Mayor faces Glebe residents over looming development

Glebe residents voiced their concerns at a recent meeting about the scope of the Harold Park redevelopment and the area’s increasing traffic and infrastructure needs.

The Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP met with members of FLAG Harold Park on February 29 to discuss the range of neighbourhood concerns.

Three city planners and Councillors Di Tornai and John McInerney also attended.

Community members voiced their frustration with current congestion levels and called for more detailed traffic modelling.

Ms Moore said: “The City has engaged consultants to study potential traffic impacts of the redevelopment using relevant modelling as recommended by experts.”

Residents also opposed the scale of the mixed-use Mirvac development which entails 1,250 dwellings, community facilities and retail.

A spokesperson for FLAG said: “FLAG believes that scaling down the size of the development is the key ingredient in keeping traffic at sustainable and manageable levels however Council is committed to achieving its State directed housing targets for 2030.”

He said the City’s firm position behind the development was driven by a need to meet state government targets for housing.

The Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said: “With an extra one million people predicted to be living in Sydney by 2026, all levels of government are looking at how to provide for a growing population.”

“The rezoning and redevelopment of the site follows years of extensive consultation by the City with local residents, businesses and developers to balance differing needs and interests.”

Community members also raised the need for light rail and other forms of public transport to accommodate the future influx of residents.

FLAG’s spokesperson said: “Council has provided solutions to the State Government to resolve light rail and public transport issues however there is no commitment or timeframe for these solutions to be delivered.”

Ms Moore said Mirvac will dedicate more than a third of the site to public space, forming a 3.8 hectare park. “Almost two kilometres of paths for walking and bike riding will connect the site to local shops, schools and parks and the site is well serviced by light rail.”

Locals say the eight-storey blocks planned for along the cliffside are too high and have not provided adequate set-backs.

“This is against the recommendations of the Urban Design Study which states that buildings ‘set directly against the cliff edge on the eastern side of the site should be below the ground level of the adjacent dwellings’ and ‘above 6 storeys in height should be located close to the centre of the site not at the boundaries’,” a FLAG spokesperson said.

But the mayor said the development is to be built within a valley and will not detract from the surrounding architecture or landscape.

“New building heights will complement nearby cliff top terrace houses in Glebe,” Ms Moore said. “Following community concerns, the City also capped the amount of retail so that nearby community villages are not adversely affected.”

The development application will be discussed by the Central Sydney Planning Committee. Mirvac plans to begin construction on Precinct 1 in May.