draft submission - Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal ... · The results of traffic modelling for...
Transcript of draft submission - Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal ... · The results of traffic modelling for...
City of SydneyABN 22 636 550 790
GPO Box 1591 Sydney NSW 2001 Australia
Town Hall House 456 Kent Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia Phone +61 2 9265 9333 Fax +61 2 9265 9222 TTY +61 2 9265 9276
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au TRIM 2015/042418
16 February 2015
1.0 Executive summary
2.0 Recommendations
3.0 Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy
4.0 Urban renewal – leading practice
5.0 Response to the Draft Strategy
6.0 Additional comments to promote successful urban renewal
Contents
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1.0 Executive Summary
Parramatta Road (The Great Western Highway) is a critical east-west artery
connecting the Central Sydney and Parramatta CBDs, and is an important direct
gateway to the Sydney CBD. The Parramatta Road corridor has excellent access to
employment land and to the public transport network, however severe congestion
and urban decay have limited the contribution that the corridor makes to providing
housing and employment opportunities to support Sydney’s projected growth.
The Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy proposes renewal of a 20 km
‘corridor’ aiming to provide 50,000 new homes and space for 50,000 new jobs by
2031. The City in general supports renewal along the ailing Parramatta Road corridor
and the precinct-based approach adopted in the Draft Strategy. However, successful
renewal will be contingent on a significant reduction in traffic volumes expected along
Parramatta Road which may (or may not) come as a result of the WestConnex
motorway project. This will allow for improved urban amenity, attracting residents and
businesses; and the re-prioritisation of road space, allowing for a focus on public and
active transport modes. Without a reduction in traffic volume by whatever means, a
significant improvement in the urban environment, transport choices, and contribution
to housing and employment growth, will not be realised.
Unfortunately, the Draft Strategy provides very little detail to support the housing and
jobs growth targets for Parramatta Road. It does not link projections to the
metropolitan strategy, and makes no mention of metropolitan sub-regional plans or
their preparation. As the Department of Planning’s own planning policy work has
argued, these must be key considerations in developing any urban renewal strategy,
and in the absence of key ‘evidence-based’ information and reference to the NSW
State Government’s strategic land-use planning framework, it is very difficult for local
government to play their part in the renewal process.
The NSW State Government has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with
nine of the Councils along the corridor, including the City of Sydney. The
Memorandum makes a commitment to an extensive community engagement process
and an engagement strategy, which has not yet been acted upon. It also makes a
commitment to developing an affordable housing target for the corridor, which is not
in the Draft Strategy. The City calls on the Government to make good on these and
other significant commitments in the next version of the renewal strategy.
The City of Sydney has considerable recent experience in conceiving, planning for,
and delivering urban renewal. We have also commissioned research into urban
renewal practices, identifying those which contribute to successful projects, and we
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have compiled some guiding principles which UrbanGrowth should use to guide
renewal of Parramatta Road.
The Camperdown precinct identified in the Draft Strategy straddles the Marrickville,
Leichhardt, and Sydney Local Government Areas. Most of the sites identified within
the City of Sydney have already been developed as strata medium density residential
and mixed use developments; or have planning controls that allow for such
development. They are unlikely to be changed as a result of the Draft Strategy. The
precinct also includes some sites which are subject to the City’s recent Planning
Proposal: Employment Lands. Considering the considerable research and strategic
work undertaken as part of the planning proposal, these sites should remain excluded
from the precinct.
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2.0 Key recommendations
The following key recommendations will promote best practice urban renewal along
the Parramatta Road corridor. Further recommendations are contained within the
relevant chapters of the submission.
1. The timeframe for development of the urban renewal strategy should be
realistic and not fall subject to political or other considerations. The project
timeframe in the Draft Strategy should be revised to allow for genuine and
thorough community engagement with the corridor strategy.
2. Renewal is dependent on the reduction in transport volumes on Parramatta
road as a result of the WestConnex. There is an expectation in the public
arena, as a result of the Government’s communications in support of
WestConnex, that there will be significant traffic reductions along the
corridor. The results of traffic modelling for WestConnex should be released,
and renewal must be reconsidered if there is no reduction in traffic volumes.
Without a reduction in traffic volumes, the urban amenity, including air
quality, will not be appropriate for dense residential development.
3. Successful urban renewal depends on the timely provision of infrastructure to
support increases in density. This can include transport infrastructure to
minimise future car dependence, and also the social and community
infrastructure required to maintain quality of life and foster strong
communities. Often, land acquisition costs are a major component of
infrastructure funding. The Draft Strategy has not raised the issue of
infrastructure funding, but has given a signal to the market that there will be
targeted density increases, thereby encouraging land speculation and
increasing the price of the land that will be required for infrastructure. The
strategy must clearly signal how infrastructure will be funded, and if there will
be impacts on land values as a result.
4. The strategy needs to demonstrate how the jobs and housing targets were
determined to allow for an understanding of why they are appropriate and
achievable. Information should include demographic forecasts, transport
capacity forecasts, and other assumptions used in the development of the
targets.
5. UrbanGrowth must use the precinct planning phase as an opportunity to
foster genuine community engagement along the corridor, through the
development of precinct options that allow communities to understand the
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trade-offs associated with options, and to shape outcomes within the
governments specified jobs and housing targets.
