The redevelopment of the UNSW Sydney College of Fine Arts (CoFA) is under threat, with the State Government expected to remove the community from the planning process and re-examine already approved construction traffic conditions for the site under Part 3A planning powers.
The Department of Planning is looking to remove Council's Construction Traffic Plan approval for the site's redevelopment in Paddington. This action to remove the City's approval powers for CoFA will unnecessarily hold up progress on this important site and create significant local unrest. The City of Sydney must remain the approval authority for CoFA.
The Council's approved Plan provides a solution to enable CoFA's redevelopment while minimising impacts on local residents and businesses. I am concerned that if the Department of Planning reviews the approved Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) it will seriously impact on CoFA's tight time frames and potentially jeopardise its stimulus funding.
The Council Plan allows construction traffic to use the Council owned Napier Street road closure adjacent to CoFA, to minimise traffic impacts on nearby residential streets. Residents who previously were originally strongly and actively opposed to CoFA's redevelopment had told me they were satisfied with Council's traffic plan and would now support the redevelopment.
If the Department takes control and recommends changes from Council's approved Plan, local residents are likely to have significant concerns and lose confidence in CoFA's redevelopment process. The redevelopment works are essential for CoFA's continuing success and will provide vital facilities for students and the broader community.
If the development is reviewed the Department will also look at a number of other approvals required for CoFA's redevelopment including the Community Liaison Committee Terms of Reference.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
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3 comments:
Imagine this alternative scenario: Now COFA has been effectively split apart in preparation for the redevelopment process - if you are successful in stopping the process - UNSW will very likely sell the site rather than reassemble COFA - you could have anything replace it - the consequences of which may well last far longer than the trucks - imagine the possibilities...it's the most likely way it will play out...break it down - u know it makes sense.
No one wants to stop the redevelopment - it's just the method to be implemented during the construction. If COFA/UNSW just kept to the plan they initially proposed with the DA - and which the community agreed to - then there would not be an issue. And using some kind of scare tactic by invoking 'bogeyman developers' is not of assistance, especially as i suspect that the site has certain conditions on its usage, given the long term history of the site being an educational facility.
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