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THE PADDINGTONPADDINGTON PEOPLE PASSIONATE FOR PADDINGTON The official newsletter of The Paddington Society. Registered by Australia Post Publication No NBG 1470. paper ISSUE 170 | JULY 2014 PASSION | CARING | ACTIVISM CELEBRATING 50 YEARS On 11 August 2014 The Paddington Society The Paddington Society invites you to our celebrates 50 years supporting heritage, environment and 50th Anniversary community values in Paddington. Established in 1964 to oppose pressure Celebration Dinner from private developers, council rezonings and arterial road proposals, The Society has Paddington Town Hall been prominent and pro-active in seeking the conservation of heritage in Paddington and Monday 11 August 2014 public domain improvements which provide a better quality of life for the community. 7:00 pm Over this period dedicated residents from various walks of life have volunteered their Society Members $110 | Friends $115 Jack Thompson time, energy and professional expertise to Jack Thompson, son of founding members ensure the quality of this unique precinct is Guest of Honour: of The Paddington Society Pat and John, maintained, conserved and improved. and brother of filmmaker Peter Thompson, His Excellency the Honorable This edition of the Paddington Paper is a major figure of Australian cinema. Sir Peter Cosgrove outlines the broad acheivements of The He is best known as a lead character actor Governor-General of the Society over this 50 year time span. in acclaimed Australian films including such Commonwealth of Australia You are invited to read and enjoy classics as Sunday Too Far Away, The Man and recognize the considerable from Snowy River and Breaker Morant. contribution which has been made on Guest Speaker: Jack Thompson He has won Cannes and AFI acting awards your behalf. and the recipient of a Living Legend Award More importantly join us to celebrate this Booking and information: in 2005. milestone at the Paddington Town Hall with www.paddingtonsociety.org.au Jack has also developed a love of poetry guest speaker, Paddington’s favorite son Robyn Attuell | 0412 414 144 or (his father was a poet) and features in Jack Thompson, actor, film star and son of [email protected] a series of recordings of Australian poetry the founding members of The Society, John reciting the works of Henry Lawson, RSVP Wednesday 30 July 2014 and Pat Thompson. Banjo Paterson and C.J. Dennis. Celebrating 50 Years of The Paddington Society 1964 – 2014 1960s | the beginnings 1970s | bold plans 1980s | saving heritage These resident actions lay the Juniper Hall, a grand villa built in the early The Paddington Society was foundations to preserve the heritage village 1820s was the home of Robert Cooper, formed in 1964 at a meeting in of Paddington. a gin distiller. A hundred years later it was The Paddington turned into flats and hidden behind a row Paddington Town Hall, called Society formed of shops along the Oxford Street frontage to support the preservation a Special Area in the 1920s. When further commercial of Paddington in the face Committee development was approved in 1984, The which met fort- Paddington Society and the National Trust of post-war planning nightly, to pre- mounted another very public campaign schemes which designated pare ‘A Plan for organising a rally and march along Oxford Paddington as a ‘slum’ Preservation’ for Street leading to the removal of the shops suitable for redevelopment. Paddington to and restoration of the building. Fortunately assist Woollahra it was an election year and substantial Council in the funds were forthcoming – $750,000 from A vigorous campaign was mounted in the preparation of the State Government, the National Trust mid-sixties to have Paddington recognized its development contributed over $1 million, $200,000 from as a place of architectural and heritage controls. The Plan was based on a thesis Woollahra Council, the Paddington Society merit and to combat proposals to widen a by Terry Dorough and prepared by Society members raised $5,000 and Society number of streets to improve arterial traffic volunteers including Don Gazzard, member Lesley Bridle bequeathed her flows. The widenings, in Liverpool Street Keith Cottier, George Clarke and other entire house and estate to its restoration and later Jersey Road, would have resulted enthusiastic members of the committee; in the loss of multiple terrace houses and Juniper Hall March 1984 its implementation was recommended and streets, which threatened the fabric supported by the National Trust and to and substance of Paddington as this day remains a milestone and a a heritage precinct. model for planning for inner city living. After much campaigning by Society members, including • Five streets - Regent, Ulster, a