6. UrbanGrowth needs to adopt a set of guiding principles to guide
development in the corridor and promote consistency and transparency in
decision-making. The principles must be worked on in consultation with all
stakeholders to ensure broad acceptance and ownership for the duration of
renewal.
7. Housing diversity and affordability is a key component of inclusive and
productive cities. Sydney is consistently rated as one of the least affordable
cities to live. The strategy must investigate, plan for and implement strategies
to provide diverse and affordable housing to address Sydney’s housing
needs.
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3.0 Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy
This submission has been prepared by the City of Sydney (the City) in response to
exhibition of the draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy (the Draft Strategy)
by UrbanGrowth NSW.
The introduction will set out the context for the submission; the first part of the
submission will address each of the chapters in the Draft Strategy; and the later part
will focus on considerations that will help promote successful renewal of the corridor
.
3.1 Summary of the key features of the Draft Strategy
The Draft Strategy proposes the revitalization and renewal of Parramatta Road, a 20
km corridor connecting the Sydney and Parramatta CBDs and traversing the inner-
west of Sydney.
The corridor is characterised by heavy traffic flows of up to 100,000 vehicles per day,
severe congestion, and an urban environment dominated by traffic movements, noise
and emissions.
Renewal of the corridor has been precipitated by the WestConnex motorway project, a
commuter tollway widening and extending the existing M4 motorway from western
Sydney, and ultimately connecting with the City West link, and in future to the new M5
East motorway. The route of WestConnex has changed since the preparation of the
Draft Strategy and no longer runs below the eastern section of the renewal corridor.
The Draft Strategy proposes to renew a series of precincts along the corridor,
improving north-south connections, and increasing residential densities and providing
for new employment opportunities. The Draft Strategy also proposes public transport
improvements, although at this stage the nature of these improvements are not
detailed. The Draft Land Use and Integrated Transport Concept shown at page 8 of
the Draft Strategy indicates the location and extent of the eight nominated precincts,
and shows existing public transport infrastructure alongside the proposed portal
connections to the planned WestConnex motorway. No indication is given of planned
public transport improvements in the Draft Integrated Land Use and Transport
Concept.
The Draft Strategy sets ambitious housing and employment targets of 50,000 new
jobs and 50,000 new homes in the corridor by 2031.
3.2 Aims and objectives of the Draft Strategy
The Draft Strategy includes the following aims and objectives:
increase the quantity and diversity of housing;
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expand transport choices;
grow the number of job opportunities in Western Sydney;
improve liveability.
These aims and objectives, while supported by the City, are limited and
must be expanded to include aims which address:
sustainability, which must be a primary consideration for renewal of a
precinct which is expected to make contributions to jobs and housing
growth over the next 20 to 30 years;
an explicit commitment to the provision of affordable housing
opportunities as established in the latest NSW Government metropolitan
strategy, A Plan for growing Sydney.
The Draft Strategy sets out its approach to renewal as:
long-term;
focussed on precincts;
reshaping transport into an integrated vision;
improving the public domain;
facilitating quality development.
This approach is supported by the City, but must be expanded to develop a
vision for:
renewal that is informed by genuine, early and thorough engagement
with residents and affected communities and stakeholders;
renewal which aims to contribute, in a tangible and identifiable way, to
the alleviation of known urban problems and which delivers public benefit
outcomes.
3.3 Parramatta road, urban renewal, and the City of Sydney
Parramatta Road is an important gateway to the City of Sydney, and to Sydney’s Central
Business District (CBD). The Parramatta Road corridor is a key entry to the City for
workers and visitors using heavy rail, buses, and private vehicles. Congestion in this
corridor is a barrier to increasing the number of workers and visitors who can access the
Sydney CBD, and so affects productivity. An improved Parramatta Road corridor, with
upgraded public transport capacity and reduced congestion, can have a positive effect on
the productivity of the Sydney CBD and the highly-productive medical and technology
centred business clusters at Sydney University and Pyrmont on the City’s western edge.
Urban renewal, properly conceived and implemented, has the potential to significantly
enhance both liveability and productivity along the corridor itself. The City’s approach to
urban renewal is guided by its strategic plan, Sustainable Sydney 2030, which was
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developed after extensive research and consultation, with residents, business
communities, institutions and other levels of government telling us what sort of city they
wanted in the future. The City has significant experience in urban renewal projects, with a
proven track record in community engagement and strategic planning of renewal projects
including Harold Park, the Ashmore Estate, and Green Square. At Green Square Town
centre, the City has proved an effective partner in the implementation of large-scale
renewal, recently confirming a $440-milllion investment to provide local services and
facilities over the next ten years.
3.4 City of Sydney and NSW Government Memorandum of Understanding – Parramatta Road
The City and the NSW Government have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) for renewal along the Parramatta Road corridor, which has listed the following as
outputs from the NSW Government to the City:
the development of a shared affordable housing target to increase the
supply of rent controlled affordable housing dedicated in perpetuity to
community housing providers throughout the Parramatta Road Urban
renewal project.
an extensive community engagement process driven and resourced by the
Parramatta Road Urban Renewal program with involvement from Council
the protection of heritage conservation values and existing areas of open
space and the scale of attractive streets
investigation of a reduction in traffic volume along Parramatta road through
sustainable urban development design
consideration of processes and policies to ensure all development achieves
design excellence
investigation of the use of the Parramatta Road corridor for public transport,
on-street parking, active transport, improved crossings and an improved
public domain
the development of shared targets to deliver open space, community and
cultural facilities
investigation of mechanisms within planning instruments for funding
community benefits and infrastructure.
