Harold Park hushed at community workshop
The City of Sydney was in the hot seat at a consultation workshop in Glebe last week when inner-city residents declared their chief concerns surrounding an evolving neighbourhood.
The Glebe Village Group meeting on Thursday, February 23 was the first in a series of public sessions to foster greater communication between the City and its constituents.
The event called 2030 In Your Village was attended by the Lord Mayor Clover Moore, council staff, councillors and over 70 residents from Glebe, Forest Lodge, Chippendale, Annandale and Ultimo.
The evening’s Master of Ceremonies Lucy Cole Edelstein explained the meeting was intended as a forum but decreed that Harold Park was not on the night’s menu of topics.
The Mirvac development which will add 1,250 dwellings, over 2300 people and retail to the neighbourhood is one of the area’s most contentious issues.
Since the meeting, activist groups Hands Off Glebe and FLAG Harold Park have argued Ms Edelstein’s involvement was a conflict of interest since her company Straight Talk is hired by Mirvac for public relations services.
A spokesperson for FLAG Harold Park said: “We consider it totally inappropriate and a clear conflict of interest for Straight Talk to be facilitating and controlling community discussions on the Glebe area when the proposed Harold Park development was always going to be a key topic of discussion.”
Mirvac has been granted approval to demolish the site, but not to construct, and yet the company has begun advertising for its off-the-plan dwellings.
Chippendale resident, Richard Portman said he was shocked by Ms Edelstein’s objection to discussing Harold Park.
“She seemed dismissive and uninformed, as I think Clover was too. I think Clover was genuinely shocked at the sentiment [regarding Harold Park].”
An Alexandra Rd resident of 15 years, De Brierley Newton voiced concerns about the increased traffic to the surrounding area including Victoria Park, Broadway, The Crescent, White Bay, Maxwell St and Bridge Rd.
“Traffic is at a gridlock. They haven’t done the proper traffic surveys.”
Attendees raised a host of critical topics which were then debated at issue-specific tables. Two tables were dedicated to “Harold Park – No high rises”, one was flagged “Council to listen to residents’ consultation” and a few others were reserved for sustainable transport, eradicating Indian Myna birds and more aged-care housing.
Councillor John McInerney attended the event with Councillors Irene Doutney and Robert Kok.
He said: “I think the process was new and a little off-putting to some people.”
Some residents were frustrated by a lack of transparency after public consultation.
“Everyone wants action tomorrow,” Cr McInerney said. “People sometimes don’t realize that it takes time to do things. We have to fit it into the budget and budgets are done every year and then it takes another six months to get the contract done.”
By Deborah Erwin
