4.2 North Eveleigh
North Eveleigh is bounded
by Wilson Street
to the north, the railway corridor to the south, Iverys Lane to the west and residential
development to the east fronting Little Eveleigh Street.
Existing
characteristics
The North Eveleigh site is
located within 50 metres of Redfern Railway Station. It comprises 11 hectares
of disused railway land. The site is separated physically from surrounding
residential development, Redfern Railway Station, the University of Sydney
and employment activity at the ATP by a grade separation and limited
connections. The site is poorly linked to the arterial road system. Vehicular
access to the site is currently provided at the western extremes of the site
from Wilson Street,
with limited access on the eastern side of the site. Pedestrian and cycle
access into the site is limited.
In past decades North Eveleigh
was a hive of employment activity and railway operations. Today the site is
predominantly used for storage of railway items and infrastructure and is
largely inactive. There are a number of important heritage items located on the
site, many of which are in a state of disrepair. This includes the Carriage
Workshops, Blacksmiths’ Shop, Chief Mechanical Engineers Office, Scientific
Services Building No.1, Telecommunications Equipment Centre and Paint Shop.
In 2004 development consent was granted for the
redevelopment of the Carriage Workshop building as a Contemporary Performing
Arts Centre for Arts NSW. Work on the redevelopment has commenced and will open
to the public in early 2007. It is envisaged that the redevelopment will
provide the catalyst for regeneration of activity on the site and provide the
anchor for the establishment of other compatible developments on the site.
The industrial character of the site is reflected in its
built form and railway infrastructure. The site comprises a single lot, with no
street network and large industrial buildings, which is reflective of the
site’s historical use.
The site presents a blank and inactive frontage to Wilson Street and
there is a considerable grade differentiation of some 3 to 5 metres from Wilson Street.
Existing views are limited to glimpses on street alignments. Forbes, Golden
Grove, Shepherd, Codrington and Ivy Streets all terminate at the site providing
for good connectivity and accessibility to the site from the surrounding area.
The majority of the site is likely to be contaminated and
require remediation.
Existing infrastructure on the site will need to be upgraded
to accommodate the change in land uses.
Land extending along Iverys Lane and the southern boundary
adjacent to the railway corridor will be retained by RailCorp for rail access
and maintenance, and other rail related infrastructure.
The proposed Macdonaldtown Stabling site is located directly
south-west of the site. This proposal is an important component of the Railways
Clearways Program, which is intended to improve the reliability and capacity of
the rail network within the metropolitan area. The impact of rail related
facilities must be considered in the design of future development at North Eveleigh in order to maximise amenity, while
ensuring the continued operation of rail related activities.
Existing land use
zone
North Eveleigh is zoned
‘Railways’ under SREP No. 26. The objectives of the ‘Railways Zone’ are to:
- provide
for the ongoing day-to-day operational activities of the SRA, Freight Rail
Corporation and Rail Access Corporation - ensure
that uses within the zone do not detrimentally impact on the use of
adjoining land - provide
for community facilities within and public access across the zone.
Only land uses that are consistent with the above objectives
are permissible within the Railway Zone. As such, permissible uses are largely
restricted to railway related activities.
Proposed land use
concept
Create a vibrant cultural, business and residential precinct
that provides jobs, quality housing, services and facilities and opportunities
for artistic and cultural expression that integrates with the surrounding
established area. Encourage employment generating uses within proximity to
Redfern Railway Station, to maximise the opportunities presented by public
transport infrastructure and the Redfern Town Centre. Encourage residential
development on the western portion of the site in proximity to existing
residential development, cultural and community uses in the middle of the site
and a mix of residential and non-residential development at the eastern end.
Diagram 4.3 (pdf ~430kb) illustrates the proposed land use concept for
the site.
Proposed design
concept
Maximise accessibility to and within the site by:
- formalising
the existing east-west access spine within the site for a mix of
vehicular, pedestrian, and cycle access through the site and to provide
frontages for new buildings and new uses - providing
a street system on the site that connects with Wilson Street - proposing
two vehicular accesses to the site from Wilson Street–one using the
existing entry to the site (western part of site) and the other opposite Shepherd Street - proposing
pedestrian and cycle access to the site at various points along Wilson Street - creating
a pedestrian and cycle link north-east of the site to connect the site to
Redfern Railway Station, Redfern
Street, and the north of the ATP - the
provision of a pedestrian and cycle connection between North Eveleigh and
the ATP to improve access to the University of Sydney and link the site
with the ATP, South Eveleigh and Henderson Road.
Protect the heritage and industrial character of the site
by:
- identifying
heritage items on the site in accordance with the Heritage Strategy in
Section 3.5 - ensuring
new development enhances the interpretation and significance of heritage
items - where
practical, adaptively re-use significant heritage buildings associated
with the former industrial railway uses - encouraging
the reinterpretation of heritage through the reuse of heritage materials
and fabric in any redevelopment - encouraging
retention of views to significant heritage items.
Respect the industrial character on the site while providing
an appropriate interface to the residential and mixed use character of the
surrounding area by:
- ensuring
that development along Wilson
Street and Iverys Lane responds to the smaller
lot subdivision pattern that characterise these streets - respecting
the character, building alignment and landscaping of established streets,
buildings and laneways surrounding the site - locating
larger parcels towards the centre of the site and the railway corridor - ensuring
development along Wilson
Street and Iverys Lane responds to the
predominant terrace house typology within the area with a contemporary
architectural interpretation in terms of alignment to the street, vertical
and horizontal proportion and landscaping - ensuring
that the architectural character of new development responds to the
industrial character of the site - ensuring
development along Iverys Lane
is setback to minimise overlooking of existing residential development on
the opposite side of the Lane - providing
lower to medium rise building heights along the perimeter of the site to
respond to existing adjacent residential buildings - increasing
building heights to the southern boundary of the site and adjacent to the
railway corridor with medium to high rise development - discouraging
blank facades and extensive car park entries and servicing along public
streets.
Provide for the development of a landmark building at the
eastern section of the site near Redfern Railway Station.
The provision and configuration of open space is to:
- be
in accordance with the Open Space and Public Domain Strategy in Section
3.3. - provide
a high level of residential amenity for new developments by providing
adequate private and communal open space within and around new development
parcels - be
located and designed to achieve a high level of privacy and separation
between dwellings - be
provided for all new dwellings - be
adjacent to active uses to enable surveillance and maximise the safety and
security of spaces - have
good solar access - be
appropriately designed and landscaped with planting, paving, lighting,
benches, furniture and public art.
Ensure that new development is designed and located to
minimise acoustic, electrolysis and vibration impacts from the railway corridor
and rail related activities, in particular the Macdonaldtown Stabling facility.
The proposed heights and floor space ratio for the site are
illustrated in Diagram 4.4 (pdf ~525kb).
Proposed land use
zoning
- Business
Zone – Mixed Use - Special
Purpose Zone – Infrastructure