REDWatch - Redfern Eveleigh Darlington Waterloo Watch Group

New Bus Service to City and North Shore

REDWatch — 2009-12-13T11:38:54Z

The newest Metrobus route is here, running between Mascot and Gore Hill. The route 20 Metrobus service provides an extra 80,000 spaces for people travelling between Sydney’s south, the city and the lower North shore every week. As with the Metrobus route 10, the route 20 Metrobuses are a distinctive bright red colour.

This is the second of a five-route Metrobus network, which will be completed by the end of 2010. This whole network will provide over 300,000 additional passenger spaces on Sydney’s busiest corridors every week.

The Metrobus network is unique and features:

· a route that connects places of work, shopping, entertainment and hospitals

· high frequency services not requiring a timetable

· a cashless, PrePay-only service for faster boardings, and

· a mixture of high capacity ‘bendy’ buses and standard buses.

From Mascot the new Route 20 service will travel up Botany Road, turn right onto Epsom Road in Rosebery, past Victoria Park on Joynton Avenue, up Bourke Street, across Phillip Street, Waterloo and then to the City along the Chalmers Street/Elizabeth Street corridor and on to North Sydney, Crows Nest, St Leonards and Gore Hill.

As you may recall, the Route 20 was originally planned to start and terminate at Rosebery. However, the southern terminus was extended to give residents and workers in the Mascot area greater access to public transport.

The NSW Government made the pledge when the first Metrobus trial began of giving Sydney more buses, more often. That promise is being delivered with the Route 20 and will continue to be honoured next year with three more Metrobus routes.

For more information on the Metrobus Route 20 and additional services that are planned, visit www.sydneybuses.info/metrobus.htm

Kristina Keneally MP

Member for Heffron

Shop 117, 747 Botany Road, Rosebery NSW 2018

Phone: (02) 9699 8166 Fax: (02) 9699 8222

Email: kristina.keneally@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Source: South Sydney Herald December 2009 www.southsydneyherald.com.au

Redfern now Sydney’s Premier Suburb

REDWatch — 2009-12-10T09:09:45Z

Ms Keneally, who was born and raised in the United States, entered Parliament in 2003 as the member for Heffron, an electorate that includes Redfern, Alexandria and Waterloo. In September 2008 she became the Minister for Planning.

After winning a leadership challenge against Nathan Rees last week, she was sworn in as Premier on December 4. Ms Keneally said her victory was “an opportunity for a new beginning”.

City News spoke to some Sydney voters who displayed a range of different attitudes on whether the new Premier would be effective:

“I think she’s up for a tough job. The NSW Labor party has just cocked it up for so long,” said Tim Murray, 33, of Paddington.

“I think she’ll clean up a lot of things” said Beverleigh Greentree, proprietor of clothing boutique ‘Mag’s of Glebe’. “She seems to have more spunk than a lot of the men around at the moment – she’s not afraid to speak up about things’

“They’ve changed the horse but the jockey’s the same” said Brendan McMenanie, 45, of Marrickville, referring to the perception that Keneally is a puppet for right-wing power brokers in the Labor Party. He added: “Labor can’t do anything. In ten years they’ve done nothing so why all of a sudden are they going to change?”

Taryn Walsh, 34, of Petersham, said she was not excited by the appointment of NSW’s first female Premier. “It’s another great political move to try to take attention away from the fact that they’re [screwed],” she said.

Source: www.altmedia.net.au/redfern-now-sydneys-premier-suburb/14330

Premier to retain direct control over Redfern Waterloo

REDWatch — 2009-12-08T09:44:18Z

Kristina Keneally meets constituents at her electorate office earlier this year

In her first interview with the local press, Ms Keneally said the revitalisation of Redfern Waterloo was a key priority.

She also said the much-needed upgrade of Redfern station was contingent on land sales from the North Eveleigh development project, a project which has not yet got off the ground.

``We are preparing for the sale of North Eveleigh at the moment,’’ Ms Keneally said.

The Premier made no commitment to subsiding fares on the privately-owned Airport rail link for local stations.

``We need smarter solutions that don’t involve exposing us to risk,’’ Ms Keneally said.

