It would surely be a more positive, far-sighted approach for developers to consider this space and asset to any development of Redfern Station and the surrounding area, rather than fill it with more buildings!

Redfern desperately needs this green space to remain.

There are so few places left like this. Once this is gone it will never be replaced. To even consider removing this grassed area is criminal.

Why?? Doesn’t council have enough areas already visually destroyed?

This is a difficult letter to write as I am quite literally seething with anger. What I would like to do to anyone involved with this project is based on the more violent aspects of the movie ‘Casino’ - if you remember it. As we live in a relatively advanced society I am not going to resort to baseball bats and heads in vices, but that is the strength of my feelings.

My little oasis of green opposite the Watertower block is not huge, overly private or historically significant I suppose but I use the park daily for nothing other than going for a walk. It is the primary reason I bought this property. In fact I was taken by the uniqueness of the whole area - and it is being destroyed before my eyes.

I am appalled at the heavy handed and uncaring behaviour of the State Govt. There is absolutely no benefit for anyone at all by destroying the last remaining few native trees in ‘my’ little park. Why are you not looking at wrecking an area that is already aesthetically destroyed?

When I walk along the rail lines and down into this park I see the untouched remaining trees that would have been here 200 years ago that still exist. Why do you have to destroy everything here?

What should be occurring is amenity improvement - why destroy something that could be a beautiful native garden? With a tiny amount of money this could become such a feature. It is an absolute delight for me to feed the native noisy minors that inhabit this area - why can’t such animals be encouraged, not concreted. God knows how hard it is for anything other than cats to thrive in this environment.

Once my little park has been swamped by tall buildings it will be gone FOREVER. WHY? The only answer is greed. And that disgusts me.

If this proceeds you will have removed the only light source I have from my dwelling.

You will remove ALL light from the entire eastern side of this block.

You will destroy some of the last remaining original trees from the area.

You will have effectively turned my little unit into a Meriton apartment.

You will have tremendously increased the traffic in a quiet street.

You will have removed ALL the parts of this property that I hold dear.

You will have turned a small but pleasant view into a view of the road and property opposite.

You will have obviously massively reduced the monetary value of my property.

Sadly I have had to become legally aggressive to defend myself in the past and if this goes ahead I will of course be requiring adequate compensation for the loss of value these highrises will cause to my home.

I have just looked at your draft proposal again and I am absolutely gobsmacked that you are seriously suggesting EIGHTEEN storey buildings anywhere near here at all! AND ON A PARK!

There is absolutely no way to describe this as anything other than money grabbing ecological vandalism.

Maybe you look upon us as collateral damage. Maybe you believe that as only aboriginal communities live here no one will get upset or raise a finger to help save something special.

Redfern has a special character. If you have ever visited La Boca in Buenos Aires you may have an understanding of what can be achieved. I see Redfern as a place that one day will have an Eveleigh St full of brightly coloured terraces and Aboriginal markets and handiworks for sale as a tourist mecca. Seven and Eighteen storey buildings are inconceivable in such an environment.

To quote your words ‘the decline in population and the traditional industrial base has impacted on the area’s economic sustainability’ This is absolute rubbish, but probably could have been levelled at Paddington in the 1960’s. This area is in the middle of a transformation based upon its historical character and because of that character.

What has happened (as you well know) is that bigger business found smaller factories and warehouses unproductive and moved to much larger premises out West, which was made more viable by way long overdue improvements in transport. As these businesses left, the area reverted to a relatively higher proportion of residences as a natural progression. What you are trying to do is artificially change that and it shows a lack of understanding that is almost beyond my comprehension.

Any development to this area MUST be sympathetic to this residential revival or you will destroy all the character that local residents cherish and appreciate.

I have major issues with any 4 storey plus building in the entire area. I am simply stunned that you want 18 storey buildings and apoplectic that not only do want these hideous light stealing behemoths at all BUT YOU WANT THEM ON MY PARK!

I am a person who does occasionally make money out of property development among other things. I often have to fight council’s to see what I see in a project because of arcane laws and people with no foresight. I now find the same governing body being guilty of the most flagrantly unsympathetic development I have yet seen (including Mr Triguboffs finest) and in such a heavy handed and uncompromising way I am lost for words.

I will fight this hideous proposal in every way that I can.

Re: Draft Redfern-Waterloo Built Environment Plan and its potential adverse impact on the residents of The Watertower, Marian St. and of Ariane, Rosehill St., Redfern.

Apart from the obvious and already widely condemned proposed vandalising of two of the already scarce patches of trees in Redfern, to be replaced with concrete and the token minimal amount of landscaping demanded by the rules, this proposal is an abomination in many other ways.

We are owners of a strata unit in The Watertower, 1-9 Marian Street, Redfern, and along with all residents of the Watertower, we are filled with dread by these plans to clear-fell the trees and enclose The Watertower with office blocks. Not only because it will obliterate this architecturally significant building from the Redfern horizon, but because it will also restricts The Watertower’s air and light. Another overlooked and impossible-to-calculate factor is the resulting increase in wind funnelling that already affects The Watertower’s upper floors.

