BE2 has received a lukewarm response
from long-term residents and has been met with a mixture of uncertainty and
anger.
Local resident activists have lashed
out at claims of a “successful” and “extensive” consultation process during the
four weeks of the non-statutory exhibition.
“The consultation was rushed
through. How do they expect local residents to get their heads round a fairly
complex proposal which was debated for years within government and expect local
people to be able to give informed feedback within four weeks? It is nothing
but a joke,” said Anita Faber. “The process was nothing short of window
dressing to justify a pre-planned desired outcome. It was clear to all that
they are banking on the communities’ apathy and lack of understanding planning
gobbledygook to quickly drive through their own political agenda.”
The plan which will see low-rise
public housing turned into a mini Meriton-type complex with the population of
the area potentially increasing by 50 per cent. This will be achieved through
the sale of public land for private development at the cost of the reduction of
public housing stock by 700 units. This happens at a time when the current
demand for public housing is sitting at 43,000 applicants, some of which have
been waiting for up to 10 years.
Concerns voiced have ranged fromthe
economic viability of the proposal, the strains that naturally come with an
increased population in an already highly dense area, the likelihood of an
increase in traffic congestion, the possible destruction of rich and strong
historical social support networks, handover of government housing to community
providers, creation of concrete jungles, and questions about how service
provision will meet the needs of the new residents when they struggle to meet
current needs.
The planned reduction of social
housing will be replaced with 700 affordable housing units and additional
unnumbered private dwellings. “Our current limited green spaces will be gone
and will not be there again. There is a need for affordable housing but there
is a price we have to pay for that,” said long-term activist Diana Whitworth.
Mr Roy Wakelin-King, CEO of the RWA,
answered the concerns raised by REDWatch about the approach being taken. He
wrote: “The assertion that the consultation process is inadequate and/or flawed
is clearly not agreed. I am of the view that the commitment to gathering and
understanding community views displayed by both the RWA and Housing NSW has
been of a high standard and that the implementation of the consultation process
has been done in a professional manner.”
This answer angered some local
residents who feel that Mr Wakelin-King’s defensive response is typical of the
Authority’s attitude towards residents who dare question the way government
conducts its consultations. “We’re referred to as a noisy minority,” said
resident activist, Ross Smith.
REDWatch spokesperson, Mr Geoff
Turnbull, said: “Even if the plan contained all the information required and
the consultation process was flawless, a month’s exhibition is not sufficient
time for a diverse community to gain an understanding of what is proposed and
to make a considered response.”
One local welfare worker, who didn’t
want to be named, said: “Built Form Renewal, in its many disguises, is a
worldwide phenomena that claims to be beneficial but actually drives up the
costs of the local housing market to attract wealthier people to the city
fringes and drive out existing working class residents. If they were truly
committed to the community renewal, they would work with the existing residents
and sort out the basic day-to-day needs. “The current problems of poorly
maintained properties which have been starved of decent government investment;
poor customer service and lack of any effective place-based management have
exacerbated their problems. Improved quality in service delivery and adequate
tenancy support to existing residents would be far more cost effective in the
long term instead of importing new people to dilute the statistics. If you
accept that density increase is inevitable, it should happen to reduce the
waiting list of our most vulnerable seeking housing; the social mix argument is
a red herring as Redfern Waterloo already has a rich social mix.
“One of the major concerns is the
lack of independent advocacy to assist and resource residents through this
process; many respected NGOs in the area are worried about speaking out in case
it affects their funding.”
For more information and to view
feedback on BE2 visit the REDWatch website: www.redwatch.org.au
Source: South Sydney Herald April 2011 – http://www.southsydneyherald.com.au/pdf/SSHAPR11.pdf