THE PADDINGTONPADDINGTON PEOPLE PASSIONATE FOR PADDINGTON The official newsletter of The Paddington Society. Registered by Australia Post Publication No NBG 1470. paper ISSUE 169 | MAY 2014 Over the Palisade Update - NSW Planning Bill In this edition... A review of the proposed NSW Planning • Paddington Society’s 50th Word is that the L'Etoile Restaurant in Legislation by The Paddington Society revealed, among other matters, that: Anniversary Celebrations Five Ways will be reopening very soon as • NSW Planning Bill update a European restaurant - with new owners, • Protection of Heritage Conservation chef and culinary team. Areas, like Paddington would be • Children’s Photo Comp threatened as it was unclear whether the • The Four in Hand Restaurant is Saving Our Public Laneways  status of existing Heritage Development currently undergoing significant renovations • Paddington Bowling Club Control Plans would be retained. to their dining room which will give chef Colin Fassnidge an even greater opportunity to • The role of the Heritage Council to protect strut his culinary expertise. NSW’s Heritage would have been greatly The Paddington Society diminished. Another top-notch chef Guillaume is 50 years old this year! Brahimi will open his new restaurant at what • A significant curtailing of the opportunity was the iconic Darcy's Restaurant on the for the community to challenge details Monday 11 August 2014 corner of Hargrave and Elizabeth Streets. of developments at the DA stage which threatened the loss and destruction of Justin Hemmes has recently taken  elements of architectural heritage items Celebrate at our grand possession of the Paddington Arms in and inappropriate alterations to buildings Oxford Street opposite the Paddington Anniversary Feast at within the Paddington Conservation Area. Markets. Hemmes has indicated a major Paddington Town Hall. In our submission to the Planning Reform redevelopment of the site but as yet, there Living legend, actor Jack Thompson, White Paper and Exposure Bill in June 2013 has been no decision on the food focus for son of founding members of the Society we also stated the need to prohibit the use this venue. Word has it that the family owns John and Pat Thompson is guest speaker. of Private Certifiers in Conservation Areas two properties on the Oxford Street strip, Come and party with neighbours and friends or, at least require those to be registered and intends opening both as restaurants. in the beautifully renovated Town Hall, great as having the necessary heritage expertise Sir Peter Cosgrove, Australia’s 26th food and wine too, all welcome! Let’s mark  and skills. Governor-General spent his childhood in 50 years well. The Planning Bill 2013 prepared Paddington. It’s not every day that community in response to submissions was a organisations survive fifty years in a Vicki Joyner received an award disappointment. The Minister did announce rapidly changing world of vested interests. Council’s citizenship reception for her that the role of the Heritage Council would The Paddington Society, formed in tireless work on Paddington’s community be retained, did not pursue the Code 1964, has been representing community garden. Assessable category of development and interests, protecting heritage, fighting over- no changes were introduced to the role of D The pedestrian/cyclist bridge over development and for people’s amenity in Private Certifiers in Conservation Areas. Anzac Parade planned, prepared, approved this unique village of international renown… The Bill was introduced to the NSW and commissioned we understand, without and is one of the oldest community Parliament in October 2013. In November, tender process by the RMS (beneficiary the advocate organisations in Australia. SCG Trust) has many opponents across all the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, levels. Alex Greenwich MP, BIKESydney, announced that he would withdraw the BIKEast, City of Sydney, Centennial Park Planning Bills until February 2014 as a Community Consultative Committee, The result of heavy amendments made to these Paddington Society and several local Bills in the Upper House by the Labor, resident associations all agree it¹s poor Greens and Shooters and Fishers parties. design in the wrong place. The Government has been considering its options and undertaking further negotiations with ‘stakeholders’. The new Minister is yet to indicate what she intends to do with the Planning Bills. However, media reports suggest that one option is to use the existing planning legislation to achieve change. This has been given credence by recently gazetted changes to State Environmental Planning Policy-Exempt and Complying Development, which was amended to expand the categories that could be certified as complying development. The Paddington Society has requested to RMS photomontage of proposed bridge over Anzac Parade. make direct representation to the Minister or to the Planning New South Wales to Woollahra Council's upgrade of further advocate its position. Elizabeth and Underwood Streets is a Paddington Town Hall - built 1891 and refurbished 2012 great improvement. by City of Sydney. On the Streets Our Laneways - Public interest or Private monopoly