But our principle concern is loss of Marian Street Park bounded by Marian, Rosehill & Gibbons streets, and the trees in the adjacent area to its north. Replacing these with steel and glass boxes of workers and residents will create chaos in many other ways for residents of Rosehill, Marian and Cornwallis streets.
e.g., vehicle access, already difficult due to the over-use of the ONLY route to The Watertower, Rosehill St., due to saturation parking, which was unplanned for when the Rosehill St. commercial sites were proposed, is already subject to the whim of one careless parker or indifferent deliverer. Our access will become secondary to and at the mercy of, an explosion of traffic in Rosehill Street, to service the high-rise buildings that used to be Marian Street Park. And please do not try to tell us “Sufficient parking will be provided”. They said this for the commercial buildings in Rosehill St., and now look at it in business hours. The size and the purpose of these buildings and the planned density of this whole Redfern-Waterloo project means saturation traffic in streets that are already too narrow; Cleveland, Lawson (esp. the railway bridge), Regent, Henderson Rd., Gibbons, Rosehill, and probably, as the only escape route from the inevitable Rosehill Street quagmire, Cornwallis St., which is also one-way, narrow, with no scope for widening to two-way traffic.

But the main issue here is the park and some few remaining trees in Redfern. The authors of this plan might think that sacrificing a few trees is “the price of progress”. Today, a few people might agree with them. But tomorrow, when they see what has happened, they will not.

As there will be losers from this project, there will be winners; politicians and other stakeholders, who will try to assure us with the usual doublespeak. “Trust us. We will plant new, shinier trees” and “At the end of the day, the bottom line is that in effect, the trees are only being transferred to a more compatible environment, where they will be much happier.”

After comparing feelings and reactions with other residents of both Watertower and Ariane (Rosehill & Margaret Streets), we can promise that any tampering with Marian Street Park will raise long-lasting bitterness and opposition, however impotent (until next Council and State elections), in this Redfern block.

Yours sincerely,

Gordon and Betty Phipps.

The pollution created by the very heavy road traffic along Gibbons Street is already quite extreme. I have a coating of black dust on everything on my balcony and in my house through the open windows within hours of having cleaned it. As we all know, trees are helpful and efficient in absorbing pollution and cleaning the air. Without the many trees of our small park doing this work I dread to think how severe the pollution will become, and the decrease in local resident’s health which will accompany it.

I am lucky enough to live in a west facing apartment which gets sunlight in the afternoon which, among other things, feeds the plants which I grow both for pleasure and to help combat the pollution. If the proposals to destroy the park and replace it with buildings go ahead, I will lose all sun on my balcony, which will not only kill my plants but will make my apartment a very dark and depressing place to be. The office blocks will also have a lovely view of my living room and the loss of my privacy greatly concerns me.

Having consulted the draft plan, it seems that the ‘commercial core’ that I will suddenly be resident of contains two miniscule areas of open space. The Cope Street Reserve would be hard pressed to be called a park rather than a large bus stop, given that footpaths already concrete the majority of it. In actual fact, despite walking there almost daily, I did not realise it was supposed to be a park/open space until I looked at the Draft plan. Given that according to the draft plan the remains of Marian Park will be of similar size I don’t think anyone could argue it being a green/open space – it’s just a leftover awkwardly shaped triangle of land that can’t fit a building on it, with a lot more local apartment residents and office workers squashing in trying to pretend it’s an ‘open space’.

This park simply cannot be destroyed and I will fight this aspect of the proposal in any way I can.

I love living in Redfern. The area is unique in Sydney and the local character is vitally important to me and why I love the area so much. The stated aims of the RWA in regenerating the area are admirable, especially in retaining the character of the current community. I understand that new buildings to house new workers and shops and services are part and parcel of any urban renewal. However I have to say that the current plan does not seem to me to consider the current community character in any way. It looks to me (despite the cunning single trees masking the enormous buildings in the artist’s impressions of the new ‘civic space’) like the ‘new’ Redfern will be nothing more that a new Chatswood – a barren wasteland of paving, concrete and enormous buildings with nary a living thing in sight and a tomb-like atmosphere after office hours. As someone who often works until very late at night I dread the deserted concrete canyons I would be walking through to get home. If I wanted to live in Chatswood that’s where I’d live. I thought we were supposed to learn from our mistakes, not repeat them.

I understand that I live in the inner city and the convenience that I enjoy as a result balances the scales with the noise and the pollution and the other less attractive aspects. Yes Redfern Station is massively under-utilised given its volume of train traffic, yes there are social problems in the area that need addressing, yes there are areas which are degraded which can be improved. But decimating the local Aboriginal community, our open green space and our community identity does not balance the scales for the alleged benefits. I realise that there must be some developments that we won’t enjoy to get the community benefits we desire, but it seems that this draft gives us a lot of bad and no good.

I urge you to rethink the planning to take into account the community of Redfern. I’d rather have no development and no addressing of social issues than this monstrous proposal that gives the local community no benefits, only drawbacks.

And save Marian Park, for all of our sakes!

In responding to a section of the RWA Draft BEP Stage 1, I write to you with a profound feeling of shock and anger, but not despair. By appealing to you with rational, cogent, heart-felt convictions and ideas, I write with hope and determination to influence some changes in the plan. In doing so, I make the assumption that both you and your team of planners are approaching this whole exercise with open minds, with a willingness to take on board recommendations from the community and react positively.
I believe some amendments to your draft plan are absolutely critical, not just for the local community of today, but for our society in general, well into the future.

I should begin by acknowledging that I am a resident of the Watertower apartment building (yes, people live in this building), on the 4th floor, eastern, Rosehill Street side, with a roof-top terrace overlooking Marian Street Park. I have had sixteen years of pleasure living at this inner city location (and for four years around the corner in Lawson Street before that). I chose to move from the eastern suburbs of Sydney, where I grew up, to Redfern. I have both gained from and contributed to living in this very multi-cultural, broad socio-economic community.
I agree that there are changes that could be made to improve the environment of Redfern/Waterloo, coupled with employment, educational, cultural and care provisions for my community.
However, I totally fail to see how (in fact I totally disagree with the concept) plonking a series of 18 storey office blocks, or any towers for that matter, here in the heart of Redfern and looming down Gibbons Street, can do anything for the people who live here except cause great grief; providing opportunities for residents from all over Sydney to train in to, at the expense of Redfern locals, is an anathema to me. We are a richly diverse community which deserves to be encouraged and protected, not trod upon. Sydney society will be the beneficiary.

