and] arrival point from the west into Sydney, and if we can get
an architectural solution that gives that character it would be a very positive
thing.”