The
Local Court House and Police Station site is located at 103 Redfern Street. The site is bounded
by Redfern Street
to the north, Turner Street
to the south, and retail and residential uses to the east and west.
Existing
characteristics
The
site is approximately 0.25 hectares in area and is occupied by the former
Redfern Police Station and Court House buildings. The Court House building
fronts Redfern Street
and is identified as a heritage item in the South Sydney Local Environmental
Plan. It is a significant building element in the Redfern Street streetscape. Access to an
existing laneway on the western boundary of the site is closed.
Both
the Local Court House and the Police Station Building are vacant. As a result
they do not contribute to the activation of either Redfern or Turner Streets.
To
the rear of the site is the Police Station Building which comprises 2 storeys
and is accessed via Turner Lane.
The building does not warrant retention.
A
group of terrace houses are located south of the site the opposite side of Turner Street. Redfern Street is
characterised by retail and commercial uses.
Existing
land use zone
The
site is zoned ‘Special Uses – Police’ under the South Sydney Local
Environmental Plan. Permissible uses in the zone are limited to a Police
station, as well as permissible uses in adjacent zones (in this case
residential and business zones).
Proposed
land use concept
Predominantly
business uses in the Local Court House building and residential uses in any new
development at the rear of the site to increase activity and surveillance along
the street.
Diagram
4.13 [366 KB] illustrates
the proposed land use concept for the site.
Proposed
design concept
Respond
to character and built form of surrounding development with transition from 3
storeys along Turner Street
up to 6 storeys.
Protect
the heritage of the site:
• retaining the Court
House building and facilitating its adaptive reuse in a manner which is
sensitive to the existing structure and its heritage significance
• ensuring new
development to the rear of the site responds to the heritage significance of the
Court House
• ensuring that the form
and massing of new development at the rear of the site does not visually
dominate the Court House as viewed from Redfern Street
• providing adequate
separation between the Court House and new development at the rear.
Activate
the public domain and site frontages to Redfern Street and Turner Street by:
• upgrading the setback
from the Court House to Redfern
Street with appropriate landscaping
• reinforcing building
entry including appropriate lighting and materials
• building to the street
boundary along Turner Street
to reinforce the existing built form and provide surveillance of the street.
Ensure
the provision of open space:
• as part of any new
development for the use by future occupants of the site
• for all new dwellings
• that has good solar
access
• with quality
landscaping.
The
proposed heights and floor space ratio for the site are illustrated in Diagram
4.14 [370 KB].
Proposed
land use zone
Business
Zone – Local Centre