She stopped short of committing to light rail to Green Square in the short term but honoured Sydney Council’s vision for Green Square as a cluster of residential and retail uses, aimed to reduce car reliance.

``Green Square is meant to be a vibrant mixed centre with employment, retail and residential - the idea that people can work live and shop in the same area,’’ Ms Keneally said.

``Sydney Council is working with Landcom. It will be an exciting place and will be a place where we cluster residential, retail and commercial around transport services.’’

``There is a green loop provided for in the Green Square master plan. It will be a case of supplying the transport infrastructure where it is needed, when it is needed.

``Look at the Metro 20 bus which we started a month ago; it runs from Mascot through South Sydney where new residents are moving in and takes them into the city. It adds to
existing transport; the 343, 310 and 309.

``With our transport blueprint we will look at growth of transport across Sydney, sustaining and growing an ageing population and we will look at ways to support new transport in Sydney,’’ Ms Keneally said.

Source: http://sydney-central.whereilive.com.au/news/story/premier-to-retain-direct-control-over-redern-waterloo/

SUPERMARKET APPROVED

REDWatch — 2009-11-06T04:47:24Z

Greens councillor Irene Doutney has expressed concerns about the possibility that the club might, at some time in the future, house poker machines.

Concerns were also raised by residents about traffic and the potential impacts on smaller local shops.

The supermarket had been given prior approval by the council in 2007.

However, Greens councillor Chris Harris said he would rather the plans for a supermarket ended up in the Land and Environment Court than be approved by the council.

He said he held little trust in the people behind the application who, according to Cr Harris, had gone back on their word to run a "pokies-free" club.

Owners of the South Sydney Rabbitohs football club, Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court, pledged to create a poker machine-free club when they took over in 2006, but club members later voted to remove the ban.

"I agreed to a supermarket when two men bought out the club in good faith," Cr Harris said.

"Members then voted to allow poker machines. But do we know if poker machine company representatives had any influence on that vote? We don't. This council put a lot of money into this club and they turned around and changed their minds a year later."

Club chairman Bill Alexion-Hucker told the council last month that the club would do everything in its power to operate without the need for poker machines. However, the supermarket was vital to keep the development venture alive he said. Lord Mayor Clover Moore removed herself from the chamber during the debate and the vote: Peter Holmes a Court was a significant donor to Cr Moore's election campaign for her state seat of Sydney, contributing $8380 in 2006.

Cr John McInerney, a member of the Lord Mayor's team of independents, said he trusted the people behind the application.

"We have written expression from people who purport to be outstanding in this community to bring in a plan of management to remove poker machines. I look forward to that," Cr McInerney said.

Labor councillor Meredith Burgmann share Cr Doutney's concerns about the proximity the supermarket to a potential poker machine room, yet said South's survival was important "I think they were always talking to us in goo faith," Cr Burgmann said.

Cr Doutney said a petition against the super market with 1600 signatures lodged earlier the DA process had been "misplaced".

Cr Doutney estimated 22 truck movements day for 11 hours and said locals held fears fo children in the playground nearby.

She said there had been no economic impact assessment. The council's director of city planning, Graham Jahn, said everything to ameliorate the impact of the proposal on the local amenity had been made.

Heffron MP Kristina Keneally had previously urged the council to allow more supermarket in the area to increase grocery shopping choice for residents. The supermarket will operate from 7am to 10pm.

Redfern-Waterloo supermarket DAs approved

REDWatch — 2009-11-06T02:23:52Z

As reported in City News last week, the Waterloo ALDI attracted the attention of Heffron state MP Kristina Keneally, who gave the proposal her emphatic support during discussion at Council committee meeting. At Monday’s Council meeting, approval for the development was granted unanimously.

It was in stark contrast to the DA for the new Redfern IGA on Chalmers Street, controversial due to its location on the ground floor of South Sydney Leagues Club, and thus its proximity to poker machines. Although the supermarket itself was approved earlier in the year, Monday’s motion dealt with concerns cited in the original proposal, including amelioration of traffic impacts and hours of operation.

