Below REDWatch has adapted the explanation of a SIA from NSW
Department of Planning and Environment Social
Infrastructure and Social Impact Assessment Explorer Street,
Eveleigh produced by WSP PDF page 61 (report page 55). The examples referred to
below relate to this Explorer Street study and a searchable copy of this report
can be found on the REDWatch website as Explorer
Street, Eveleigh Social Infrastructure and Social Impact Assessment (fully
searchable PDF).
What is a Social Impact Assessment (SIA)
A SIA identifies and assesses the potential social impacts of
a proposed redevelopment on the groups who might be directly or indirectly affected.
Scoping
A preliminary scoping of impacts identifies likely impacts
using the categories in the table below. A summary of impacts identified through
this process for Explorer Street is provided in Appendix F of the WSP report.
Following the scoping process, findings from other research,
engagement, study outcomes conducted by other technical specialists are used to
refine the identification of impacts and understand their significance.
In relation to looking
at another site, like Waterloo, people may want to look at Eveleigh scoping and
identify any other impacts that might not have been identified in the Eveleigh
case but which are relevant to Waterloo.
Assessment of significance
Following impact identification, each social impact is evaluated
to understand its significance without mitigation or enhancement.
This considers both the likelihood of an impact occurring and
its potential magnitude (characterised by the extent, duration, severity/scale,
sensitivity and level of concern of each impact), as shown by the social impact
assessment matrix in the below table.
Social impact significance assessment tool
Source: DPE 2023, SIA Guideline and Technical Supplement
A detailed assessment of social impact ratings for Eveleigh
is provided in Appendix G of the WSP report.
In relation to looking
at another site, like Waterloo, people may want to look at the Eveleigh assessment
of significance and identify if they consider the significance provided to an
identified common issue is similar or different in Waterloo.
Mitigation and enhancement measures and
monitoring
Following identification and assessment of impacts, mitigation
and enhancement measures are developed for each impact to enhance positive
impacts or reduce negative impacts. Monitoring measures were also identified.
Considering proposed enhancement and mitigation measures, each
social impact was then reassessed to determine the ‘residual’ social risk, post-mitigation
or enhancement.
The proposed mitigation, enhancement, and monitoring measures
include those that are relevant for planning/design stages, as well as those which
are relevant for later phases. The SIA Guideline recognises that some mitigation
or enhancement measures may require action by or collaboration with other
separate entities.
For the Eveleigh study the enhancement and mitigation measures
are described by WSP in Section 7 and summarised in Section 8 along with
residual ratings and monitoring measures using the table above.
In relation to looking
at another site, like Waterloo, people may want to look at Eveleigh’s
mitigation and enhancement measures and consider if the measures to enhance
positive impacts or reduce negative impacts are appropriate for Waterloo or if
other additional steps should be taken.
What did the Explorer
Street Eveleigh SIA find?
The report says “Most
of the anticipated positive impacts are expected to be long term and affect
future residents of the development as well as the local community. Over half
of the anticipated negative impacts are anticipated during the pre-construction
period, and many of them are related to the relocation process for existing
social housing tenants. It is acknowledged that this is beyond DPE’s
responsibility following potential rezoning, however several measures have been
identified that can be conducted by relevant stakeholder agencies to mitigate
these impacts. Most of the longer term negative impacts could also be mitigated
by measures proposed to be addressed at later phases of the redevelopment
process i.e. development applications and/or management by housing
provider.” … “A future Social Impact Management Plan should be
prepared as part of future development application(s) in order to refine and
ascertain the measures recommended in this SIA.”
Council in its Submission on Explorer Street Eveleigh states:
“The City also supports the
enhancement and mitigation measures addressed within the Social Infrastructure
and Social Impact Assessment by WSP. The City reaffirms the importance for the
relevant authorities to implement the measures identified in the assessment to
support existing residents during temporary relocation and return to the site.
The City supports the need for a Social Impact Management Plan to be prepared
at the future application stage to refine the measures recommended in the
Social Infrastructure and Social Impact Assessment.”
You can see the specific recommendations from South Eveleigh
summarised in Section 8 of the WSP report. We have put a searchable PDF of this
section on the REDWatch website at Summary of the SIA Recommendations for
Explorer Street Eveleigh
What Studies have
already been undertaken for Waterloo?
The rezoning for Waterloo South included a Social
Sustainability Study over seen by LAHC. While a SIA was requested one
was not undertaken. A SIA that complies with DPE SIA requirements will be
required with the first DA for Waterloo South. You will find a number of REDWatch’s
concerns about the Social Sustainability study on the REDWatch website. A
submission from Alison Ziller who lectures in SIAs at Macquarie University spelt
out the Need
for a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for Waterloo South. As the Waterloo
South Social Sustainability study was commissioned by LAHC, LAHC was able to
give some undertakings on the issues the report was allowed to cover. You can
see LAHC’s response in LAHC
response to the Social Sustainability Study Report recommendations.
LAHC are currently working on its Waterloo People and Place framework which covers
Relocations and Support, its Community Plan (includes its human service plan),
Place Making and Connecting to Country. It describes itself as outlining how
the “Government, and the renewal partner will work together with the community
to realise positive outcomes for the people and the places in Waterloo.” While
consultants have been employed and some consultations held the community has no
visibility on what LAHC are doing as they say this work is being done to inform
the tendering process.
The LAHC People and Place work is not connected to the Waterloo Human Services Collaborative
which is working on the current problems facing public housing tenants and how
they might be better addressed, while LAHC are dealing with future impacts. These
two areas of work will need to be integrated at some point.
Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) in consultation with
Government and Non-Government Agencies in 2018 undertook a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on the health impact of the announcement
of the redevelopment and the wait while it comes to implementation. LAHC and
DCJ were unhappy with the draft study. Even after many changes were made at
their request SLHD have been unable to get sign off to publicly release the
report. In response Groundswell Redfern Waterloo NGOs will conduct a community lead
equity focused Health Impact Assessment of the Waterloo South redevelopment in
2024. This may also help feed into the DA SIA or into people’s response to that
SIA.
REDWatch prepared 19 October 2023.