Private development stomps on social housing

One of Glebe’s oldest public housing sites will be redeveloped into a mixed residential estate, but community groups are angered by the design’s provision for private sector units.

Last week, Hands Off Glebe hosted a community meeting to discuss the proposed details of the 1.5 hectare site.

The state-owned lot known as the Cowper and Elger St development once provided 167 publicly owned and managed homes.

The buildings were demolished last year to make room for 250 private apartments, 153 public housing units and 90 affordable housing units.

While the figures indicate an increase in the provision of low-cost housing, the total number of bedrooms and occupancy potential is lower than the original development.

A member of Hands Off Glebe, Denis Doherty said: “Our basic concern is the number of public housing is decreasing instead of increasing and the quality is shoddy as well. People who can’t afford [private units] have copped a double whammy.”

The original buildings were predominantly three- and four-bedroom dwellings while the combined social and affordable housing planned for the site will be 80 per cent one-bedroom units and 20 per cent two-bedroom units.

The new development will supply 292 bedrooms, an estimated 100 less than the original buildings.

“Wherever there’s public housing … they cut it in half, sell half of it off and leave the rest for social welfare. They’re doing it everywhere,” Mr Doherty said.

Member for Balmain, Jamie Parker MP said the previous government initiated the redevelopment and its approach was to view public housing projects as ways to make money.

“Land … an asset that is in such high demand, is being stripped away from the public sector, which provides public housing, to be given to the private sector,” he said.

“There’s a crisis when it comes to public housing. There’s tens of thousands of people on the waiting list, some of the most vulnerable people in the community.”

The approved concept, originally designed by Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Design Ltd, slices the site in half to allow for private development along Cowper St and affordable and social housing blocks ovelooking the City’s disused and remediated depot.

Cr Parker questioned the supposed integration of the scheme. “What we’ll find is we’ll have an enclave of the very rich in their apartment blocks and then we’ll have an enclave of the public housing and affordable housing tenants. The evidence tells us this is a recipe for conflict,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Minister of Finance and Services, Greg Pearce, said: “The integration model proposed for the project aligns with the need for the owners to manage their properties efficiently.”

The Glebe Society’s planning convenor, Neil MacIndoe said there are several problems with the design including density, overshadowing, solar access and parking.

“It’s a huge overdevelopment … they have to put the buildings close together so there’s not enough open space and what is open is overshadowed, it also means there’s poor solar access, particularly for the social and affordable housing.”

Mr Pearce’s spokesperson said the current design satisfies solar access requirements and the area’s Local Environmental Plan (LEP).

“Every effort has been made to reduce the impact of overshadowing,” he said. “Solar requirements will again be tested by council when development applications are lodged for individual buildings.”

The 250 private units will also come with 145 parking spaces, while the 90 affordable housing units are supplied with 30. There is no planned parking for the social housing units.

Mr MacIndoe said the arrangement was unfair. “The private housing gets the lion’s share of everything, they get the best views and all the parking.”

“The number of parking spaces is consistent with the utilisation of parking at similar social housing developments in the inner city area,” Mr Pearce’s spokesperson said. “It reflects a high level of access to public transport and proximity to the CBD.”

Members of the community are encouraged to attend the Central Sydney Planning Committe at Sydney Town Hall at 6pm, February 16 to discuss the details of the development. Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP and Councillors John McInerney and Di Tornai will be on the panel with state-appointed representatives Craig Knowles, Robert Webster, Richard Pearson and Peter Mould.