Of these promised outputs:
Affordable housing has not been mentioned at all in the Draft Strategy. This
needs to be addressed as a matter of priority.
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Community engagement has been limited and poorly publicised. The City
has had no input to, and no knowledge of, any strategy that sets out future
engagement activities.
As of yet, there are no targets for open space, community and cultural
facilities for the future population of the Parramatta road corridor.
Considerable work remains to be done to ensure that there is progress towards these
and the remainder of the agreed outputs, during the next stages of the urban renewal
process. Heritage conservation, design excellence, and transport commitments should be
progressed through the detailed corridor design and precinct planning phases following
this exhibition period. Mechanisms within planning instruments for funding community
benefits and infrastructure should be considered in the context of additional available
funding and benefit-sharing opportunities through the renewal process.
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4.0 Urban renewal
Urban renewal involves transforming under-used or neglected parts of a city into
places that better meet social, environmental and economic needs. While this may
occur through market forces, typically government intervention is needed to initiate,
incentivise and guide the process to achieve these public interest outcomes needed
by a city. The City agrees Parramatta Road is an opportunity for urban renewal.
4.1 Best practice urban renewal
The City recently commissioned SGS Economics1 to research international and
Australian examples of urban renewal to identify the principles, processes and
governance that led to successful urban renewal outcomes. The analysis of projects
such as Elephant and Castle and King’s Cross in London, Hamburg’s Hafencity,
Brooklyn Navy Yards, Melbourne Docklands and Barangaroo revealed what is
needed and what should be avoided to deliver urban renewal with long-term benefits
for a city.
The project should consider the following key best practice principles related to
Parramatta Road.
Create shared value for the different stakeholders and communities,
including the residents, workers, businesses and visitors that are
connected to Parramatta Road and its precincts. The shared value is to
focus on the long term public interest, and should look to solve existing
urban, social, environmental, and economic problems.
Develop the plan with stakeholders to create a shared vision and
understanding of the long term public interest. Authentic and ongoing
engagement throughout the Parramatta Road project will create a sense
of ownership. Broad engagement will support planning outcomes that
contribute to the Sydney region.
Take a long term view for enduring and authentic development.
Unrealistic and compressed timeframes can skew the development
objectives and threaten long term public interest outcomes. A long term
program will allow Parramatta Road to evolve to best serve the public
interest of Sydney.
Agree non-negotiables such as design standards, affordable housing,
transport improvements and contributions to infrastructure that reflect
community needs and address the urban issues of the precincts along
Parramatta Road.
1 SGS Economics and Planning, Best Practice Urban Renewal: Input into the Bays Precent Forum, November 2014, http://sydneyyoursay.com.au/bays-precinct/documents/17800/download
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Establish clear development objectives and options to meet the
objectives. Options need to be tested through consultation and against
public interest outcomes with trade-offs made clear.
Embody a local character and integrate development with the
surrounding areas. The diversity of the communities, businesses and
building stock in the Parramatta Road precincts are assets to be built
upon. The project will be a missed opportunity if development does not
improve the areas adjoining the Parramatta Road precincts through
better access, services, facilities and the environment.
4.2 City of Sydney and UrbanGrowth Memorandum of Understanding – major urban renewal projects
The City has also entered into a separate Memorandum of Understanding covering
all UrbanGrowth-led renewal projects within the City’s boundaries. This MoU sets out
overarching principles to guide how urban renewal is to be undertaken and what it is
to achieve, including:
delivering urban renewal that is consistent with the City’s Sustainable
Sydney 2030 plan, and with the Draft Metropolitan Plan for Sydney to
2031;
balancing strategic land use and high quality public domain outcomes
with development that is viable and can support project delivery;
understanding, documenting and prioritising the contribution each project
can make to strengthening Sydney’s global city status;
early and ongoing public participation, and the fostering of a publicly
understood narrative explaining why renewal and major change are
taking place, and how it benefits the community;
delivering diverse housing outcomes, benchmarked against comparable
global cities, and with a housing mix that sustains the city in the long-
term;
identifying and encouraging the industry sectors required to drive
Sydney’s future employment needs, and enabling the priority sectors;
identifying, planning for and prioritising infrastructure requirements to
support renewal, developing clear funding mechanisms in line with
forecast demand from the additional development; and
quality in design, with design excellence processes to be put in place for
all development phases, and an understanding of the need to respect,
and transition to, surrounding development and heritage.
These are important principles in ensuring that renewal meets long-term objectives
for the Sydney, and should be an integral consideration developing the strategy.
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Further work is needed to demonstrate outcomes for Parramatta Road are consistent
with these principles.
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5.0 Response to the Draft Strategy
This section of the submission will address the individual chapters in the Draft
Strategy.
5.1 Introduction to the Draft Strategy
The NSW Government focus on urban renewal in the rundown Parramatta Road
corridor is welcome. The corridor has many inherent and under-capitalised strengths,
including excellent access to employment and education opportunities, and to mass
transit such as Sydney’s heavy rail system. However, as the Draft Parramatta Road
Urban Renewal Strategy (the Draft Strategy) points out, Parramatta Road has
become ‘overpowered by traffic congestion, it has ceased to be a comfortable place
for anyone’ (p3).