Paddington is a walking suburb and preservation - ‘The pedestrian network the intricate network of laneways is part of of laneways…… have great historic a rich urban fabric. This historic feature of significance and should be retained.’ Paddington developed over 180 years from In decades past, some sections of this the original land grants in the Colony, to the pedestrian network have been quietly gentry villas, to subdivisions of the late 19th eroded – here and there the rear courtyard century - a process which more by accident fence moved a metre or two into a dunny than by intent, has resulted in a complex lane and taken into private property, no one environment that can never be reproduced cared too much, Paddington as a place today - no matter how hard we might try - no wasn’t valued then as it is now. Now we do matter how skillfully we might plan. care. This is encroachment by stealth. As local resident and global leader in The issue is about a public right-of-way town planning Greg Young said recently rather than a private monopoly. “Paddington, the laneways, the twists, that’s While the notion of public interest may its history - it’s our Venice”. have diminished today - no one would Yet in the last month a section of our dream of trusting responsibility for shared laneway network connecting two streets laneways to an individual’s title - for that Laneway now completely gated has been gated to stop public access for reason we still have Local Government to exclusive private use. The laneway in play a role in advocating public interest for Paddington Bowling Club question may be on the title of a neighbour, the local community. redevelopment update but it has been a public walkway since the The Paddington Society is seeking further subdivision of last century. legal advice on public access closures. For more than a decade local residents, It was a common practice in earlier Council has previously acted in the public Councillors, Independent State Members times for public laneways to be placed on interest to keep these laneways open as and friends of Quarry Street, have been neighbouring property titles with the proviso was the original intention. It is Council’s trying to get to the bottom of what is really of a right-of-way for access and that there duty to ensure that such public amenities happening at the Paddington Bowling Club. be no building work on the land to obstruct are preserved from private monopoly - There’s much more to the story than a DA this. It would never have been the intention the right of public access for all residents for a child care centre. of this old legal practice to see these must be protected. Otherwise our laneway Recently an excellent expose by laneways closed from general public use. network could become an extinct species in respected journalist and activist Wendy Modern legal practice would not our world class heritage suburb Bacon, researched and summarised manage laneways in this manner. These The current owners of Paddington are this complex tale revealing how private laneways, archaic as the title of ownership merely custodians of this wonderful heritage developers can ‘acquire’ Crown land arrangements may be, are part of the - and it is our responsibility, each and every masquerading as concerned citizens - first character of Paddington. This is why one of us, to protect this precious commodity published by the New Matilda, a nonprofit, Woollahra Council’s Heritage Conservation and ensure that it is passed on to future independent media. Area DCP for Paddington calls for laneway generations in the most intact state possible. Here’s the summary intro: ‘At one level, this is a community story stadium in the park. about a development application for a child Did You Know? As early as 1965 the Paddington Society care centre on Crown land in the inner first came up with the idea of Paddington city suburb of Paddington. On another, it’s Celebrating 50 years as a unique area, both architecturally and a story about how state authorities and historically, and emphasised the need for This year The Paddington Society corporate regulators failed residents and it to be preserved and that Paddington be celebrates its 50th anniversary. local Councillors who struggled to hold zoned as a Special Area of Outstanding politicians, developers, and public servants From the outset, the aims of the Architectural and Historical Interest. accountable for dealings with publically Paddington Society have been almost However, in 1967 when the City Planning owned open space. entirely concerned with preserving the Scheme was exhibited, zoning was It’s a tangled web of closed-door environmental and social amenity of the unchanged allowing high-rise low-cost negotiations and business deals that Paddington