As a Watertower resident I’m angered by the statement on page 50 of the draft RWA BEP which states ” the public domain within and around the site”,(Redfern railway station/Gibbons St) ” is unattractive and uninviting”. I say, take a look at Marian Street Park and the Watertower building.

In commenting on the draft BEP(stage 1), I want to address two issues in particular:-

1 The Preservation of Marian Street Park

At www.marianpark.net you can read the history of two previous struggles to prevent Marian Street Park from being subsumed and obliterated. There is also a cogent case outlined for the preservation of Marian Street Park ( with which I totally agree) and the absolute necessity to have the area ( bounded by Gibbons and Rosehill Sts ) REZONED as RESERVATION OPEN SPACE. The easement must be removed and the entire park gazetted and registered as PUBLIC RESERVE in perpetuity.
This should include the area in front of the Watertower building, north of Marian Street which is currently a bitumen covered area being use as a car-parking space, but planted with 28 trees and a further 47 outside the current fence line. It should be noted that this area was originally included as the park.
This is publicly owned land and should remain that way, as parkland (social capital). We should never be considering selling off publicly owned land, covered with trees, and planning to replace the existing treasured green space with privately owned tower blocks.
Public awareness is very mature these days in relation to the invaluable social importance of URBAN GREEN SPACE. Some important battles have been fought and won. We are fighting hard to win. The community needs this green lung of mature trees (so do the variety of 20 kinds of birds seen here). We need it for health, recreational and aesthetic purposes.
Surely any rational human being doesn’t need to be convinced in this day and age about the philosophical and scientific questions around green zones.

a) My personal experiences of living adjacent to this park are numerous

—SKY GAZING -sunrises, sunsets, glorious cloud formations, rainbows, storms lightning, moon rising, star gazing
—TREE GAZING -light and movement in the foliage, 20 different kinds of birds, foxes, observing enormous growth in the trees over the years
—PEOPLE GAZING - elders strolling, kids playing, parents with youngsters in buggies and babies in prams, cyclists, walkers, luncheon on grass, people reading, resting, meditating, chatting, walking their dogs, waiting for friends, workers traversing or hurrying by, or even praying
—CITY GAZING - north through trees to City of Sydney skyline
—LOCAL ENVIRONMENT GAZING - daydreaming, mentally resting, spiritually nourishing, aesthetically replenishing
—SOAKING UP SUNLIGHT, not shadows
—SENSUALLY EXPERIENCING THE NOR-EASTERLY BREEZE

ALL THIS WILL DISAPPEAR if you plonk 18 stories, or even 7 stories on the site.

b) Park utilisation is also about it JUST BEING THERE, bearing witness to nature - providing a green lung for our body’s health, but also a green visual space for our peace of mind.

c) The look of the park changes with the shifting light throughout the day and throughout the year. It can provide an aesthetically nourishing experience for those people who reside or work nearby as well as be a delight for occasional visitors to the surrounding area.
Even the thousands of motorists who pass by each day, often stuck in long traffic jams next to the park, can experience some calm and solace from the green zone of Marian Street Park.

d) I read recently that parks/gardens are a growing part of the business landscape in New York. Architects and designers are finding new ways to use nature, for the beauty of a park/garden enriches and nourishes. It appears that putting nature to work is good business.
Parks/gardens can and should be an integral element with surrounding buildings

Therefore,RWA Planners, please take note, Marian Street Park should not only be preserved, but the area to the immediate north of the Watertower resumed as park and the whole area be enhanced and upgraded.

There are at least 20 apartment buildings which have been created in the area in recent years (from Lawson Square down to Henderson Road, Regent, Cope, Gibbons, Wyndham, Rosehill, Cornwallis and Garden Streets - of course bringing a greatly expanded residential population.
How could it even enter a single mind to consider removing an existing green space which has 150 plus trees amongst thousands of residents, as well as many more visitors who pass through this area on a daily basis?

e) 3 excellent examples of public parks which are very similar in area size to Marian Street Park. These three parks each have one busy road passing by a perimeter with two or three less busy streets on other sides - they are all surrounded by residential buildings.

- PUBLIC GARDEN OF MONTHOLON
79, rue La Fayette, 1X eme, PARIS, France - created in 1860’s 4571 square metres, bordering the grand boulevard, La Fayette - it has central lawns, magnificent plane trees, seating, sculpture, a small children’s playing area. It is an absolute oasis and enjoys both active and passive utilisation by all age groups. It was originally dedicated to the Parisian worker.
- HOLLIS PARK - 168-184 Wilson St, NEWTOWN - recently restored, this area is a neighbourhood favourite with its giant Moreton Bay Figs, native plantings, seating, children’s playing area. It, too, enjoys active and
passive utilisation by all age groups from sitting reading to kid’s birthday parties to friendly chit-chatting.
- ROYAL HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN PARK, PADDINGTON - Glenmore Road, from Brown Street to Begg Lane - a new public park opened in 2005 - dedicated to the community of Paddington, it occupies 0.5 hectares on the northern section of the original hospital site.Clover Moore describes it as “a valuable open and recreational space for a densely populated Paddington”. Any comparisons spring to mind?