Additionally, the decision to focus on nominated precincts where conditions are more
suited to urban renewal is a sensible one. A strategy which advocated a true corridor
approach, attempting to renew each and every place along its extent, would be less
likely to succeed, given the length of the corridor and the seriously degraded
condition of the urban environment which surrounds it.
The Draft Strategy aims to set out how the corridor can be reimagined as a series of
liveable, transit-oriented precincts contributing employment and housing opportunities
to address the needs of a growing global city. Importantly, it sets a target of 50,000
new dwellings and 50,000 new jobs in the corridor by 2050; although the initial
targets set for the nominated precincts have a 2031 horizon. However, the Draft
Strategy fails to demonstrate why the targets are appropriate or how they could be
achieved.
It is very significant that the Draft Strategy fails to provide a set of principles to guide
development towards achieving these ambitious targets. Urban renewal often
involves significant compromise and trade-offs. A set of Principles, developed in
close consultation with corridor stakeholders, will help guide decision-making when
these trade-offs have to made, and allow community, developers and others to
understand the rationale behind decisions. These Principles consistently applied, and
if sufficiently robust and tested with stakeholders, have the potential to significantly
add to community acceptance of renewal.
The Draft Strategy fails to provide targets for other essential components of
successful urban renewal such as community and social infrastructure; open space
and leisure facilities; and affordable and diverse housing. Failure to properly consider
and plan for these will seriously threaten the success of any renewal efforts.
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The largely conceptual, promotional nature of the Draft Strategy restricts the
comments that can be provided in response. The Draft Strategy introduces the idea
of urban renewal, and sets out some of challenges presented by Sydney’s growth.
Information needs to be provided about how the jobs and housing targets were
derived, and their relationship to the wider planning framework, including the recently
released metropolitan strategy ‘A Plan for A Growing Sydney’.
Integral to the successful urban renewal is the provision of public transport to improve
amenity, access, and connections to jobs. The transport and amenity outcome must
be delivered first to stimulate private sector investment.
The Draft Strategy fails to provide any of the key information - demographic analysis,
market analysis, urban design studies, detailed planning principles, public transport
mode-share targets, expected traffic volumes, infrastructure requirements and
proposed funding methods, clear statements of constraints and opportunities for the
precincts – that informs decisions about urban renewal. Without that information, it is
difficult to make informed comment about the urban renewal outcomes proposed and
whether they meet the aims and objectives of the Draft Strategy.
Recommendations
UrbanGrowth must work with stakeholders to develop a set of Principles
to guide development in the corridor and in each precinct to improve the
consistency and transparency of decision-making.
The next iteration of the Parramatta Urban Renewal Strategy needs to
include sufficient contextual information to allow for an understanding of
the desirability and achievability of the housing and job targets.
The strategy should contain targets and benchmarks for community and
social infrastructure; diverse housing including affordable rental housing;
schools; hospitals and medical facilities; and open space and leisure and
recreation facilities.
5.2 About transport WestConnex and Urban Renewal The Draft Strategy is not clear about the role that WestConnex will play in the
renewal of the corridor. On page 11 it asserts that ‘4,600 trucks and 20,000 cars per
day’ will be removed from the corridor between Concord and Camperdown. In other
places it talks about changes to traffic volumes (p4), but without being specific about
reductions or increases in road space available for other modes of transport.
The City’s understanding of the WestConnex project, through presentations given to
staff and Councillors, suggests that there will be little or no reduction in traffic on
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Parramatta Road, and certainly not in areas near to WestConnex portals. Without
reductions in surface traffic improvement to urban amenity, noise and air quality
conditions in Parramatta Road cannot be achieved and the opportunities for quality
urban revitalisation will be lost.
The City requests that any modelling work or other information that provides evidence
of the extent of volume reduction should be made publically available. Further, the
case for higher density residential development fronting Parramatta Road must be
revisited if traffic volumes are not reduced.
Recommendations
Modelling and other information concerning WestConnex should be
released to provide direct evidence of the traffic volume reductions in the
corridor, to allow an understanding of the likely urban amenity.
An integrated transport solution Reimagining the Parramatta Road as a multi-mode transport corridor, combining
public transport with active transport, and allowing space for a reduced number of
essential private car journeys, will be key to a successful urban renewal program.
However, the Draft Strategy contains no firm commitment by the State Government
for the provision of suitable public transport in the Parramatta Road corridor. The
provision of suitable public transport infrastructure improvements in this corridor is
vital to create the conditions for quality urban renewal. The City’s preference is for
public transport solutions that can be achieved within the existing corridor, through
the reprioritizing of road space.
The City is concerned with the proposed timeline of the WestConnex (M4 East
Section) and the delivery of urban renewal in the corridor. Without consideration of
future public transport requirements at an early stage of the project it is possible that
options could be severely constrained by land use changes and the effects of the
WestConnex on traffic in the corridor.
Little detail has been provided on the capacity of the existing public transport system
to accommodate growth in the Parramatta Road Corridor. The Draft Strategy appears
to nominate Bus Priority lanes in Parramatta Road as the preferred public transport
infrastructure improvement to cater for the extra trips generated. However, there is no
information provided on what capacity is available and if this would be sufficient to
cater for the trips generated by urban renewal. Nor is there any detail on whether the
option would be for kerb-aligned or centre-aligned bus lanes, with each having a
significant impact on road operations and roadside environmental quality.
