Cancer centre causes controversy

Expansion plans for St Vincent’s Hospital, incorporating a new research laboratory conducting cancer research, have been criticised by Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

The proposal for the 11-storey building provides for a research centre which would dramatically reduce the turnaround time for scientific developments to be translated into treatments for patients.

But Cr Moore said the proposed development would “bury and overshadow the Victor Chang Institute”, and be disproportional to the rest of the streetscape. “The current proposal needs to be significantly changed,” she said. “The hospital must consult further with affected local residents and work with the City on an alternative, in line with the proposal in our submission.”

A spokesperson for the hospital said the scope of the project was needed to accommodate the required clinical services and research infrastructure.

Other parts of the development proposal include provision for a nine-storey virology research centre for the University of NSW.

As part of its alternative submission, the City has signalled a number of changes to the current proposals. These recommendations include reducing the height of the Garvan Building, to match the parapet of the existing Victor Chang building; ensuring the existing Victor Chang building is the tallest on the site, with other structures ‘stepping up’ to it; and reducing height of the UNSW building below that of the Victor Chang building.

Cr Moore also objected to the hospital’s desire to increase the number of parking spaces to between 400 and 500. This comes despite an overall reduction of spaces for the 2006 development of the site, due to what the hospital described at the time as an “overprovision” of spaces. Cr Moore said new staff would not work shifts and that the site was well served by public transport.

President of the Australian Heritage Institute, Andrew Woodhouse, said the hospital’s proposal was not justified. “Locals needn’t feel reluctant in their vehement opposition,” he said. “The NSW Land and Environment Court has already ruled in a similar case, literally just across the road at St John’s Anglican Church, Darlinghurst, that claims for social welfare work are irrelevant to planning considerations. It refused a DA for a mega-storey high-rise on church property.”

A spokesperson for Planning Minister Kristina Keneally said community views would be considered as part of the assessment process currently underway.