2 Protection of the Integity of the Watertower Building
The WATERTOWER apartment building, with its eastern facade facing on to Marian Street Park, has a symbiotic relationship with the park - the integrity of both the park and building are intermeshed.
The Watertower is not listed asa heritage site, but it is regarded as having great historical and architectural significance. It was built in 1903 and is in the genre of buildings on the Everleigh site, the wool/bond stores and Powerhouse Museum. The building was originally the McMurtrie & Co Ltd making Macmur and Coo-ee boots and shoes - there were also many outworkers for McMurtrie in cobblers’ shops along Regent Street. Louis Stone in his novel, JONAH, refers to McMurtries as Packards. Sydney Theatre Company commissioned a two-act musical based on JONAH and ABC TV screened a mimi series based on JONAH.

The conversion of the building to apartments was carried out in 1984 and it is often referred to as a landmark conversion - at present it commands a majestic presence in the local environment. This is an all too rare quality in Sydney these days and so Sydney, let alone Redfern, needs to preserve it as such.
You can destroy a building in more ways than actually demolishing it.

I feel it is essential to preserve the current sightlines of the building:-
– NORTH - the front of the building can be viewed clearly and unbroken, all the way from Waverton, and also, straight down the railway line from Central Station, platforms 1 and 2
– SOUTH / WEST - wonderful view from west in the ATP, up past the 19th century iron watertower towards the Watertower building - n.b. this sightline is preserved
– EAST - from Regent & Gibbons Sts, through park to Rosehill St
– from the windows of the TNT towers too, no doubt

The Australian Technology Park has, in my opinion, done an excellent job in the preservation and re-use of the heritage buildings on the site. I especially like the protection and preservation of the industrial ’sculpture’ (largely connected to the 19th century locomotive building) and the accompanying excellent signage. I am proud to walk visitors (especially from overseas) here. It would be fabulous to be able to walk around other, nearby parts of Redfern-Waterloo and be as proud.
What about it planners?

I’ll finish by saying, parks contribute an important role as city populations increase and cityscapes expand - they help people find there some moments of serenity in this busy world. And of course, the trees help to contribute to our general health by counteracting the pollution in the atmosphere and the depleted ozone levels.
The RWA state on page 51 of their BEP that they want to be sensitive to the existing residential developments in the vicinity. They’d be on to an absolute winner by preserving Marian St Park and rezoning it as parkland forever. This could become a jewel in the heart of your plan.
Yours sincerely, ROBYN GORDON

* This letter includes 7 appendices showing photos of Marian St Park from a variety of angles ; plus an early 1900’s photo, as well as current images, of the Watertower building.

On coming to live and work in Redfern 20 years ago, the area appeared to have reached its nadir. Casual perusal of the Sydney Morning Herald’s real estate section at the time would reveal no houses or apartments listed for sale in Redfern – compare that with today.

We’ve watched and participated in the slow progression of the area; the ebb and flow of daily life and change.
We’ve lived with two state governments
We’ve been attached to two state seats – Marrickville and Bligh
We’ve lived with two local councils – South Sydney and City of Sydney

So we are used to change: both political, and in style and emphasis.

In recent years the pace of change in the local built environment has accelerated. This is due in part to actions by the State Government (e.g. Australian Technology Park, and two refurbishments of Redfern railway station), but more largely to organic growth by small developers, businesses and households under established and well-understood local government planning codes.

This change has increased, and to a certain extent altered, the local population. However within this structure serious and self-evident social problems persist.

It is well-understood and documented that the fundamental nature of public housing occupancy has changed in the last 30 years, and that tenants are more likely to be socially disadvantaged.

The indigenous population retains a strong presence in the area not only as residents, but also as providers and consumers of services (e.g. Aboriginal medical services). NB: Recent sensitive redevelopment of 35 Cope Street as an Aboriginal Community Aged Care Program Office and Centre.
RESPONSE TO THE RWA PLAN

At first glance, the RWA plan just doesn’t seem to make planning sense.

Some 35 hectares of mainly public land, held in trust for the people of NSW by the current State Government, to be intensively redeveloped for private sector profit.

As Wayne Parcell PSM, former resident of The Watertower, succinctly puts it: “The whole thrust of the plan is the sale of public land dressed up as a law and order and social policy to save the disadvantaged and less-privileged – essentially a wrecking ball dressed up as a mirror ball.”

One is reminded of the famous response emanating from the Vietnam War: “ It became necessary to destroy the town to save it.”

The 70 pages of glossy brochure, written one suspects to attract developers, is a fundamentally flawed document. It is a vast array of assertions and assumptions littered with ‘feel-good’ statements, made with the purpose of deflecting criticism and in-depth analysis.

The Human Services Plan “sets out a framework for improving access to health, education, employment and other essential human services in Redfern and Waterloo.”

The real question is: Will these mantras be delivered by the transfer of public land to private ownership – the development of 440,000 sq ft of medium and high-rise tower blocks to accommodate 18,000 business jobs?

The plan is littered with anomalies. Take the artistic vision on page 4:
FANTASY: Redfern Station / Plaza / People sitting, chatting. Note the four-lane highway with half a car in sight.
REALITY: Windswept area bisected by Gibbons Street double set of traffic lights, funnelling a high volume of cars, trucks and emergency vehicles into City-South, Redfern-East and Darlington areas, Truck noise, breaking and fumes are also deceivingly absent.

The supposed Redfern gateway Plaza straddles two main roads: Gibbons Street and Regent Street. How will the intransigent RTA solve these problems?
CONCLUSION: Ridiculous

It is impossible to critique in detail such a voluminous and complex plan, however I think two areas are in need of special pleading:
• The Marian Street Park, that area of well-trodden green open space bounded by Redfern railway station, Gibbons and Rosehill Streets’, and adjacent to Marian Street.
• Cope Street Park, that area of roughly grassed, tree-fringed open space adjacent to the former Redfern Public School, butting Cope and Phillip Streets’.