Area for its residents, with a building, and alarmingly there were several disadvantaged a community club, leaving strong emphasis on conservation. road widening proposals including Jersey older members feeling overrun, some It has often been stated that The Road, an act which would have destroyed residents intimidated and the local council Paddington Society, founded in 1964, was many terrace houses, as well as having a sidelined…’ the first resident action group to have been divisive effect on the whole suburb. Read the full catastrophe online: formed in Australia. Its founding members The Bunning Report - 1968, prepared • http://www.wendybacon.com/2014/how- were John Thompson as President, Pat by an independent commissioner was a developers-got-hold-of-prime-sydney- Thompson, Don and Marea Gazzard, Viva positive result for the Society. Bunning land/ Murphy and Sheila Rowan. recognised the merit of such proposals and • http://www.wendybacon.com/2014/padd- In its formative years, the Society organised recommended: bowls-inquiry-first-media-report/ an effective and successful fight against the ‘That the Paddington Area, including • http://www.wendybacon.com/2014/ proposed Neild Avenue/Liverpool Street West Woollahra, bounded by Ocean Street how-did-public-land-end-up-in-hands-of- expressway. It obtained special protective the northern boundary of Moore Park developer-minister-stoner-reviews-deal/ zoning for North Paddington. This was later Road, Oatley Road, Oxford Street to the and there’s more….. extended to south of Oxford Street as more eastern side of the new Barcom-Boundary and more terrace houses were threatened road alignment and New South Head by development. It defended Centennial Road, should be declared a precinct of Park against the proposal to build a sports architectural merit.’ On the Streets Our Laneways - Public interest or Private monopoly

Darcy’s – a fond farewell Revitalised Oxford Street Plan Announcing the Paddington Farewell to Darcy’s restaurant and the gets a hearing by RMS Children’s Photo Comp! legendary Attilio Marinangeli who, along Last October we were fortunate to Another Paddo generations’ view… with Aldo Zuzza, transformed d'Arcy present our proposed plan for Oxford Capturing what Paddington means to our Glover's original 1968 Swiss Restaurant Street’s transformation into a people and children is a way of looking at heritage on the corner of Hargrave and Elizabeth vehicle friendly street (prepared jointly with values through fresh eyes. Paddington Streets, into its inspired, understated, Italian BIKEast) to members of the new Roads primary school children can enter one photo form in 1975. and Maritime Services (RMS) including in each of the following categories in the Attilio set the standard for the finest food Paul McNeal, Navan Prasad, and Stephen competition: developed from the freshest ingredients Brown. Paddington Society presenters • My Favourite Street and complemented it with the fabulous included Will Mrongovius, Geoff Ludowyke, cellar and his extraordinary depth of wine • My Favourite Shopkeeper Robyn Attuell, Bill Morrison, and Adrian knowledge. Unlike many of today's Sydney Boss representing BIKEast. • My Favourite Building restaurants, in true Italian fashion, Attilio A specially prepared presentation took Age divisions: welcomed you at any hour and was there the RMS through the objectives, the vital • Under 12 • Under 8 till you were ready to depart, no matter what issues, our concept, and internationally the time. A wonderful inspiring era. We wish Entries open: Friday 20th June proven precedents. Our concept is based Attilio and Aldo well and thank them for forty Entries close: Thursday 31st July upon reducing the speed limit to 40 kph, years of memorable dining experiences. Submissions: email photo(s) to reducing the number of traffic lanes in each celebratepaddington@daybukharchitects. direction, minimising traffic lane markings, com.au with your name, age, school, photo and introducing a wide pedestrian friendly category and brief description. median. It’s called ‘The Naked Street’ in There will be prizes for each category and similar, internationally successful, urban age group. Winners will be announced at projects. Traffic count studies subsequently the Paddington Society’s 50th anniversary released by Woollahra Council suggest celebratory dinner in the Town Hall on that fewer traffic lanes are feasible without Monday August 11th. Prizes will be awarded having a detrimental effect on vehicle at each winner’s school assembly.All photos flow. The result of fewer unmarked lanes will be printed for an exhibition – the venue lowers the speed of traffic and a wider to be confirmed. median allows pedestrians to cross safely, All submissions can be viewed online. supporting increased business levels on For more information go to both sides of the village. Truly a ‘high street’ www.paddingtonslciety.org.au that can be enjoyed. The presentation was enthusiastically received by the RMS. They