In its submission to UrbanGrowth NSW, the state-owned corporation responsible for the sale process, community group REDWatch pointed out that an approved subdivision appears to remove pedestrian and bicycle access from Henderson Road around the Vice Chancellor’s Oval up to Redfern railway station.
Currently the proposed sale includes the sale of all public spaces with expectation that the subdivision will be registered after the sale. However, if the subdivision is not registered, all public access could be restricted.
The community also currently has use of open spaces and facilities such as the oval and tennis courts near Henderson Road and access to heritage areas including Wrought Artworks, the blacksmiths’ workshop, whose future is not protected in the sale process. None of these access rights is guaranteed.
An independent review by HillPDA Consulting commissioned by the City of Sydney recommends all open space on the site be excluded from the sale and retained in government ownership.
