Kristina Keneally’s Submission to the Redfern Waterloo Authority’s Draft Built Environment Plan

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On Tuesday this week I supplied a submission to the Redfern
Waterloo Authority’s Draft Built Environment Plan. 
 
In the submission, I noted that prior to the release of the
draft Built Environment Plan there had been concern in the community – most of
it created by the media without much basis – that the State Government’s
intention was to use the RWA to create high-density residential development on
the 8 RWA strategic sites.

The draft BEP shows that the
State Government’s intent is to use the RWA to create employment and educational
opportunities for residents in the local community.

In fact, the draft BEP
demonstrates that vast majority of the sites – 7 of the 8 – will be primarily
used for community and employment purposes.

I also stated that I
have been disappointed that many of the critics of the draft BEP – especially in
the Sydney media and the Lord Mayor – have failed to engage comprehensively with
the previous draft plans put out by the RWA: the Human Services Plan and the
Enterprise and Employment Plan.  By
viewing the draft BEP as a stand alone document – that is, by not reading it in
context of the other plans for the area – its critics often miss the mark by not
understanding the outcomes the RWA is trying to achieve.

However, that is
not to say that all criticism of the draft BEP is invalid.  Many residents have contacted me to express
their views on the future of the reserve at Marian Street, which the draft BEP
designates for an 18-storey building.

I
do accept the residents’ concerns that open space is a valued commodity in the
inner city, and their sadness at the potential loss of this reserve.  However, I am less certain that the current
use of the reserve at Marian Street is the most appropriate, given the economic
and social challenges in the area.  But I
would urge the RWA to ensure that the draft BEP reflects residents’ desires to
have access to appropriate open space within Redfern and Waterloo and in
particular in the Marian Street area. 

I also spoke in the submission about Redfern Railway
Station, the Redfern Public School site and North Eveleigh and the Block.  For a
full copy of the submission, contact me on kristina.keneally@parliament.nsw.gov.au