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It is likely that most of the trips generated by urban renewal in the Parramatta Road
Corridor will need to be accommodated by rail. Yet, no information has been provided
on the capacity of the western line to cope with growth in these areas. Of the eight
identified renewal precincts, Auburn, Kings Bay, Leichhardt and Camperdown will not
have easy access to the heavy rail network and will have to rely on upgraded public
transport within the corridor. Renewal areas to the north of Parramatta Road itself will
experience particularly strong disconnection from the rail network.
The Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy provides no information on the
likely origin and destination of the trips generated from and to the corridor. Trip
generation modelling should be undertaken in order to inform public transport
requirements and assess the ability of public transport to cope with additional trips.
Consideration should also be given to the walking catchments around stations and
the bus corridor and the location of residential development along the corridor.
A focus on active transport options, such as walking and cycling, in and around
transport hubs is welcome. Significant investment will be required to provide the
necessary upgrades to key walking and cycling routes, providing north-south
crossings over the road corridor, and improving the roadside environment to make
active transport attractive. The City recommends that UrbanGrowth give early
consideration to the funding mechanisms required for such improvements, including
whether a special infrastructure levy, value capture, or other landowner contribution
as a result of significant land value uplift is warranted. It is likely that the Amenity
Improvement Program budget of $200 million, quoted in our Memorandum of
Understanding with UrbanGrowth a, will fall far short of the amount needed to fund
the required upgrades.
An additional concern for renewal in the Parramatta Road corridor is that of noise and
air quality along the corridor. Residential development along Parramatta Road
should only be considered where adverse noise and air quality impacts can be
managed and well-designed residential developments are created. The City would
prefer to see new housing located away from traffic and adverse noise and air quality
conditions.
Recommendations
The reconfiguration of Parramatta Road should concentrate on
maximising the use of road space freed up by the removal of significant
traffic volume due to the WestConnex road tunnel, to provide alternatives
to private vehicle use including walking, cycling and a dedicated public
transport corridor.
UrbanGrowth develop and implement a infrastructure funding scheme to
fill any shortfall in infrastructure funding.
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5.3 About urban renewal
The City has included comments directly addressing the conditions required for best
practice urban renewal at The Draft Strategy aligns itself to the Metropolitan Strategy
goals of urban renewal and densification around good public transport networks. As
noted previously, the Parramatta Road corridor has excellent access to Sydney’s
heavy rail network, and also to the inner-west light rail at Taverners Hill. It therefore
has the potential, with the necessary upgrades to active transport connections, to
operate as an effective public transport corridor. These can form the basis of an
excellent integrated transport plan for the corridor. For Parramatta Road to function
as a truly transit-oriented renewal corridor, prioritising public transport and active
transport modes, it is imperative that a space for public transport is reserved within
the corridor.
Design excellence The Draft Strategy makes a welcome connection between good design and liveable
density. The design quality of precincts, and the buildings, spaces, streets within
those precincts, will be a major determinant in the liveability and success of the
renewal project. The City has a strong focus on design excellence in fostering
liveable density in its renewal precincts such as Green Square. The City’s Design
Excellence Bonus allows proposals – over 55m in Central Sydney and 25m in other
areas – to achieve a floor space bonus after going through a competitive design
process. The process improves proposals, resulting in increased liveability, and
greater acceptance of density in the community. A similar framework should be
included in the precinct planning for the Parramatta Road corridor to promote liveable
density.
Recommendations
A framework to ensure design excellence for precincts and significant
buildings should be part of the precinct planning process.
Community engagement Community engagement on a diverse 20km corridor is a challenge for the project, but
experience has shown that early and genuine engagement will increase the likelihood
of success for any renewal project
Community engagement commitments are contained within a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between UrbanGrowth NSW and the councils along the
corridor. The commitments are for engagement techniques that respond to the needs
of diverse stakeholders along the corridor. The MoU also raises the intention to use a
variety of engagement techniques ranging from information sessions to deliberative
democracy.
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To date, engagement has been patchy and has not lived up to the commitments in
the MoU. Specific engagement on the draft strategy has been low-key and does not
appear to have been well-publicised. It is likely that this will not have had the
expected interest from communities along the corridor. As a result, feedback from
engagement will not be as useful in directing and shaping the project. Additionally,
there still seems to be little engagement or ‘buy-in’’ from the public towards the plan.
This endangers community acceptance of the final plan and makes implementation
much harder.
The precinct planning phase offers a genuine opportunity for the community to shape
decisions around how renewal is implemented. When the City undertook renewal of
the Harold Park site in Forest lodge, early engagement was critical to the project’s
success. We had a series of events including information sessions and workshops,
attending community events such as fun days and barbecues, and maintained an on-
line presence. The workshops allowed the community to directly shape outcomes
through interaction with a series of built form outcomes, with the community having
considerable say over how building heights and form, street and open space layout
would all contribute to the renewal precinct. The end result is a renewal with broad
community acceptance, and with a market profile as a highly desirable place to live.
Recommendations
UrbanGrowth should commit to an intensive consultation program, using
a variety of methods and inclusive of the demographic diversity in the
corridor, at the precinct planning stage.
That UrbanGrowth use the precinct planning phase as an opportunity to
foster genuine engagement with communities along the corridor, through
the development of precinct options that allow communities to shape
outcomes but within the specified targets.
