PUBLIC HOUSING • NEW ATP MASTER PLAN • ARTICLES INSIDE PERFORMING ARTS
CENTRE
Ministers Launch Construction of Research Building Redfern’s Renewal
600 jobs at new facility The RWA is
borrowing $47.5 million from NSW Treasury to construct a new building at the
ATP to house Commonwealth research agencies – National Information and
Communications Technology Australia (NICTA) and the Defence, Science and
Technology Organisation (DSTO).
The building
was officially launched on 23 September by NSW Minister for Redfern-Waterloo
and Minister for Planning, Frank Sartor MP, Federal Minister for
Communications, IT and The Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, and Member for Heffron, Kristina Keneally MP.
Construction
of the six storey building will commence in early 2006 and is expected to be
completed by mid-2007, with NICTA to occupy the top three levels, and DSTO the
three lower levels. Once completed, the building will house about 600
employees, which will be a considerable boost for
the local economy.
“This
initiative has been made possible by the Government’s
Redfern-Waterloo urban renewal strategy,” said Robert
Domm, RWA Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of
the ATP.
“The RWA
will be developing the first new building to be constructed at the ATP in five
years, and with the new Master Plan, and approval pending for the new roads and
landscaping, this building is another step towards the Park becoming a major
innovation centre for Sydney.”
Photo:
Member for Heffron, Kristina Keneally
MP, NSW Minister for Redfern-Waterloo and Minister for Planning, Frank Sartor
MP, and Federal Minister for Communications, IT and The Arts, Senator Helen
Coonan.
Redfern’s Renewal
The
Redfern-Waterloo Authority will commence construction of the first new building
for five years at the Australian
Technology Park
in early 2006, signalling the start of a $52 million investment by the RWA in
the Park’s development – and
kick-starting the broader urban renewal program for the area.
New ATP Building
The new
NICTA/DSTO building is the first in this new development phase for the ATP. The
ATP Master Plan includes provision for six new sites and up to 14 low-rise
buildings (two to seven storeys) over the next decade.
Designed by
Cox Richardson Architects, the NICTA/DSTO building will be located on the eastern
edge of the ATP with frontages to Garden
Street and Mitchell Way. It will occupy a site of
around 3,000sqm and provide just over 11,000sqm of tenantable floor space with
66 secure parking spaces. The building will also have a 4.5 Star rating under
the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating scheme (ABGR).
Construction
will be in accordance with the RWA’s
Jobs Compact, employing local Indigenous people and new apprentices as a key
element.
Photo: The
RWA’s $47 million new building brings 600 jobs to Redfern.
Revitalising Public Housing in
Redfern-Waterloo
Reforming and revitalising public
housing in Redfern-Waterloo, without disadvantaging tenants, is considered a
huge task and one that will require considerable research and community
consultation. The RWA and the Department of Housing, which owns and administers
the large housing estates, intend to work cooperatively and diligently on this project
over coming years.
Given the
complexities involved and the need to ensure that the interests of tenants and communities
are safeguarded, reform of public housing is seen as a priority issue for the
future Stage Two of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. However, detailed research work
and community consultation on these issues will be undertaken by the RWA during
the Stage One period in order to develop future stages of the Plan [the draft
Stage One of the Plan is expected to be released for community consultation
later this year].
In order to
reassure public housing tenants and in the context of some erroneous media
reports at the time, the Minister for Redfern-Waterloo, Frank Sartor, made the
following statement in the NSW Parliament on 9 December last year:
“There is
zero intention that existing public tenants at Redfern and Waterloo will be moved out of the area. To
the extent we may or may not improve the existing public housing…such a task
would have to be the subject of extensive consultation.”
The
Minister subsequently wrote to all public housing tenants reassuring them of
the Government’s commitments, which he also reiterated at a public meeting in
Redfern on 9 July 2005. These commitments are:
• There
will be no cuts to the amount of public housing;
• Current
residents will not be disadvantaged; and
• All
public tenancies are secure.
Photo: The
Government has guaranteed that public housing tenancies are secure.