MARIAN STREET PARK
First let me declare my special interest, living as I do on the top floor, Eastern face of The Watertower. The park commences on the other side of Rosehill Street less than 20 metres from our apartment terrace. The top of a mature gum tree is framed by our living room windows.

The open space provided by the park allows sunlight to flood in. The north-easterly breeze provides welcome relief during the warmer months.

The lack of buildings to the east and north-east provides for special delights:
- a tiny glimpse of a curve of the harbour bridge
- being able to see part of the city skyline and central railway clock tower when eating on the terrace at night
- being able to cultivate a garden
- watching the setting sun strike the western face of the Telstra Tower building, the Waterloo flats; and then slide across the buildings in the middle-distance
- seeing in part the photograph on pages 8 and 9 of the RWA brochure
- being conscious of changing cloud and weather conditions
- seeing sunrise and moonrise over a middle-distance, disparate landscape

The RWA proposes to destroy this ‘green lung’ with adjacent 18 and 5 storey buildings to the east; and 18 and 7 storey buildings with active street frontages to the north.

The Watertower is a 100 year-old iconic, industrial building was redeveloped in the early 1980s and now contains 65 apartments. Ariane is a new, lower building which houses 54 apartments sitting neatly to the south. Both will be drastically affected.

If the current plan procedes, the loss of amenity will be enormous:
- total loss of sunlight, breeze and privacy
- total loss of green open space
- visual pollution from the rear of the new commercial buildings
- 24 hour bright artificial light intruding into living and bedroom areas
- noise from deliveries and services

The Watertower is a majestic building. Its size and dominance in the landscape, due to the open spaces around it make it one of the most important industrial buildings in Redfern; and along with the Turner/Renwick Streets’ electricity generator building, the most important in private ownership. It should rank alongside the Harris Street woolstores.

The fact that such a building has high visibility is important. One can see it: standing on platforms 1 and 2 at Central Railway Station, looking south down the tracks; driving up Gibbons Street; travelling through Redfern by train; walking to Redfern station from the Australian Technology Park, and; standing in Marian Street Park.

The Watertower is part of our built heritage. To surround and squeeze such a building with unwanted, unnecessary and dominant high-rise development would effectively remove it from the local landscape and community.

Marian Street Park, including that area touching the railway site now alienated by its use as a car park, is beyond price. It should form the focus of any sensible redevelopment in the area.

Inner-city green space must never be removed or destroyed. It must be nurtured for the present and greater public good. Once built on it will never be replaced. Shannon Reserve, Surry Hills; Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, Newtown – what great value these areas provide to their neighbourhoods.

• Marian Street Park is crucial to a mature, well-planned Redfern.

• Sensible planners recognise that people use such areas now, and will cherish them in the future.

• Rather than destruction, the park needs extensive landscaping to become a focal point for the local community. (For a more detailed backgrounding and arguments for open space retention, see Appendix 1.)

COPE STREET PARK
This park has over a long period, acted as a playing area for Redfern Public School.

To state, as the RWA Draft Plan pg.62 does:

“The majority of the site is not used … access to the playing fields … has been boardered up,” is inaccurate.

Access has been continual via the pedestrian link between Redfern and Phillip Streets’. A further pedestrian link has been informally established between the housing commission towers and the Regent Street shops. This link is used by numerous people every day.

All the generic arguments for green open space retention apply as for Marian Street Park.

With minimal vision one can see such an area becoming an active space for children and adolescents from the high-rise flats, perhaps in conjunction with local sporting clubs. It could also emerge in part as a passive area for adults to meet, greet, exercise themselves and their animals – another ‘green lung’ for future generations.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Accept and embrace the history and heritage of the area as outlined in 2.3, ‘Heritage and History’.

• Demonstrate to existing residents that housing, jobs, education and training can proceed without gross overdevelopment and environmental destruction.

• Encourage the area to grow organically within the present planning codes and building regulatory regimes.

• Develop user-friendly access to Redfern railway station platforms

• Improve links between Redfern railway station and the Australian Technology Park, including the proposed bicycle/pedestrian cross-track link.

• Develop a green bicycle/pedestrian link on or adjacent to the railway land between Redfern station, City Road and Central station.

• Reserve and extend all green open space:
- Marian Street Park should extend from Railway exit on Gibbons Street, south to Boundary Street. It should be owned and managed by the City of Sydney Council
- Cope Street Park could be both an active and passive recreational area, owned by the Council, and perhaps managed by local sporting clubs.

• A reaffirmation of the difficulties faced by The Block, and a concerted effort to resolve them in a manner acceptable to the wider indigenous community.

As an owner and resident I strongly object to the building of a 18 story building and or a 5 story building on the Marian Park site.

The buildings being placed in the middle of residential buildings which are only 4 stories high is unconscionable. Since most of the surrounding buildings are residential and under 10 years old it is unlikely they will be developed to mirror the 18 story but it will be an eye sore out of place.

There is a major concern among those of us living in buildings adjacent about the support viability for just a high heavy building. As the sub terrain is undermined by train tunnels. All local buildings of only 4 stories feel most trains going under. As this is experientially reverberated upwards, the concern for stability grows with each story added.

Your proposal that it will invigorate the area and stimulate growth is flawed. There is no support for office space or new units as there is already an over abundance of units in the area a true glut on the market with more nearing completion. AS for commercial space local buildings are having difficulties finding tenants now. There is no parking or infrastructure to support the number of people which would populate an 18 story commercial building.