5.4 The Camperdown precinct
The Camperdown precinct identified in the draft strategy, and shown in Figure 1,
straddles the Leichardt, Marrickville and Sydney local government areas, and
generally includes the area from Bridge Road/Susan Street in the west, through to
the Missenden Road area in the east. It is an area of largely industrial sites, providing
essential services to local communities and industry. The proposed renewal precinct
extends both north and south of Parramatta Road, with proposed density
concentrated to the west of the intersection between Pyrmont Bridge Road and
Parramatta Road. The draft strategy indicates areas of less intensive renewal
extending east along Broadway; and to the west towards the Leichhardt precinct. A
potential link to the proposed WestConnex is shown directly to the west of the most
intense renewal portion of the precinct.
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The description of the Camperdown precinct, and the analysis that goes with it, is
brief and lacking any real depth or insight. There is no analysis of the local
constraints that have limited intensification of this precinct, or recognition of recent
significant development in some areas. The vision articulated for the future of the
Camperdown precinct – that it will continue to evolve as a vibrant mixed-use precinct
– is weak and does not justify its inclusion in a renewal strategy. The precinct needs
a stronger vision, clearly articulated its role in the strategy.
A small portion of the precinct lies within the City of Sydney, identified on Figure 1. It
is generally between Pyrmont Bridge Road and Parramatta Road to the east of Mallet
Street. Much of this area has been subject to recent medium density residential
development.
Preliminary analysis suggests that developed sites in this precinct have a density in
the order of 400+ persons per hectare. This development has been informed by the
City’s planning controls, which allow for floor space ratios of up to 3:1, and maximum
building heights of up to 22m, or 7 storeys. The planning controls were derived from
the outcomes of the City’s urban design study for the area. This study involved
extensive analysis and community consultation, and recommended a framework to
allow growth in the Camperdown area while maintain a high quality urban
environment. This study could provide an excellent basis for understanding the
opportunities for wider growth in the Camperdown precinct.
The draft urban renewal strategy shows an additional area extending along
Parramatta Road, along the boundary of Sydney University, and again along
Broadway between City Road and Railway Square. The purpose for including these
lands is unclear, as they are either very unlikely to be developed, as in the case of
the Sydney University lands; or already substantially developed, as is the case with
sites along Broadway. The intended role of the lands should be clarified.
City of Sydney Submission on the Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy February 2015
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Figure 1 – the Camperdown precinct, with the City of Sydney lands highlighted within
the red-dashed box
The Draft Strategy includes approximately 2.1 hectares along the northern side of
Parramatta Road, either side of Ross Street and bounded by Arundel Street to the
north. This area is part of a planning proposal prepared by Council, and which has
been publicly exhibited with an expectation of being recommended to Council for
approval in 2015.
The Planning Proposal: Employment Lands is based on thorough strategic analysis
on the contribution these and other employment lands make towards the region. It
proposes a flexible B7 Enterprise Corridor zoning for this area, allowing a range of
employment generating uses in a location close to the Central Business District. The
City of Sydney Employment Lands Study identified these particular areas as
providing important support for Global City functions and for local businesses,
enterprises, and the University of Sydney. As part of the planning proposal, the City
will allow affordable housing as the only form of non-employment generating uses on
these sites. Given the commitment to furthering the provision of affordable housing,
and recognising the significant amount of strategic work and the recent nature of the
planning proposal, the City requests that these lands are excluded from the
Camperdown precinct. A map showing the preferred boundary for lands within the
City to be included as part of the Camperdown precinct is included as an Attachment. Recommendations
The sites in the vicinity of Ross Street, and to the north of the Parramatta
Road corridor, are to be excluded from the Camperdown precinct.
City of Sydney Submission on the Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy February 2015
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UrbanGrowth should adopt the City’s preferred precinct boundary for the
Camperdown precinct.
5.5 About governance and planning Memorandum of Understanding The City of Sydney resolved to enter into an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with UrbanGrowth to help deliver renewal along the corridor. This MoU is specific to
the Parramatta Road and sets out a collaborative approach with three tiers of
cooperation:
Mayors Group
State/Local partnering group
Integrated Project Team
It also sets out a division of responsibilities between state and local government, and
makes commitments about what each party will deliver through the process.
The Integrated Project Team and other collaboration initiatives taken in this approach
to renewal are supported where they have real involvement and influence in decision-
making. True collaboration at these levels and at this early stage give a much
greater chance ‘bringing the community along’ and of successful implementation of
renewal outcomes. Having staff from Councils form part of the integrated Project
Team, tasked with drafting the Urban Renewal Strategy and the Precinct Plans, will
help coordination efforts along the diverse 20km corridor, and provide a pool of local
knowledge for the Integrated Project Team to draw from about local conditions, local
development preferences and opportunities for renewal.
Mayors, as local community leaders, are a key conduit between local communities
and the renewal authorities in this collaborative approach, and are well placed to
explain the renewal approach and garner support for well-justified interventions and
plans. Although the MoU agreed between the City and UrbanGrowth has been
endorsed by councils along the corridor, to date there have been no meetings of the
Mayors group. This group must meet as soon as possible in order to give the high
level direction envisaged and agreed to. If mayors and other local leaders are unable
to take their communities and convince of the need for change, and that the correct
approach to change, then implementation will be very difficult.