But the two Greens councillors were unwilling to give ground. “Good faith has not been demonstrated with this DA,” said Councillor Chris Harris. “When we approved this supermarket, it was in response that we took on good faith, statements in the press, [from] two very influential people (Souths owners Peter Holmes à Court and Russell Crowe)…that they were going to do something different. On that basis, I very foolishly agreed to a supermarket – I’d never make that mistake again.”

Cr Harris also said he believed the possible volume of traffic had been underestimated.

Councillor John McInerney concurred with Cr Harris’ comments regarding the good faith of the club, but said he believed they could be trusted at this point in time, due to written commitments. He said he would closely study progress in bringing in a plan of management to remove the poker machines.

Labor Councillor Meredith Burgmann also cited ongoing concerns over traffic and poker machines, but said the revised DA had addressed many of the most egregious issues. She added she believed the club had acted in good faith and that it had not been their intention to mislead Council over the promise to remove pokies.

Source: www.altmedia.net.au/redfern-waterloo-supermarket-das-approved/13098

Kristina Keneally MP – Eveleigh Markets Declared Best in Sydney

REDWatch — 2009-11-04T09:31:28Z

In 2008 the NSW Government and the Redfern Waterloo Authority undertook a $3 million refurbishment of the heritage Blacksmith’s Workshop at North Eveleigh Rail yards. This refurbishment has resulted in the creation of Sydney’s Best Foodies Markets, the Eveleigh Markets.

Regular weekly trading of the markets started on Saturday 28 February 2009 and rain, hail or shine have been attracting, on average, 3,000 people every week.

Because the markets are undercover they operate in all weather so people can shop and enjoy meeting those who bring their products to market.

I have spent many a Saturday morning at the markets with my family enjoying the produce, atmosphere and a Kangaroo pie from Yaama Dihyaan.

Places that have recently started operating are usually given a year to prove themselves, however the Eveleigh Markets have, in just seven months, shown they are the best in Sydney.

It is for this reason that the Eveleigh Markets, the Redfern Waterloo Authority and Australia Technology Park deserve special praise for this amazing achievement.

Locally grown farm fresh produce sold by the growers/producers at Eveleigh Markets include:

· Lamb, beef and pork,

· In season fruit and vegetables,

· Free range eggs and poultry,

· Honey,

· New season olive oils,

· Artisan bread,

· Shellfish,

· Goats cheese; and

· Baked goods.

The Eveleigh Markets are an undercover, traditional, authentic weekly Saturday Farmers’ Market held in the city of Sydney.

The market is held every Saturday between 8am and 1 pm, in the heritage-listed Eveleigh Market, Sydney’s only custom-renovated ‘rain, hail, shine’ market venue 243 Wilson St, Darlington, NSW (Adjacent Carriage Works). I hope to see you there!

For more information visit www.eveleighmarkets.com.au

Kristina Keneally MP

Member for Heffron

Shop 117, 747 Botany Road, Rosebery NSW 2018

Phone: (02) 9699 8166 Fax: (02) 9699 8222

Email: kristina.keneally@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Source: www.southsydneyherald.com.au

Crunch time for Waterloo supermarket

REDWatch — 2009-11-01T02:26:28Z

“Residents of Redfern and Waterloo are in great need of affordable groceries within walking distance of their place of residence,” she said. “It is obscene that in an area with such a high proportion of residents on low incomes that the closest grocery store is a high-priced boutique that charges more for a basket of staple food items than what a pensioner spends on rent each week in public housing.”

“I can’t imagine on what basis any councillor would seek to deny the residents of Waterloo and Redfern access to affordable food choices.”

Between them, Redfern and Waterloo have 4,500 social housing premises and one of the lowest rates of car ownership in NSW.

Labor councillor Meredith Burgmann and Greens councillors Chris Harris and Irene Doutney have already declared their support for the proposal. “If [Cr Moore] had issues with the level of traffic in the area, quite frankly a report should have already been done and presented at the committee meeting,” Cr Burgmann said.

According to Ross Smith, spokesperson for public housing residents’ group The Peoples Precinct, there was much support from residents in the area for the development. “The Council officers’ recommendations were for it,” he said. “All the way through they were saying, ‘This is good, it achieves much better than the minimum compliance standards’. From a social perspective it would be very beneficial.