suggested the plan needed modelling to be fully assessed. Attilio Marinangeli with John Richardson 2013. It was also suggested we should present this plan to the City Council and to the CEO The Society started a vigorous campaign of RMS which are being followed up. for a public enquiry into these proposals We have pursued this concept in order and formed the Paddington Society to open up a dialogue with RMS, City of Special Area Committee. This dedicated Sydney and Woollahra Council. Whilst team of experts, with Don Gazzard at the Woollahra Council is undertaking a very helm, produced a 57 page report in 1970, valuable planning exercise, using outside Paddington - A Plan for Preservation, which consultants, which is suggesting a different was a milestone for planning for inner-city approach, we all have common objectives: living. In September 1970 the Minister for to reduce traffic speeds and to regenerate Local Government announced that Jersey Oxford Street as a vital people place. Road would not be widened. The introduction of new restaurant and Today, the Paddington Society, comprised pub life to the strip, as mentioned elsewhere, of Paddington resident volunteers, will go a long way to bringing back life and continues to be a non-political and non- activity. Perhaps it’s also up to landlords to sectarian vibrant and active resident action seek innovative ways to let their shops in group. It continues to be involved in an ever- order to reinvent the place. increasing number of activities on behalf of the Paddington area community. Check the Society’s website to find out more about the events planned throughout A favourite Paddington spot the year to celebrate our 50th Anniversary. Being a dog lover I tend to connect to places that are doggie friendly, ie cafes and Find your house’s origin online - bookshops etc. But the most regular visit the City of Sydney website now has a is each evening when it’s time for the dogs searchable set of Sands Directory - no at the RHW park. This friendly oasis in the need to go through microfiche in the State midst of terraces and high rise is a meeting Library http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/ place for people and dogs. Children kick learn/history/search-our-collections/sands- their balls and small babies crawl on the directory grass. It’s a treasure! Glenise Head Renovation Tips Another Viewpoint Why Paddington feels so good The quality of Paddington that every alert visitor, resident or tourist is aware It’s good to see there are St John’s Update of, is that traversing the suburb brings still some traditional trades For almost 10 years we have all been untold pleasures to the eye. The fact that Paddington is so visually attractive is due and artisans around. bemused by the excavated, but neglected site of St Johns, while owners changed and to the happy accident of the predominant You may recall that a little while back I had plans were altered. building type, the Victorian terrace house, a ceiling collapse in the living room at the Well-reputed Sydney builders have finally being constructed in a coherent and front of our house. I thought it worth recalling started ‘filling in the hole’ at this heritage consistent style over a short, intensive this incident as it was a good demonstration precinct on Oxford Street. Screens have period of building during the last two of what is possible in conservation terms. gone up (you can still take a peek from decades of the 19th century. That this rapid The collapse resulted from water Renny Lane), and those of us in Regent development took place on a sloping terrain penetration that happened eons ago before Street are now watching the daily trucks resulted in an almost Mediterranean hilltop we purchased the property and I had been delivering machinery, steel reinforcing town. The sheer visual delight of looking at watching it carefully over the years. A and concrete. Footings at the base of the and walking around Paddington is the quality segmental section over the windows had excavation have been poured. that the Paddington Heritage Development dropped a little resulting in a section of The 1845 Old Manse and 1859 stone Control Plan aims to preserve. ornate cornice work cracking away. Church have been meticulously restored, The Paddington Heritage DCP is At 3am one morning I sat bolt upright with the south facade still to be done. The effectively a design guide that identifies in in bed to the sound of an almighty crash result will be eight new residences including an analytical way the elements that together in the room below. As the dense cloud of the New Manse, with retail and a cafe/ create the urban streetscape of Paddington. white dust settled I could see the aftermath, restaurant onto Oxford Street. Drawing on this analysis it sets out objectives debris across the front parlours, broken and controls regarding form, proportions, lamps, table and chairs a mess, and looking COFA Update colour and materials appropriate for up to the