Recommendations
It is recommended that UrbanGrowth, as a matter of high priority,
convene a meeting of the Mayors Group, to provide the high-level
direction and guidance envisaged in the MoU.
City of Sydney Submission on the Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy February 2015
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Statutory planning The adopted renewal strategy will be implemented through the existing framework of
statutory plans in NSW. The Draft Strategy envisages that this will be either through a
council’s own statutory plan – its local environmental plan; or through a state
government facilitated Urban Activation Precinct. The Draft Strategy is not clear
about which approach will be used in which circumstances, or if indeed Urban
Activation Precincts could be imposed on councils.
The City’s preferred approach is for councils to implement renewal through their own
local environmental. It allows a council to effectively engage with its community, and
encourages ownership of the renewal plan and leadership in its implementation.
Taking on the plan-making responsibility must be on the understanding that the
renewal process has resolved any urban design, transport and amenity concerns;
and that the renewal outcomes are realistic. If the collaborative approach to renewal
can be realised as set out in the MoU, then presumably communities will have been
convinced of the need for renewal and the appropriateness of the plan, and so the
local environmental plan approach will have little risk attached. It has the advantage
of allowing communities the opportunity to apply some flexibility in the way the
renewal targets are achieved, with the potential for improved local outcomes. In some
circumstances, for instance where council resources are not available, a council
should be able to opt for an Urban Activation Precinct approach. But this approach
should not be imposed on a council.
The Final Strategy should provide greater clarity about the statutory planning
framework for implementation of the renewal strategy. It is not clear what will be done
to resolve any disagreements between state and local government about the
eventual targets. Will the State government force through the targets and precinct
plans, or will local government be able to take carriage?
Recommendations
The final strategy needs to be realistic and achievable with community
issues resolved prior to implementation by a council.
The statutory planning arrangements for implementing the renewal
should be made very clear.
City of Sydney Submission on the Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy February 2015
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6.0 Additional comments to promote successful renewal
The following comments are for the consideration of UrbanGrowth and raise matters
that are seen as critical components of successful renewal, both in general and
specific to the context of New Parramatta Road.
6.1 Infrastructure planning and funding
Infrastructure includes the roads, footpaths, cycleways, drainage, parks, libraries,
child care centres and other community facilities as well as regional infrastructure
such as public transport, schools and hospitals.
Early planning for infrastructure is a key feature of successful urban renewal.
Infrastructure encourages private sector investment in the short term and builds
successful and productive places and communities in the longer term.
Compact cities and higher density communities, such as those proposed in the Draft
Strategy, have a greater reliance on early investment in public infrastructure due to
the number people living and working in the precincts and the limited capacity to
retrofit infrastructure in a high density environment. Increased density requires new
services and facilities make places liveable, productive and allow higher density living
to be a viable choice for households. Early planning for infrastructure is essential.
The project is also a rare opportunity to address current infrastructure shortfalls within
precincts and work with existing local infrastructure delivery programs. This is
appropriate given the communities neighbouring the identified precincts will
experience the effects of increased traffic and demand for services.
In its memorandum of understanding with the City, UrbanGrowth NSW acknowledges
the importance of coordinating land use and infrastructure planning. The MoU notes a
key policy driver for UrbanGrowth’s activities is optimising public investment in
infrastructure through integrating land use and transport planning.2 The MoU’s
principles for urban renewal speak to identifying, benchmarking and costing
infrastructure based on the needs arising from development then implementing with
funding mechanisms.3
The Draft Strategy notes that infrastructure requirements will be dealt with in future
detailed precinct planning. The Draft Strategy sets targets for new development in
those precincts but fails to acknowledge the infrastructure needed to support that new
development. The City is concerned that without upfront coordinated planning of
infrastructure alongside development targets it is not known whether the necessary
2 Major Urban Renewal Projects within the City Of Sydney, Memorandum of Understanding Between the City of Sydney and UrbanGrowth NSW, 1 July 2014 – 30 June 2017, Section 2 Policy Settings 3 Ibid, principles 5.8 and 5.9
City of Sydney Submission on the Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy February 2015
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infrastructure can be provided to meet the demand generated by the new
development.
The City has experience in providing the infrastructure that is underpinning the
renewal of Green Square, an area expected to provide for 20,000 jobs and 54,000
residents by 2030—not dissimilar to the population increases along the Parramatta
Road corridor.
Several methods have been used to fund infrastructure in Green Square, including
section 94 developer contributions, bonus floor space for the community
infrastructure and the Town Centre Infrastructure Strategy. In addition, the City of
Sydney has budgeted $440 million of its own funds over the next ten years to cover
the shortfall in funding, as under current policy settings it is only possible to leverage
so much from the development process.
To date the NSW Government has only committed $200 million towards the amenity
improvement program along the whole corridor. This will be insufficient to provide the
necessary infrastructure even when combined with a standard one per cent
development contribution levy.
Forward funding of infrastructure is needed. Waiting for development contributions
will mean higher costs, particularly in land acquisition for infrastructure. Early
provision of infrastructure will also encourage development and private sector
investment in the precincts.
UrbanGrowth NSW will need to use a number of initiatives to provide the necessary
infrastructure at the appropriate time, including:
A section 94 or 94A developer contributions plan. A section 94A plan will
almost certainly need a development levy in excess of the standard one
per cent levy. The Government’s current $20,000 cap on developer
contributions will mean other funding measures are needed.
