Lord Mayor Clover Moore said: “The local community and the City of Sydney have significant concerns about the sale of the ATP, which may put at risk a cluster of innovative businesses, public access to the site for the local community and heritage buildings.”
Under the proposed tender, announced just before the next round of community consultation for the Central to Eveleigh site, the government announced it will invite Requests for Tenders (RFT) from: Altis Property Partners Pty Ltd (with First State Super); Aqualand Projects Pty Ltd; Goodman; Mirvac Projects Pty Ltd; and Walker Corporation. The ATP sale is expected to be worth over $200m.
Darren Jenkins from Friends of Erskineville said: “UrbanGrowth has named these privateers without a skerrick of recognition for what the community has had to say. It’s little wonder local sentiment is fast progressing from disbelief to anger.”
UrbanGrowth says that “under the terms of the RFT the successful tenderer will be required to protect important heritage and public access values – making an allowance for future access ways over the rail corridor into ATP – and to maintain and support the Park’s role as a major employment hub with an emphasis on technology, creative, research and ICT/software industries”.
On the evening of the announcement, Mr Jenkins was at a meeting between resident groups and UrbanGrowth, which was told the government proposed to place covenants on the sale to try and protect public access and state-significant heritage.
“UrbanGrowth has to stop mouthing empty words about consultation and take on board the community’s ‘non-negotiables’ for the ATP: heritage preserved, public access maintained, open space safeguarded, no mega-towers, no more traffic congestion, and an unswerving focus on the technology jobs of the future,” Mr Jenkins said.
Geoff Turnbull from REDWatch, who also attended the meeting, said: “There was a clear call from resident groups and Council for parts of the site not to be sold, but government has ignored this without any explanation to us or the City. We have now requested a meeting with UrbanGrowth, Council and resident groups for UrbanGrowth to respond to the issues that have been raised, so we can consider if the proposed covenants can provide the protection needed for access and heritage.”
In an earlier UrbanGrowth study session on social facilities, UrbanGrowth recognised there would be limited open space following the development, with calculations from participants that this could be as low as one square metre per person – well below the proposed six square metres per person for Green Square. Submissions argued that the ATP should not be sold off until a full assessment of what was needed for community facilities and open space could be made.
UrbanGrowth claims that selling the ATP will release capital locked up in the ATP and that it is working with the government on plans to reinvest sale proceeds in the development of Central to Eveleigh.
The Lord Mayor also questioned the timing of the sell-off, saying: “The tender process is currently proceeding ahead of strategic planning for the redevelopment of the Central to Eveleigh corridor. Community confidence in the planning process for Central to Eveleigh could be undermined if the sale results in a change to plans for Central to Eveleigh.”
