THE State Government’s revitalisation plan for Redfern and Waterloo is a long
overdue initiative. Decades of neglect have created complex social and economic
needs. While this regeneration of the area is welcome, the Government’s
single-minded focus on high-density commercial development as a solution is
misguided.
Under the Draft Built Environment Plan released last week by
Frank Sartor, the Minister for Planning and Minister for Waterloo-Redfern,
444,000 square metres of commercial development will be created. Developments
of up to 18 storeys will be permitted, and parts of the Block – the spiritual
and actual home of the indigenous community in Redfern – will be rezoned from
“residential” to “mixed-use”.
Of the eight precincts identified in the plan, six are
rezoned as “business zones” of varying descriptions. The only
rezoning to “residential” is the Rachel Forster
Hospital site, which was
formerly zoned “special uses” and looks like it won’t last much
longer in the public’s possession.
It follows that the draft plan provides developers with
significant incentives to concentrate on commercial rather than residential
projects. In effect, this plan will transform the heart of Redfern – the area
surrounding the railway station – into another central business district.
The Draft Built Environment Plan is but one of many that are
to be implemented by the Redfern Waterloo Authority but, at this point, the
“vision” seems mundane. This is an opportunity for the Government to
create innovative and interesting urban renewal at the heart of our city. It is
also an opportunity for Redfern’s cultural heritage to be celebrated and
captured by such renewal.
Redfern was the site of urban land-rights when, in 1973, the
reforming zeal of Gough Whitlam brought about the Aboriginal Housing Company
and affordable homes on the Block.
It is an area with significant architectural heritage
including the railway yards, tracks and the warehouses of north Eveleigh, which
date from the late 19th century and which are placed under threat by the draft
plan.
Residents don’t want a bland, gentrified copy of what
already exists in the central business districts of North
Sydney and Chatswood. They want urban renewal – but they want it
to recognise the unique character of Redfern.
Residents want Redfern to retain its eclectic social mix,
and its sense of community. They also want the Government to recognise the work
that has already been done in Redfern. Not everything has to be re-invented
from scratch.
Take, for instance the Pemulwuy Housing Project, which calls
for the Block to be redeveloped to create 62 affordable homes for middle- to
low-income indigenous families, a public civil space and commercial area,
artist markets, a student hostel, sporting facilities and an indigenous
business college.
Under the Government’s plan, which allows for a maximum of
30 homes on the Block, Pemulwuy – a project that is six years in the making –
is no longer viable.
The project’s taskforce is chaired by Tom Uren, a former
minister for housing, urban and regional development in the Whitlam government.
It consists of a broad coalition of architects, urban planners, indigenous
community leaders and local business people.
Apart from preserving the Block as a centre for Aboriginal
identity, culture and spirituality, Pemulwuy would have also acted as a
catalyst for culturally appropriate economic development in the Redfern area.
Part of the project was the creation of a “civic
space” to be located across from Redfern railway station. The area would
have provided for market stalls, community enterprises and a performance space
run by indigenous residents of the area. It also provided valuable open space
for an inner-city community where it is at a premium.
The Pemulwuy project may have required modifications, but it
is an idea stemming from the local indigenous community and it deserves better
consideration that what it has apparently received.
For this project to be discarded with the stroke of a pen is
very disappointing.
Most residents want a renewal that keeps the indigenous
heritage of Redfern alive, that involves local people in its planning and that
doesn’t just mean a skyline littered with skyscrapers.
Verity Firth is the Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney.
http://smh.com.au/news/opinion/indigenous-heartland-under-threat/2006/02/14/1139890736647.html