major rally in Jersey Road, Newcombe, Stewart and Elizabeth which attracted over 3,000 were closed to prevent constant people - politicians, planners, rat-running from Oxford Street to architects and celebrities; it Moore Park Road. was the lead story on all four TV • Sydney City Council purchased channels that evening. There appeared to land on the corner of Oatley Rd and be hope for Paddington’s future. Oxford St, once the site of the derelict Commissions of Enquiry led by Glenview Hotel. It was developed into a Commissioners Bunning and Abraham park area alongside Walter Read Reserve resulted in these proposals being rejected. and included a memorial fountain to The Sydney Morning Herald stated “The John Thompson poet and founder of • The barricades once placed around Paddington Society has saved Paddington”. the Society designed by Don Gazzard. Trumper Park Oval were removed returning this green space to community use. • The reservoir site was saved from a multi- story carpark with a permanent conservation Paddington Street order placed on the site. • RTA’s proposal to make Barcom Avenue a two-way street at Oxford Street to increase its use as a distributor road was defeated. < Impending devestation to Jersey Road. Photo shows terraces to be demolished. and was presented at the Commission of Enquiry 1967. Donated to the Society Jersey Road by Commissioner Walter (Wally) Abraham. < John Thompson (middle), Commissioner Walter Windsor Street Bunning (right) with Paddington resident, 1968 Moncur Street Hargrave St Celebrating 50 Years of The Paddington Society 1964 – 2014 1990s | taking control 2000s | overdevelopment 2014 | 50 years later In the early 1990s The Paddington As the push for urban consolidation and Oxford Street - the High Street – the Society took a pro-active approach to the re-development momentum gained tacit Paddington Society together with BIKEast, redevelopment of the Royal Hospital for Government support, The Paddington has prepared a plan for the design of Women site. As part of the Reference Society campaigned ever more strongly Oxford Street as a pedestrian friendly High Group set up by the Benevolent Society, against the overdevelopment of large sites. Street to unite both sides of Paddington, Society members prepared and presented • White City – the Society developed a slow traffic and foster improved commerce. a concept for redevelopment of the site concept plan and with further community The proposal, which reduces traffic which was subsequently adopted by the consultation Woollahra Council drew up a speed to 40 kph, rationalises traffic lanes, Benevolent Society. The plan provided a DCP for the site, ongoing. repositions traffic lights and incorporates total structure and form for site development • Cross City Tunnel – our plans for a wide pedestrian friendly central median, and included a 0.5ha park on Glenmore gateway works at Glenmore Road/New has been presented to the City of Sydney, Road, now enjoyed by many Paddington South Head Road, pedestrian crossings Woollahra Council, and most recently residents. At the time the process was and stop signs at the Cascade Street to the Director of Roads and Maritime considered a model for community intersection, footpath widening on Nield Services (RMS) who has undertaken to engagement achieving excellent results for Avenue and narrowed roadway at Dillon conduct further studies into the concept. the Benevolent Society and the community. Street Park were implemented by the RTA. • The Paddington Development Control Plan (DCP), as a separate detailed document was demanded by The Society and contributed to over 10 years by our technical experts, via the DCP Working Party. It is now the bible of advice on how to maintain our built heritage and neighbours’ amenity when upgrading dwellings and commercial buidlings. DAs are continuously monitored by The Society for compliance. • A group of six Victorian ‘Gothic’ terraces in Stafford Street were saved from demolition. Oxford Street proposal by The Paddington Society with wide median and rationalised traffic. • Our Integrated Traffic Management Plan for • The Scottish Hospital - the proposed The History of Paddington Paddington was developed overdevelopment of the site resulted To celebrate our 50th year, the Society emphasising it as a walking in the Society putting forward detailed is currently embarking upon an ambitious suburb where vehicle traffic is subservient submissions. project to research and publish the definitive to amenity. • St John’s Church Oxford Street is history of Paddington documenting • We successfully advised Sydney being restored and the site developed for the development of its early history, Grammar School that the upgrade to the retail and residential. The DA for a mix of architectural, social