Susan Auj ard (Sydney, Australia) 0418 863 489 (m) • [email protected] for feedback [email protected] as Jo Haylen emailed Susan Aujard: Thank you your Susan Auiard left feedback on Contact a day ago Hi Jo the Bankstown Development is a developer sham. I would have I live in the Canterbury / Ashbury area. My submission is attached. Not as thought out as liked. Please continue to oppose this crazy privatisation. REgards Sue A no attachment options the Sydenham Bankstown line and Please find below reasons why I am opposed to the privatisation of to renewal corridor the proposed urban renewal as outlined in the Sydenham to Bankstown urban highly concerned about the proposed development along I live a short walk to Canterbury station and I am my closest rail corridor and in my local area. Lazy solution without proper consultation or a business case Planning NSW solution without any It appears to me that this proposal has been pitched to as an easy is solution aimed at increasing rails costs, breaking up issues or drawbacks to future population growth. It a understand that this is the rail system and creating wealth for a small number of developers. I system does immediately that it applies in Sydney common in Singapore and Hong Kong. However, that not mean articulated. The Metro to have and that it is the best solution to a problem that has not been clearly appears brought by outside interest. been a knee jerk embrace to a perceived opportunity an Planning changes proposed by Planning NSW (and with the I am concerned that the exact intentions of the business has been support of the private sector) for the Bankstown line are shrouded in secrecy. No case released to support the Metro. By converting the Bankstown line, NSW is squandering windfall gains from the sale of the State's information that has been electricity assets. As a resident on the Bankstown line and based on the including the City & presented to the public, one can reasonably conclude that the Sydney Metro, Southwest section, is not really about providing improved public transport. It is about providing development opportunities to developers, including MTR Corporation, and turning large tracts of Sydney into MTR's version of Hong Kong. communities along the The Metro line is being used as an excuse to push dramatic over-development on corridor. It seems spatially and geographically unequal. The push is from developers and, much of what is being built is investor driven flats built to attract the burgeoning investment market. This does nothing to address affordability or housing disadvantage. Destruction of a heritage listed suburb Ashbury and Canterbury and much of the whole Bankstown Corridor have significant heritage value that should be retained such as that of the Mary MacKillop convent. and the impact of the plans. I have worked in I am concerned about every suburb along the corridor Erskineville, Bankstown and Riverwood and appreciate the communities living along the whole line and those that will lose their stations or are at threat of losing their stations. Erskineville St Peters. Marrickville Dulwich Hill Hurlstone Park Canterbury Campsie Belmore Wiley Park-Lakemba Punchbowl-Bankstown under significant Hurlstone Park for example has low-density character and historic homes that could be threat from urban renewal plans. Like other suburbs the Currently, nearly 60 per cent of dwellings in the suburb are separate homes. on line in the Bankstown line, Hurlstone Park began to be developed following the completion of the railway should be retained. mid-1890s. This gives the area a distinctive Federation housing feel. This Belmore's character will undergo dramatic change if the urban renewal plans are adopted. first subdivided The change in character will be particularly apparent at Acacia and Myall Sts, which were character homes. These streets in 1922 as part of Redman's Estate and are lined with single-storey are Lamb Reserve. It proposed to be redeveloped for skyscrapers up to 25 storeys, overlooking adjacent Terry of the which also contains would seem likely the towers will destroy the ambience and peace reserve, conflict the idea Belmore Sportsground. To transition from low density to 25 stories seems a complete to of community integration. industrial The Canterbury precinct has to date already experienced significant redevelopment of its areas spared significant and commercial sites along New Canterbury Rd, however residential areas have been vicinity of Canterbury station and the change. There are now 1000s of new dwellings in the immediate parking and long shadows from the high-rise development. area is experiencing congestion, crowded street all. The Along Canterbury Road the developments go all the way to the footpath with no set back at of community has lost historic hotels, single story homes and now has a corridor of buildings for hundreds metres. demolished under the Under the urban renewal plans, many hundreds of the precinct's homes are to be north of the Cooks plans. Streets clustered around the now redeveloped industrial areas and village centre family home low-density streets such River will see the most significant change, including current as Tincombe and Robert Streets, where streets currently containing single-storey homes are now proposed to be lined with unit blocks between 19-25 storeys high. the equivalent of putting series of skyscrapers as high as the Blues To put this into perspective — this is a It is questionable whether this level of Point Tower into what are currently low-scale family home streets. attempted in Sydney—even in high rise appartment development of low-density areas has previously been the 1960s and 1970s. 18 Low-density John St, which is opposite Canterbury racecourse, will also have towers up to storeys of eight-storey unit blocks. while streets to the east of the railway station will be transformed into canyons the Cooks River and transform currently untouched What's more, high-density development will jump Waratah and Bema low-density streets in the southern part of the suburb, including streets such as Emu, Streets where five-storey unit blocks are now proposed. railway line Subdivision plans show these streets were first subdivided in 1889— before the was even These five-storey unit blocks also constructed in 1895. The area at the time was listed as Silver Park. are architect proposed in Fore St, threatening two heritage-listed homes designed by famous 19th century which purchased by Varney Parkes. One of these homes is a State heritage-listed former convent — was Australian's only Catholic Saint Mary MacKillop in 1901. Heritage and character building built in the 19th Century (1879 is still Canterbury also has an historic cemetery, a primary school high school building. Canterbury Council prior to inscribed on the original building) and an historic food amalgamation has erected historic information signs around the suburb explaining its rich past as a bowl to Sydney and the original subdivisions. including State heritage items now under threat Separately, a significant number of heritage items — — are corridor dates back to the 1890s, because they have been placed in redevelopment areas. Housing in the when the line to Belmore was first constructed. Commission scheme, which The corridor is also the spiritual home of the iconic War Services Home provided homes to soldiers returning home from World War I. heritage It has been The former Sugar Works at Canterbury, built in 1841, is a stunning State item. converted into housing. The proposed urban renewal plans released in October 2015 make this a high-rise site, threatening the future of the Sugar Works. Maps released in May 2016 showed that this proposal had been removed, but the site will still be surrounded by intense development undermining its setting. This is not in keeping with the intent and spirit of heritage. Learn from West Connex and represented ideal Haberfield was created as a garden suburb in the early twentieth century an environment for people to live, work, raise and spend time with their family. The suburb has remained substantially intact but has had development through roads and Westconnex ruin its character, destroy tree canopies and divide communities. Those residents who have lost their homes cannot remain in the area due created to inadequate compensation and rising housing cost. It has fragmented the community and a is lost, heritage landscape with a constant reminder of development at catastrophic social cost. Tree canopy is lost and traffic congestion intensified. Disruption to the social cohesion through compulsory acquisition Residents in the development corridor (including Ashbury and Canterbury) will have their houses compulsorily acquired by developers, the NSW State Government or road projects such as Westconnex knocking door door and be forced to move from the area. Already real estate agents and developers are to in a predatory manner pressuring people to sell. established What people This would be a disruption to the social cohesion that is present in the older area. of want is security of tenure. Ordinary people appreciate and rely on the Torrens title system as a way has shown that this is feeling like they can stay somewhere and that they own their home. Westconnex able really completely undermined. The new strata title legislation also undermines confidence in being to long choose. If residents don't have own something or know that you can stay in your home for as as you this sense of security it undermines the long-term links that are established. holidays together for weekend As an example where I live a number of households have been away on a connections and people looking out for each other. on a number of occasions.