“When you go back through it, the planning panel back in June-July requested a traffic study. The proponent had their traffic consultant at the committee meeting [on Monday] and he addressed the councillors. There was no challenging of his plan – if Clover really had some genuine concerns about traffic management, why didn’t she ask?”

Mr Smith said the nearby Coles in Surry Hills had been milking public housing tenants for years and the ALDI development would provide benefits to competition. A petition in favour of the supermarket with 640 signatures was previously presented to the Lord Mayor.

A spokesperson for the Lord Mayor said it was not unusual for councillors to ask for extra information at committee meetings, and that a decision on whether to approve the supermarket would be made at Council meeting on November 2.

Source: www.altmedia.net.au/crunch-time-for-waterloo-supermarket/12881

Super battle over South Sydney supermarkets

REDWatch — 2009-11-01T02:24:24Z

Sydney Council has already knocked back several supermarkets in South Sydney arguing they would interfere with the planned supermarket at the Green Square residential development.

However two new proposals, an Aldi for Waterloo and an IGA in the South Sydney Leagues Club at Redfern are facing different hurdles.

Last week at a council committee meeting, Souths pledged to make the club pokie free if the IGA was approved. It was reported that club chairman Bill Alexion-Hucker made the pledge to sway concerned councillors to approve the supermarket.

“We will do everything in our power to come up with a plan to operate without poker machines,’’ he said. “Without this IGA, there is no redevelopment and if there is no redevelopment, there is no South Sydney Leagues Club in Redfern.”

A report by the council’s planning staff has recommended the supermarket be approved with hours of operation from 8am ‘til midnight.

But Trivest, the development company behind the Souths Club redevelopment, has stated that without the 7am trading time the supermarket would not be viable, which meant the whole club redevelopment would not go ahead.

Meanwhile, Waterloo residents are worried traffic issues could kill off a potential new Aldi supermarket in their suburb.

Resident Ross Smith has led a campaign to get the Aldi approved and criticised the council for suggesting there were traffic concerns.

“I really hope this gets approved. The Lord Mayor talked of traffic concerns at the meeting, but council’s own report recommended it be approved and said traffic was fine.”

Heffron MP Kristina Keneally, whose seat of includes Waterloo, was at the meeting to support residents and urged the council to approve the development and increase grocery choice in the area.

“I can’t imagine on what basis any councillor would seek to deny the residents of Waterloo and Redfern access to affordable food choices,” Ms Keneally said. “The Lord Mayor cited traffic concerns as a reason to defer the ALDI application, even though council officers had already reviewed the traffic study and recommended approval.”

A spokesperson for Cr Moore said there were a range of issues the council wanted examined. He said the planning development and transport committee, comprised of all councillors, referred the decision to the council meeting of November 2 without recommendation to get more information on range of issues, including traffic impacts.

Council will decide on the two proposals on November 2.

Photo: Ross Smith supports the Aldi application. Photo: Phil Rogers

Source: http://sydney-central.whereilive.com.au/news/story/super-battle-over-south-sydney-supermarkets/

Kristina Keneally MP on NSW Govt Affordable Housing

REDWatch — 2009-11-01T01:55:33Z

I recently joined the Premier to promote the Government’s Affordable Rental Housing State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP). This new policy provides incentives and streamlined approval processes for:

Granny flats, can now be approved within ten days under the NSW Housing Code in all residential zones if they meet the criteria set out in the code.

Boarding houses, can receive approval in residential areas and some business zones with incentives will encourage construction of boarding houses.

New standards will allow rooms in boarding houses to include kitchen and bathroom facilities.

Counselling and other support services working with groups such as the homeless can now be delivered without having to go through council development application processes.

Affordable housing developments closer to transport hubs will receive a streamlined assessment as well as incentives to make it more attractive to invest in affordable housing projects.

These new rules will provide an incentive for developments across the state to include cheaper rental dwellings.

Home owners will also be able to build ‘granny’ flats more easily, which will provide a low rent solution for many students, older family members and other people on low incomes.

Further information regarding these changes is available at www.planning.nsw.gov.au.