It is currently the only non-metered parking available to local residents and that is only on 1 side of the street. Tenants in the area have all been denied resident parking permits as the council says no parking was intended for residents. Wyndam/Gibbon Street is the main arterial road from the airport into the city through Waterloo and Alexandria. These buildings will be built with no consideration for parking.

It also is taking the remaining ground absorption area for rainwater. The three buildings approx (150 units) already have a problem with run off water from the storm water drains back flooding our parking garages in heavy rain as the system is undersized, parts are unreachable and as more bare ground is eliminated by new buildings the bigger the problem. Now you want to eliminate one of the last two blocks of ground area, the larger one.

There is no consideration fro the 15 or so Lorikeets, 4 Rosellas, and 1 Kookaburra who live in the strip. It is hard enough to encourage native birds into a concrete jungle without eliminating one of the last strips of 150 trees.

There is also a concern it will create a wind tunnel and trap the auto emissions and funnel them straight into the existing units. Wyndam/Gibbons is a very busy 4 lane one-way street. It will increase the risk to asthmatics by increasing air pollution and limiting tree absorption of the same. Stand next to the T&T building and note the wind activity. Move 1 block down and note the difference. It will severely limit the natural light any of the current tenants get.

Sincerely
Casey Kimes
Owner Unit 26
13-23 Gibbons Street
Redfern

Re: Proposed Built Environment Plan – concerning the Marian Street Park

I am writing this in response to the RWA’s request for comments on its Draft Built Environment Plan (Stage One) released in February this year. I am horrified by the Plan’s proposal to build business towers surrounding the Watertower, my home for the past nineteen years.

As a student of culture and art, I have enjoyed a sense of history and cultural diversity of Redfern, as well as its proximity to the city. Over the nineteen years, I have seen welcoming changes in the area, particularly the sensible development of ATP, new residential apartment blocks nearby and the Redfern Community Centre at the Block.

I attended functions at APT, including a conducted tour of some of the old buildings that had been refurbished to house the centre for latest technologies. I have always admired the heritage-conscious approach to the whole APT development, and have felt proud to live right next to it, in another old warehouse building imbued with the sense of history as well as of now and future. The increasing residential apartment blocks have brought ‘lived-in’ feel to the area. I have also attended functions at the Redfern Community Centre, including a photography exhibition, and evening fitness classes (until a back problem prevented me from continuing).

The spontaneously grown community of Watertower residents has been inclusive, supportive and informative from the moment I moved in. Perhaps it was natural that people who chose to live in the Watertower, despite generally negative perception of the area, share similar values. I believe that the character of the building, its landmark significance, has played a major role in these values.

I live on the eastern side of the Watertower, overlooking Marian Street Park, the stretch of green space between Gibbons and Rosehill Streets and including the northeast of the building currently used as car parks. The trees and the soil in the park are food source to many resident and visiting birds. I see Rainbow Lorikeets, Red Wattlebirds and Noisey Minors feeding on flowering gums, banksias, wattles, grevilleas and other flowering native trees. During the last ten years or so, Rainbow Lorikeet has been on the increase, thanks to the growing number of native flowering trees in the area. Common Ibis feed on worms after rain, and so do kookaburras – I saw three kookaburras last week, catching worms/grubs, defying protests from the territorial Noisey Minor. The large gum and plane tree on the western side of the park have been home to Peewee families. My neighbours and I have watched chicks grow in the nest. The parent birds would regularly take pieces from hanging baskets on the fourth floor balcony to make/repair the nest. They survive on insects and worms in the park, as do other birds - Swallows, Wrens, Willy Wagtails, not to mention Magpies and Currawongs. Other occasional visitors include Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (and, recently, Corella), Yellow Winged Honeyeater, Silver Eyes, Galah, Koel and Bul Bul. At night, we also see and hear fruit bats.

I have taken such comfort from seeing and listening to those birds amongst the traffic noise, alarms and sirens during the nineteen years I have lived in this building. The precious piece of nature has provided me with a buffer against various stress associated with inner city living. I cannot imagine life in the Watertower without Marian Street Park.

Yet, your Draft Plan proposes to build an 18-storey business building on this green space. At least five apartment blocks currently surround the Park, and we would all not only lose the buffer and relief from stress but also be confronted by concrete structures whose occupants would be unlikely to care about the environment of the area – they would ‘only work there’. You and Mohini stated that the Plan was designed to bring back population in Redfern – do you mean a ‘daytime population’, or people who actually live in Redfern, who would suffer and might leave the area if such buildings materialise? The psychological benefits of feeling close to nature are not always obvious, and I am afraid that many residents of the apartments around the Park may not be aware of them until they are gone from their lives.

I attended the meeting when you visited the Watertower on 13 March, and was disturbed by the implication of your comments: while stressing that the Plan was a ‘draft, and subject to a review’, you managed to present the it as a means to ‘improve the local business and provide training to disadvantaged people in the area’, as if to say that opposition to the 18 story business tower outside my window would be a selfish attitude that would deny local communities opportunity for improvements.

I do care about the local community. The question is: would my putting up with living on the back of a business tower, losing the sun, not being able to open the window for fear of being looked into, and coming home in the evening to deserted streets etc. guarantee revitalisation of the local community in return? I do not think so. I am an art historian and former museum worker, and do not have expertise to suggest or argue an alternative plan. However, listening to other technically minded people in and outside the Watertower has convinced me that a more sensitive approach to local characters and heritage, as demonstrated by the ATP project, is not only possible but makes better sense in terms of the economy, location and needs of the community. Why not, for example, take advantage of the visible heritage that is the Watertower as one of the landmarks of Redfern?