Government Approves New ATP Master Plan
Master Plan Vision
“To establish an internationally
recognised world class technology and business centre aimed at building global
competitiveness in key growth sectors of the economy.”
The new ATP
Master Plan includes provision for six new sites and up to 14 low-rise
buildings (two to seven storeys) over the next decade.
It contains
objectives and guidelines for the provision of development within the Park and
was approved by the Government in June this year. It includes moving the
position of the main access point to Henderson
Road and providing for an increase in the area of
public recreation space.
These
revisions were the result of an extensive community consultation program
undertaken by the ATP to test the vision for the ATP’s
future development.
“For the
local community, ATP is special because of its historical significance, its
provision of open, public space for recreation, and its potential to become a
quality, well maintained development that generates employment and provides a
sense of
ownership and pride for the residents of Redfern,” said Richard Clark, the RWA’s
Director for Urban Renewal.
The new
Master Plan’s vision enables the continuing establishment of research and development
activities on the site, but also recognises the value of the site and its operations
to the local community.
$5 Million for ATP Infrastructure Works
Following
development approval, the RWA’s $5
million construction of new ATP infrastructure will commence early in 2006 and
be completed within six months. The new main entrance, roads and landscaping
will facilitate the construction of further new
buildings at the Park.
Photo: The
Government’s new $52 million investment in the ATP will facilitate the Master
Plan vision being realised.
Contemporary Performing Arts Centre
Construction work is gearing up on
the Government’s $40 million
refurbishment of the former Carriageworks building at the North
Eveleigh Railyards. The project is being undertaken by the
Ministry for the Arts, with the active assistance and support of the Redfern-Waterloo
Authority. The RWA expects to assume ownership of the10.5 hectare North Eveleigh site from RailCorp later this year.
The RWA is
taking over RailCorp’s construction responsibilities
for the Performing Arts Centre, as well as developing the proposed
refurbishment of the heritage Blacksmith’s
Workshop, which is a well-known feature backing onto Wilson Street Darlington.
The area of both structures covers about 2.4 hectares.
Adaptive
reuse of the old Carriageworks building and the Blacksmiths Workshop, under
public ownership, will generate significant new community and cultural activity
on a currently dilapidated industrial site. It will also serve as a major
impetus for renewal of the remaining areas of North Eveleigh.
The RWA is
also working on proposals for the heritage restoration and adaptive reuse of
the old Chief Mechanical Engineers building near the corner of Wilson and Ivy
Streets Darlington, which also forms part of the North
Eveleigh site.
The
Contemporary Performing Arts Centre is scheduled to open in January 2007, in
conjunction with the Sydney Festival.
Photo: The
new cultural centre will bring North Eveleigh to
life for the local community.
New Website Up & Running
The RWA’s
new website is up and running at www.redfernwaterloo.com.au
The site
will keep you informed about our activities and provide an opportunity for community
feedback.
Upgrade of Redfern and Regent Streets
The
proposed $20 million upgrades of Redfern and Regent Streets, with a 2007 completion
date, is welcome news to the traders and shoppers along these major retail
strips. The upgrades will include widening footpaths and new street trees,
according to the City of Sydney.
The RWA is
proposing a stakeholder partnership, including the Redfern Chamber of Commerce and
the City, to ensure that the street upgrades maximise their contribution to the
social and economic revitalisation of the area. The RWA is also working with
the Roads and Traffic Authority on mitigating traffic impacts in the area,
particularly on Regent Street.
Upcoming RWA Events
• Public
Launch of Human Services Plan – Scheduled for October 2005.
• Public
Launch of Redfern-Waterloo Plan (Stage One) – Tentatively scheduled for
November 2005.
Need Assistance?
For more
information or to send us your feedback please contact the
Redfern-Waterloo
Authority,
Level
11,Tower 2, 1 Lawson Square,
Redfern
Tel: (02)
9202 9100 Fax: (02) 9202 9111
Mail: PO Box 3332, Redfern
NSW 2016
Email: redfernwaterloo@rwa.nsw.gov.au