Kristina Keneally MP

Member for Heffron

Shop 117, 747 Botany Road, Rosebery NSW 2018

Phone: (02) 9699 8166 Fax: (02) 9699 8222

Email: kristina.keneally@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Source: www.southsydneyherald.com.au

Redfern’s stalled dreams

REDWatch — 2009-09-30T08:18:32Z

"We are well down the track and still don't have any answers": Geoff Turnbull Picture: Phil Rogers

That plan was the creation of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority, with the planning powers to reshape the two suburbs.

But when the RWA turns five in October, it will have little to be proud of, according to its critics, which include the NSW Opposition, community groups, Sydney Council and residents.

The original idea was that through a major redevelopment of the old Eveleigh rail yards, the Block and a rethinking of public housing, the suburb would be a new and revitalised community in the heart of Sydney, bridging the CBD to the north and the airport to the south.

The huge areas of public housing flats would be broken up and redeveloped to integrate private renters and improve the area’s social dynamic.

Through legislation passed in 2004, the RWA was created as the principal body for this massive transformation, answerable only to the Minister for Planning, at the time Frank Sartor.

It served as a golden opportunity to remove planning powers from a local government seen as hostile and hand them to an all-powerful authority under State Government control. There was also money to be made. Lots of it.

Cabinet papers leaked to the media just before the RWA was created show an estimated $5 billion worth of development was there for the making, one third on government land.

Five years later the RWA has yet to achieve the bulk of its aims.

The linchpin in the whole redevelopment of the area, Redfern station, is in limbo with the Government persistently refusing to reveal how far along the most recent redevelopment plans have progressed.

Successive plans and ideas put forward for the station since the mid 1990s have fallen by the wayside and the last date set for an upgrade, 2011, looks highly unlikely.

Meanwhile, the station, which is the third busiest on the metropolitan line, lacks even the basics of a busy rail interchange such as disabled access.

The built environment plan phase 2, which will provide detailed guidelines about the type of development plans and controls the RWA will impose on coming redevelopment, still has not been released, 18 months after it was first promised.

Another major component yet to be determined is the redevelopment of north Eveleigh, which has stalled with the Government unable to decide whether to allow the University of Sydney to expand its campus onto the site or allow a more lucrative mix of commercial and residential redevelopment.

NSW Greens MLC Sylvia Hale criticised the lack of transparency and called on the RWA to reveal what stage the railway station upgrade was at and to release a built environment plan.

“There seems to a be a sort of malaise that’s set in,’’ Ms Hale said. “The Government is the largest landowner and yet no one really knows what the Government’s plans are for the future of the area. The railway station upgrade design has not been finalised nor released nor is there any clear transparency in how the RWA operates.

The Minister for Redfern and Waterloo, Kristina Keneally, who is also the local MP for the area, said she personally had worked toward improving the RWA’s relationship with the community and towards reaching its objectives.

“This is important to the Minister as she knows from her experience as the Member for Heffron how crucial it is for the RWA, Government and community to work in partnership,” a spokesman for Ms Keneally said.

Ms Keneally said several significant steps had already been taken in the last 12 months to rebuild the relationship between the RWA and local community including the replacement of Robert Domm with Mr Wakelin-King as CEO, regular face-to-face meetings with public housing tenants and community and business groups and visiting the Eveleigh Markets regularly.

Geoff Turnbull from community group REDWatch said some steps had been taken in improving the relationship.

“There are number of things that have changed as a result of Kristine Keneally coming in,” Mr Turnbull said. “Such as talking with Sydney Council about addressing issues along Redfern street for local business and using committees to take input on development, something which has not happened before. “Having said that, we are talking relatively small bickies here.”

The issue, according to Mr Turnbull, is whether this newfound approach to consultation is going to apply to something that really mattered like the upgrade of Redfern station, heritage concerns about the sale of the Australian Technology Park or the sale of the north Eveleigh rail yards to a developer.

“That will become the litmus test of whether or not there really has been a change,” he said."We are well down the track and still don’t have any answers.”