I have moved from Japan to Australia nearly 30 years ago. Although I retain Japanese citizenship for legal and family reasons, I do not intend to return to Japan to live. Australia has given me a lot and I would like to think I am now giving it back. I deeply value the inclusive and diverse community in and outside the Watertower. Your Plan, as it stands, would shatter my feeling of belonging to it.

I hope you reconsider the Plan and retain Marian Street Park area as an example of people-friendly, heritage-sensitive development.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Chiaki Ajioka

Dear Frank,
My first two personal encounters with you were both a surprise, but then amiable and rewarding.
The first was in the late 1980’s when my husband and I were living in a tiny house in Lawson St Redfern. As a city councillor you came door-knocking, at night, to enquire what we as residents would like to see as improvements in the area. Our answer was a library, more green space and less heavy traffic in Lawson St. We were impressed by your efforts.

The second time was in the 1990’s when you were Lord Mayor of Sydney - we met on the steps of the Sydney Opera House after a free performance there for the Sydney Festival. I had my young niece and nephew from Lismore with me and they (both now graduates of Sydney University and residing in Sydney) still remember the animated and genuinely enquiring conversation you had with them as country kids.

I can only hope that in 2006 my third encounter with you, now as Minister for Planning and Minister for Redfern-Waterloo, will engender an equally satisfying result for me.

Re the RWA DRAFT BEP

I know you will not have time or opportunity to read all of the letters sent in to Robert Domm as CEO of the RWA.
Therefore, I’m including here for you:-
1) My submission to Robert Domm which includes a visual response and a series of photos.
2) A copy of a document prepared by the Marian St Park Preservation Group on the history of
the park, 1996 - 2000.
The bottom line is, I’m asking you to prevent any building development (18 storey or otherwise) on this green lung and to rezone it as open space parkland in perpetuity. This area could be upgraded and become a sparkling centrepiece in any RWA BEP and be a fine legacy for the community today and citizens of the future.

Yours sincerely

Robyn Gordon

6 April 2006

Mr Robert Domm CEO Redfern-Waterloo Authority PO Box 3332 Redfern NSW 2016

Dear Mr Domm,

DRAFT REDFERN-WATERLOO BUILT ENVIRONMENT PLAN (STAGE ONE) – FEBRUARY 2006

I am opposed to the over-arching control of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority (RWA) and its blatant inadequacy of governance in protecting the interests of the existing residents and businesses. This authority is akin to the draconian feudal laws that existed in the middle-ages in England.

I object to the proposal plan on two main fronts. The first is RWA’s disregard for how a dramatically changed environment will impact on the habitat of existing residents, including myself. The second is RWA’s misguided claims of providing a strategy that will “challenge the area’s social and economic disadvantage by fostering jobs, educational and life opportunities and a higher standard of living.” (Refer p2. “Redfern-Waterloo: On the threshold of revitalisation”.)

My first objection is based on the fact that I have lived in The Watertower apartments for over 20 years – with about 120 wonderful like-minded fellow residents in a building and an environment that engenders a community spirit that would surprise most. It is no coincidence that the long term residents at The Watertower and other nearby dwellings support the notion that peaceful and harmonious communities are nurtured by creating village type places and buildings, shops and housing that are consistent with those places and objects that have aesthetic and historical significance value for future generations as well as for the community today. This includes open park-like spaces for them and their families to live, work and play.

I wonder what your personal reaction would be if there was a proposal to erect three 18-story buildings towering three times the height of your residential apartment building in close proximity to one side with another 7-story building immediately adjacent to another side, and thus entombing your home with reduced light and outlook, and at the same time obliterating one of the few open green spaces remaining. Think of North Sydney by night or weekend – an unattractive lifeless concrete wasteland comprising of many office buildings with little to no residential opportunities and no open green space. That’s our new Redfern if the RWA get their way!

Quote from p2: “Redfern-Waterloo: On the threshold of revitalisation”……..
“It is imperative that the local community is a major beneficiary of the urban renewal program and all of the planning is being directed to this end. This is particularly the case with the more disadvantaged sections of the community, where unemployment and welfare dependency are major factors.”

“Fundamentally the draft Plan is aimed at ensuring that benefits gained from redevelopment and economic prosperity are shared by the whole community, especially local residents and businesses by facilitating:
• The provision of about 18,000 jobs
• The construction of about 2,000 new dwellings which will provide greater housing choice, demographic and socio-economic mix and is supported by an affordable housing program
• An upgraded Redfern Railway Station, civic square and public domain improvements promoting better amenity, safety and surveillance
• the establishment of cultural and community facilities
• the improved opportunities for the establishment of Aboriginal enterprises and cultural facilities
• high quality urban design and architecture”

I fail to see how selling off green space, i.e. “Marian Park” will benefit the local community; to most, it clearly provides generous commercial opportunities for “big” developers and adds substantial funds to the State Government coffers. Although not strictly designated as a park, this recreational area has for more than 20 years provided a little ‘breathing’ space for the enjoyment of people living in a high density residential area. It’s preposterous to think that massive 18-story buildings on this space can compensate in any way.

My second objection is based on my valid observations of living in Redfern for 20 years. I have lived through all the problems and issues associated with the prevailing disadvantages and low socio-economic standing of a large number of its people.

However, with the ‘natural development and progression’ of the area in the past few years, I have witnessed a gradual overall improvement to the working demographics and a substantially reduced level of crime and anti-social activity. This is attributable to the attraction of an increasing number of higher socio-economic level workers who are taking up work and housing opportunities in the area. (For example, the opportunities that have been created by Australian Technology Park and housing provided by numerous newly developed dwellings). This natural progression has been positive and beneficial to all existing and emerging residents and businesses.

