There is a very strange juxtaposition when you look at these
two studies. The Newtown Study is of a prosperous, thriving system of
mainstreets that need very little real help to achieve their goals – most have
already been achieved and only need a bit of tweaking.
Then on the other hand you have Redfern which must have one
of the most under used and uninviting shopping strips in the LGA.
Redfern St
despite its upgrade has seen business decline and there is no night life to
speak of that enlivens the street – it is dead except for a bit of activity
around Dominos Pizza on the corner of George and Redfern Sts.
The heritage building on the opposite corner has been empty
since the Post Office moved and needs to be activated if we want to enrich the
area. We should be negotiating with the owners to utilise the space instead of
leaving it empty.
It could be a perfect spot for an Aboriginal Art
Gallery and Bookshop
which could be the focal point for emerging Aboriginal enterprises in the area.
Earlier in the year I had a conversation with the Manager of
the Boomali Coop of Aboriginal artists and they were desperate to relocate back
into Redfern. A shopfront or gallery of some sort that sold the work of these
artists could begin the process of making Redfern a place for real contemporary
Aboriginal culture.
We should look at seed funding to help these successful and
emerging Aboriginal enterprises relocate to Redfern.
Similarly if we choose the right applicant we could have an
invigorated and exciting space in our property between the Aboriginal Medical
Service and the new Community Health Centre.
This could really kick start local arts in the area and
create a hub for local artists and young people with a community vision.
Again there is an application with Council to hold monthly
markets in Redfern
Park which could also
become a crowd pulling event along the lines of the Surry Hills Markets which
over time led to the rebirth of Crown St.
We could look at encouraging vintage clothes shops and
secondhand books that would be popular with both the local Housing NSW
residents and the growing number of young students and artists who are moving
into the area.
We could encourage a lot more footpath cafes along both
streets and a few small bars could work really well with the growing gay and
student population. This would bring some life to the streets and dispel the
perception that the area is unsafe.
However, as long as we have a streetscape full of roller
doors and graffitteed shutters the area will battle with the perception of
danger.
I passed the factory clothes outlet on the corner of Regent
and Redfern Sts this morning and I noticed that the building which straddles
both streets had at least 6 roller doors making it a very unfriendly entrance
into the heart of Redfern.
We really have to put some energy into getting shopowners to
remove or paint their shutters and roller doors. Unless we do something to
brighten these shutters the area will remain a dead zone at night and on the
weekends which really hurts its business potential.
We could run a competition to harness the local street
artists to beautify the shutters – there used to be 2 large areas for street
art – at the Cope St
car park and along the walls of the Redfern
School – both have been
removed due to redevelopments.
The study talks constantly of creating a theme for Redfern
around Indigenous culture but there is an underlying contradiction with this
aspiration and the reality of discrimination and disadvantage among local
Aboriginal people. This is an issue that needs to be discussed seriously if the
strategy is to have any hope of being more than a further exploitation of the
local community.
The extent of this problem can be seen in statements from
leasing agents for the area (p46 point 4 first dot point) who claimed it was
hard to lease properties because of the “poor reputation of the suburb,
especially crime, safety, beggars/loiterers, anti-social behaviour on the
streets and Indigenous Australians.”
These are sobering remarks and can never be underestimated when
trying to meet all expectations for the area. As each new development comes on
line we will see a big change in the demographics of the area and we must
ensure that existing residents on low incomes, pensions, with disabilities and
of Aboriginal descent are not disadvantaged in the gentrification process.
It is a matter of first priority that the business
coordinator for the area be appointed and given a brief to work exclusively on rejuvenating
Redfern and Waterloo
in consultation with businesses, social services, residents, and the RWA.
The input of local Aboriginal stakeholders and Council’s
ATSI Advisory Panel should be part of that consultation.
We need to remember the working class heart of Redfern and Waterloo and the
industries that employed those workers…..the many redevelopments should include
this history in their design and artworks.
The Targeted Tenancy Plan must be developed in consultation
with stakeholders and the community and courageous action needs to be taken to
help these new tenants find and maintain tenancies.
We need to pursue the idea of changing Regent and Gibbons
Sts back to two way traffic and find ways to advertise the free bus service to
the Carraigeworks markets so that we strengthen the links between the two sides
of the railway.
The revitalisation of Redfern is a priority and must not
just be accepted and noted it must be implemented and the recommendations of
the study taken up as a matter of priority.
That is:
–
the appointment of a business coordinator
–
the creation of a Targeted Tenancy Plan
–
the creation of a branding and communications strategy
–
negotiations with the RWA to help implement the
strategy
What we do now will pave the way for a lively future as more
people come into the area and large scale developments like those planned for
the RSL and its neighbour in Gibbons
St will provide a large market for the local businesses
we begin today.