4.6 Former Rachel
Forster Hospital
The former Rachel
Forster Hospital
site is located at 150 Pitt Street.
It is bounded by Albert Street
to the north, residential development to the south, Pitt Street to the east and a warehouse
and residential development to the west.
Existing
characteristics
The site has an area of approximately 0.7 hectares and is
occupied by various buildings. A two to three storey building fronts Albert Street,
which is linked to a central two storey wing. The central wing links to a five
storey building extending along the southern boundary and fronting Pitt Street.
The site is identified as a heritage item in the South
Sydney Local Environmental Plan. The five storeys building on Pitt Street is
identified as an example of Inter-War functionalist style hospital building.
The Hospital closed in 2003 when staff and facilities were
transferred to the nearby Prince
Alfred Hospital
in Camperdown. A community health facility currently operates from the building
fronting Albert Street.
The site is surrounded by residential development.
Development along Pitt Street
and Albert Street
is characterised by two storey terrace houses. The southern boundary of the
site is adjoined by a modern residential development up to four storeys in
height.
Existing land use
zone
The site is zoned ‘Special Uses – Hospital’ under the South
Sydney LEP. Permissible uses within the zone are restricted to hospital and
supporting uses, as well as permissible uses in adjacent zones (in this case
residential zone).
Proposed land use
concept
Predominantly residential development consistent with the
surrounding land uses. Provide the opportunity for community uses in keeping
with the residential use.
Diagram 4.11 (pdf ~413kb) illustrates the proposed land use concept for
the site.
Proposed design
concept
Respect the character of existing development and
development on Albert and Pitt Streets and provide an appropriate interface
with adjoining and surrounding residential development by:
- providing
a three storey height limit to Albert
Street in response to the scale of terrace
housing that dominates the street - ensure
that new buildings along Albert
Street have the same rhythm and proportions
as terrace housing - allowing
buildings of up to six storeys on the central and southern sections of the
site - locating
on-site car parking below ground level - ensuring
new development responds to the predominant terrace house typology along Pitt Street
with a contemporary interpretation - discouraging
blank facades and extensive car parking entry and servicing areas along
public streets.
Protect the heritage of the site by:
- identifying
heritage items on the site in accordance with the Heritage Strategy in
Section 3.5 - ensuring
new development responds sensitively to significant heritage items - retaining
and adaptively reusing the heritage buildings and landscape associated
with the site - encouraging
an interpretation plan to commemorate the history of the site and
conservation of significant features such as the memorial panels.
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
quality landscaping to reinforce the landscape setting of the site and Pitt Street - provide
a high level of residential amenity for new developments by providing
adequate private and communal open space within and around the site - 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 open spaces - have
good solar access - be
appropriately designed and landscaped with planting, paving, lighting,
benches, and furniture.
Orientate new development towards Pitt and Albert Streets to
provide surveillance of the public spaces for improved safety.
The proposed heights and floor space ratio for the site are
illustrated in Diagram 4.12 (pdf ~440kb).
Proposed land use
zone
- Residential
Zone – Medium Density Residential