An upzoning deferral process, as used at Green Square Town Centre,
where the new planning controls are held in abeyance until infrastructure
contributions are payed or agreed to be delivered. This ties infrastructure
costs to the increase in land value rather than placing it on developers
and home buyers and holds back speculation as land stays at the
current controls until development is ready to commence.
City of Sydney Submission on the Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy February 2015
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Bonus floor space schemes where additional development rights can be
unlocked from the provision of or contribution to necessary community
infrastructure.
Special infrastructure levies, such as those used to fund regional
infrastructure in the Growth Centres.
Tools that share the value created from increasing land values will best serve the
long term public interest of the Parramatta Road corridor. Allowing windfall benefits of
upzonings to flow only to land owners will be a missed opportunity with true
developers, the local community and tax payers bearing the costs.
Land use and infrastructure planning will also need to identify the land needed for
infrastructure such as schools, parks, recreation facilities and child care centres early
and prior to implementing the upzonings throughout the precincts. If UrbanGrowth
and Government wait until after land has been rezoned it will be harder to acquire,
more expensive, there will be less opportunity to acquire sites and it may also that the
development targets cannot be achieved. Communities and tax payers will again
bear the costs if land is not acquired at the appropriate time.
Recommendations
As an urgent priority, develop and infrastructure plan that identifies the
local and regional infrastructure needed to meet new demand and
existing shortfall, accurately costs the infrastructure, provides funding
measures and allocates responsibilities for delivery.
Coordinate infrastructure provision with local infrastructure delivery
programs to create efficiencies of scale and address current shortfalls.
Seek to share the benefits and value created from upzonings to reduce
the costs to communities, home buyers and developers.
Identify and acquire the land needed for infrastructure such as parks,
recreation facilities and schools prior to upzoning land throughout the
precincts to reduce costs to taxpayers and communities.
Use a range of tools to efficiently fund infrastructure including
contributions plans, deferral mechanisms, bonus floor space and special
infrastructure levies.
6.2 Housing diversity Providing a diverse range of housing for Sydney’s communities is critical for a
productive and inclusive city. Meeting Sydney’s housing needs extends beyond the
simple supply targets to providing housing with types, tenures and price points
needed by the communities along Parramatta Road.
City of Sydney Submission on the Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy February 2015
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Sydney is also one of the most unaffordable markets in the world,. It was recently
ranked third least affordable behind Hong Kong and Vancouver4 . Sydney ranked
second worst of 27 global cities in terms of “cost of rent” in PricewaterhouseCoopers’
(PwC’s) Cities of Opportunity 2012 global cities survey5 (note since 2012, PwC no
longer includes “cost of rent” as a measure)).
The Government’s ‘Plan for Growing Sydney’ recognises that there must be housing
choice to support the needs of communities as well as improving housing supply and
undertaking urban renewal. It includes an action to plan for opportunities for
affordable housing and to plan for local housing needs through housing strategies6. It
includes an additional action to provide affordable housing in Government-led urban
renewal projects 7.
The City’s Sustainable Sydney 2030 strategy aims to provide housing for a diverse
community, and sets an ambitious target for 7.5 % of all housing in the City to be
affordable rental housing by 2030. Urban renewal is a key opportunity to deliver
affordable housing.
The Parramatta Road precincts can contribute to the housing needs of the local
communities by providing a choice of housing that is affordable and well connected to
local jobs or employment centres with public transport. The Camperdown precinct is
close to the University of Sydney and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. It presents an
opportunity to provide housing for students and key workers, as well as
accommodating the growing numbers of young families in the area.
The City is currently exploring housing diversity options with UrbanGrowth as part of
the Central to Eveleigh project. The findings of this project should be applied to the
Camperdown precinct program, while a similar analysis should be undertaken for the
other precincts in the corridor.
The City of Sydney is creating opportunities for affordable housing throughout its
employment lands through recently prepared draft planning controls and a draft
affordable housing strategy. The tools include allowing affordable housing as an
additional permitted use in certain business zones, applying a levy and preparing a
policy for site specific rezonings to provide affordable housing.
Affordable housing levies were implemented early in the Green Square and Ultimo
Pyrmont urban renewal areas allowing developers to plan for the costs when
4 SGS Economics and Planning, Best Practice Urban Renewal: Input into the Bays Precent Forum, November 2014, http://sydneyyoursay.com.au/bays-precinct/documents/17800/download 5 Price Waterhouse Coopers, 2012, Cities of Opportunity 6 A Plan for Growing Sydney goal 2 page 8, Goal 2: A city of housing choice, with homes that meet our needs and lifestyles 7 ibid, Action 2.3.3, p77, Deliver more opportunities for affordable housing
City of Sydney Submission on the Draft Parramatta Road Urban Renewal Strategy February 2015
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purchasing development sites. These schemes have been successful in providing
about 600 affordable housing units in the City. The City secured land for around 50
affordable housing units in the rezoning of the Harold Park Urban Renewal site. A
similar benefit sharing process could be applied to sites along the corridor benefiting
from changes to the planning controls.
Recommendations:
Investigate and implement planning measures to achieve a range of
housing types that meet the needs of communities including the
provision of affordable rental housing in the Camperdown precinct.
Align the Draft Strategy with ‘A Plan for Growing Sydney’ (Action 2.3.3)
by providing affordable housing in this Government-led urban renewal
project.
ends