ceiling the broad mass of exposed Late last year maintenance and ongoing building work to ensure that such lath without the plaster. restoration works commenced on the work makes a harmonious contribution to I found a heritage plasterer through talking Heritage listed Buildings A and C – the old the existing built environment. Effectively with some local heritage architects, being public school buildings on the site. The the DCP describes a kit of parts for the well- aware that you have to get the right people repair to the external facades of these noted mannered design of new building work in an to tackle these jobs. Even so I was rather buildings has progressed well and should existing heritage context. cautious and when they inspected to quote be completed soon. The overall objective of the DCP is to they suggested the best way was to replace The UNSW has commenced work on preserve, strengthen and contribute to the the whole ceiling my caution increased. So electronically controlling the gates on the urban environment of Paddington based we focused back on the repair task. They residential Selwyn Street frontage. We also on, but not limited to, the townscape we would clean up the lost ceiling, remove any understand that a DA will be lodged soon have inherited from our Victorian forebears. loose pieces, screw-fix a sheet of fibrous to enclose the southern stairwell which is While controls in the DCP affect individual cement sheeting, apply bondcrete to seal currently an echo chamber 24/7. buildings, the objectives are aimed at the edges, and, here comes the crafty part, preserving not just individual buildings but remove a portion of the cornice in order to more importantly the overall streetscape. create a new mould from which to cast a To this end the design rules apply just as new length. much to buildings in Paddington that are not I was nervous until several weeks later Vale June Poland 1935-2013 Victorian terrace houses. While later built the guys arrived to do stage one, there The Society was saddened at the loss last work may have its own architectural style, were three of them, probably in their thirties, year of June Poland, founding member of harmonising visually with the predominant but looking aged through a layer of plaster the Woollahra History and Heritage Society. building type should be the guiding design dust, true craftsmen who knew their trade June was well known for her extraordinary objective of any new work. and conscientiously applied their skills to contribution to the conservation movement The aim of the DCP is to make each achieve the best results. After preparing all which included, amongst her many modern insertion or modification to fit into the base work a fourth lightly dusted, rather achievements, assisting with the survey the townscape in a manner respectful of the gnome like member of the team arrived. of Paddington terrace house facades existing grammar of form and proportion He was here to do the finishing trade, the during the 1970s to provide a baseline for prevailing in the street. This is the test that setting of the ceiling to a true and level restoration. June was perhaps best known should be applied to the appearance of surface. So here was the ultimate artisan. for her tireless campaign to save Strickland every proposed development on every site They returned with the cornice and again House in Vaucluse from disposal by in Paddington. after the prep work, the artisan arrived to put government for private development. on the finishing touches and sign off. It was There was seldom a year when June, The Paddington Society 2014 Committee a great result, a lesson in how to go about husband Peter, and the Paddington Society Will Mrongovius President retaining the heritage interior of our houses. were not united in a common conservation Geoff Ludowyke Vice President It reinforced my belief that you should never cause including major developments in Francis Walsh Treasurer give in to a short term fix or a tradie who Paddington such as the redevelopment Minty Smyth Secretary wants to take a short cut. The right people of the Royal Hospital for Women, and the Robyn Attuell Committee are around to do the job, you’ve just got to reinvention of the Paddington Reservoir. Matt Day Committee sniff them out. Ron the Renovator June will be sadly missed. John Fraser Committee Leonie Furber Committee The Paddington Paper is the official newsletter of The Paddington Society providing Linda Gosling Committee news and informed comment on local issues. Views expressed are those of the editorial Esther Hayter Committee committee and not necessarily those of the membership of the Paddington Society. Krystyna Luczak Committee John Richardson Committee The Paddington Society | Juniper Hall Oxford Street Paddington NSW 2021 Bill Morrison Committee PO Box 99 Paddington NSW 2021 | T: 9360 6159 | e: [email protected] Graham Stewart Committee Passionate for Paddington? Then join us and get involved! www.paddingtonsociety.org.au