A planning proposal for the rezoning of the Paint Shop precinct between Carriageworks and Redfern station is on exhibition until August 25. It was lodged on behalf of the site owner, NSW Transport Asset Holding Entity (TAHE), and can be viewed at http://bit.ly/RNE-virtual-room.
The proposal with up to 28-storey buildings is primarily commercial with 450 homes, 15 per cent of which will be social and affordable housing. The proposal includes 1.4 hectares of open space and 40 per cent green cover and seeks to respond to Aboriginal concerns through Connecting with Country.
As part of the former Eveleigh Railyards, heritage is a major concern with issues covered in five exhibited documents. The master plan shows a potential building through the historic Paint Shop and another cantilevered over the Paint Shop extension.
The master plan claims improved connectivity but does not include a pedestrian bridge between Carriageworks and South Eveleigh. The report says a bridge is possible but “detailed consideration is outside the project scope and does not have NSW government funding”.
If TAHE will not pay for this community requested piece of infrastructure then Rob Stokes, as Minister for Infrastructure and Active Transport, may need to find another way of delivering this if he wants broad community support for the proposal. The exhibition was launched by Minister Stokes.
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Geoff Turnbull is a spokesperson for REDWatch.