I do not agree that your claimed 18,000 jobs will provide any real work opportunities for the welfare dependent and unemployed in this community. Rather it will attract more corporate type workers from other areas and leave these people no better off. Of course the ‘gainfully employed’ demographics will show improved levels. That is a statistical spin!

Furthermore, I believe that the proposed radical development changes will drastically intensify the levels of individual marginalisation due to greater exposure to the disparities between ‘the haves’ and ‘the have-nots’. This situation would be exacerbated by the proposal to increase affordable housing to levels beyond what is currently considered exceeding optimum. These factors will lead to desolation and higher levels of anti-social behaviour and undermine the community aspirations and social gains achieved to date and potentially in the future.

There are many aspects of this proposal that have not been considered adequately (and some not at all), particularly relating to the environmental impact relating to space, light, noise, traffic and the ‘real’ demographic and socio-economic effects to this area if this plan is to proceed.

I implore you to think carefully about the true and far-reaching impact that this sweeping proposal will have on the ‘now’ people of this community and their futures and take appropriate action to have this plan reformed based on the voice of the people who really matter.

Max Middleton

cc.
Mr Frank Sartor MP
Ms Clover Moore MP
Ms Kristina Kenneally MP
Dr Meredith Burgmann Duty MLC
Ms Lee Rhiannon MLC
Ms Sylvia Hale MLC
Ms Verity Firth Deputy Load Mayor of Sydney
Mr Tony Pooley Councillor
Mr Michael Lee Councillor
Mr John McInerny Councillor
Ms Tanya Plibersek MP
Mr Peter Garrett MP
Ms Sue Kennedy, Total Environment Centre
E M Farrelly, Sydney Morning Herald
Debra Jopson & Gerard Ryle, Sydney Morning Herald
The South Sydney Herald
Prof David Richmond, RWA
Mr Michael Collins, RWA
Ms Marcia Ella-Duncan OAM, RWA
Dr Col Gellatly, RWA
Mr Richard Johnson MBE, RWA
Ms Samantha Mostyn BA LLB, RWA
Ms Lucy Turnbull LLB MBA, RWA
Ms Jennifer Westacott BA, RWA

6 April 2006

Mr Robert Domm CEO Redfern-Waterloo Authority PO Box 3332 Redfern NSW 2016

Dear Mr Domm,

DRAFT REDFERN-WATERLOO BUILT ENVIRONMENT PLAN (STAGE ONE) – FEBRUARY 2006

I’m writing to express my serious concerns at the Draft Redfern-Waterloo Built Environment Plan.

‘Environment’ suggests a concern about or an emphasis on enhancing the local environment; where in fact your plan removes several green areas, including the Marian Street Park which is adjacent to the building in which I live; The Watertower. In a suburb that has precious little green spaces and sporting facilities, I find it staggering that you can suggest reducing this valuable and limited resource at all!

How can you imagine that bring thousands of commuters into the area is going to enhance it, or improve the quality of life of its residence? A massive movement of people in and out each day will do little to make this a better place to live. In contrast it will increase the pressure on already stretched resources.

These plans can only;

1. Increase air pollution, while at the same time reducing green spaces and destroying the few remaining trees, which can help combat carbon monoxide pollution.
2. Increase noise pollution.
3. Reduce the natural light, which many buildings around your ‘development’ currently enjoy.
4. Destroy the unique heritage emphasis of the old warehouse buildings in the area, including The Watertower, Redfern Station and Australia Technology Park.
5. Increase traffic to the area, which as a major arterial link to the airport are already congested by considerable excess traffic already.

May I remind you that the State Government has a responsibility to look after all of it’s people, which includes myself and my neighbours. In fact, more than a responsibility, you are in fact responsible and answerable to us. As the people who vote the State Government into power, I’m staggered by the hard nosed tactics I see being introduced in this so called ‘consultation process’. I have lived and work in African countries over the past 2 decades, and these sort of antics are frankly what I would expect of an African country run by a Dictator, where blatant disregard for its people and environment are the norm. I feel like I’m dealing with a Dictatorship, where my opinion, local environment and amenity are completely disregarded for the obvious benefit of commercialisation.

Redfern is a unique area, with it share of problems and issues, I agree - and I would support and encourage any actions to improve the area by working with the various groups of people which call Redfern home. However, to bastardise the area with massive high rise commercial developments couldn’t be more detrimental. This will destroy the village feel that many of us experience and enjoy living in this area.

Warren Smith

cc.
Mr Frank Sartor MP
Ms Clover Moore MP
Ms Kristina Kenneally MP
Dr Meredith Burgmann Duty MLC
Ms Lee Rhiannon MLC
Ms Sylvia Hale MLC
Ms Verity Firth Deputy Load Mayor of Sydney
Mr Tony Pooley Councillor
Mr Michael Lee Councillor
Mr John McInerny Councillor
Ms Tanya Plibersek MP
Mr Peter Garrett MP
Ms Sue Kennedy, Total Environment Centre
E M Farrelly, Sydney Morning Herald
Debra Jopson & Gerard Ryle, Sydney Morning Herald
The South Sydney Herald
Prof David Richmond, RWA
Mr Michael Collins, RWA
Ms Marcia Ella-Duncan OAM, RWA
Dr Col Gellatly, RWA
Mr Richard Johnson MBE, RWA
Ms Samantha Mostyn BA LLB, RWA
Ms Lucy Turnbull LLB MBA, RWA
Ms Jennifer Westacott BA, RWA