Residents and
tenants were invited to engage with redevelopment plans by way of various fun
activities. Interactions aimed at identifying concerns relevant to living in
Redfern-Waterloo, and included a “building block” exercise based on the BEP2
planning controls, a “hope tree” exercise with attachable “leaves” for ideas
toward a “better future”, an “ideas box” and a street map to mark locations and
regular movements within the neighbourhood.
This is
positive in that it engages community interest in a complicated and long-term
process. It gets people together, generates discussion and gathers input with
regard to existing and emerging needs.
Some things
could have been more clearly presented. Little was available to explain the
government’s BEP2 plans. Of the approximately 1,300 public tenancies labelled
“walkups” and “mid-rises” earmarked for redevelopment 700 will be moved out of
Redfern-Waterloo (to sites within the LGA) at dates yet to be determined. The
figures refer to tenancies or units, not to tenants. There are also plans for
500-600 new units of “infill” housing around the approximately 2,200 high-rise
units slated for upgrade and refurbishment in BEP2. The population is set to
double over 25 years with 60 per cent private to 40 per cent public dwellings
being the final goal on existing public housing land.
As with
certain “reality” renovation programs on commercial TV, catering mainly to
middle-class desires, there is a sense in which expos and jargon-heavy
consultations foster a developer’s mindset motivated by profit, as opposed to
appreciation of the reality of tenants for whom Redfern-Waterloo is home.
It may also
mask the ever-increasing need for public, supported and affordable housing
throughout the city.
Housing, to
put it bluntly, is not a game. It’s a basic human right. In saying this we
acknowledge that Housing NSW has a hugely daunting task while ever the health
and welfare responsibilities of other government departments and agencies are
abrogated – and relegated to Housing.
Even a tenant
involved in the consultations may well wonder: Is mine to be one of the 700
tenancies relocated? Will I still be close to my neighbours and friends? When
will the promised renovations and refurbishments begin? How do I face and
manage the seemingly overwhelming changes to come? Will I be able to afford
basic goods and services in a newly gentrified neighbourhood? Will I still have
easy access to the support agencies I rely on?
There are
things that Housing NSW could improve now in order to build trust with tenants
and to ease their anxieties, namely improvements to maintenance and management
services. Leaky roofs, mould, poor disability access, electrical failures,
damage to interiors and rubbish hazards are all too common. Tenants report
interminable delays with responses to maintenance requests. Tenants also report
high frustration with regard to tenancy placements, transfers and anti-social
behaviour.
According to
the Tenant Survey published by Housing NSW what tenants want most is
improvement to service delivery. Any future redevelopments must take this into
account and will not function well unless maintenance and management are made
priorities – in theory and in practice. If this could happen tenants might be
more inclined to engage with government on issues broader than the generation
of funding for shiny new buildings.
The SSH commends
the initiatives and ongoing efforts of groups such as RED Watch and
Groundswell, as well as the Factory Community Centre in Waterloo and the
Northcott Community Centre in Surry Hills, all of which offer access to
information and opportunities for engagement with government and other
services. Contact one of the local Groundswell Coalition agencies: www.groundswellcoalition.org.au
Source:
September 2011 Edition of The South
Sydney Herald