Source: http://sydney-central.whereilive.com.au/news/story/redferns-stalled-dreams/

Redfern Waterloo Authority under fire

REDWatch — 2009-09-30T08:44:45Z

REDWatch spokesman Geoff Turnbull photo: Phil Rogers

In a statement provided to Central, the RWA chief executive Roy Wakelin-King confirmed that an ICAC investigation and another by the NSW Internal Audit Bureau, found problems with “policies and procedures that need to be addressed”.

Mr Wakelin-King would not say what the problems were or how they would be resolved, and would not show either of the reports to Central.

He said in a statement that the RWA “has kept ICAC informed”.

Greens MLC Sylvia Hale questioned Mr Wakelin-King earlier this month during a parliamentary committee hearing and said the findings of the ICAC investigation needed to be made public.

“The public has a right to know what the ICAC investigation has found in relation to these serious allegations,” Ms Hale said.

Mr Wakelin-King said he requested an Internal Audit Bureau investigation after he became aware of the allegations of corruption, which were raised in letters sent to the Minister for Planning and Redfern-Waterloo, Kristina Keneally, and to the Premier Nathan Rees.

The letters, which were signed “RWA staff”, made specific and detailed allegations of corruption concerning staff appointments by former CEO Robert Domm.

The letters also raised questions about funding for the Eveleigh Markets and the purchase of a property on Little Eveleigh St, Redfern.

Mr Wakelin-King said the reports had found no evidence of impropriety or misconduct in relation to these specific allegations.

Mr Domm has rejected the allegations as false.

Ms Hale criticised Ms Keneally and Mr Wakelin-King during the parliamentary committee hearing for withholding the reports and said there could be no confidence in the RWA until the reports were made public

“The minister and the CEO have an obligation to deal with these allegations in an open and transparent way, not sit on the ICAC report and refuse to discuss the matter before a parliamentary committee,” Ms Hale said.

Redfern local Geoff Turnbull from residents’ group REDWatch (pictured on the front cover) has followed the RWA for the last five years.

Mr Turnbull said the difficulty was in knowing whether the letters referred to continuing practices or instances under a past administration.

“The question that needs to be legitimately asked is: What actually has changed?’’ Mr Turnbull said. “The minister and Mr Wakelin-King can stand up and say ‘oh well this happened before our time’. But the minister has now been there 12 months.

“All these promises were made that the RWA was going to do stuff differently once Kristina Keneally and Roy came in. But what is going to be pointed to show there is some serious change in the way in which they operate rather than blaming everything on the previous administration?”

Mr Wakelin-King defended the five-year history of the authority and said there had been significant progress by the RWA in delivering urban renewal to Redfern Waterloo.

“These outcomes are a reflection of the dedication and professionalism of the RWA staff, both past and present”, Mr Wakelin-King said. “You only have to look at the Eveleigh Markets to see the outcome of the good work being done by the RWA.

“It is this type of good work that has gone a long way to changing the misperceptions of this important area of Sydney.”

Source: http://sydney-central.whereilive.com.au/news/story/redfern-waterloo-authority-under-fire/

See also: RWA Statement: http://www.redwatch.org.au/RWA/statements/2009/090925rwa

Sydney’s supermarket sprawl under fire

REDWatch — 2009-09-17T10:05:00Z

The development application will now go before a full meeting of council on Monday night.

Locals claim the proposed supermarket will destroy the village atmosphere of Erskineville and bring extra traffic.

It is one of more than a dozen applications received by Sydney Council for new supermarkets in the past year.

If approved, the supermarket would occupy almost 900sq m on Erskineville Rd and operate seven days a week from 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 10pm on Sundays.

The development would provide 16 off-street parking spaces and a loading dock.

Friends of Erskineville Village spokesman Paul Howard said the supermarket would attract shoppers from other suburbs because of its size and add more traffic to an already congested Erskineville Rd.

“We’re opposed because the developer is promoting it as grocery store for the local community, but it’s a supermarket which will draw on a bigger target market than the local area and it will draw cars and create traffic problems,” Mr Howard said.

Residents and businesses have expressed concern a supermarket would hurt local business. A petition against the supermarket gathered almost 3000 signatures.

“They are that aggressive and not really listening to the community. We are fighting corporate greed,” Mr Howard said. “Woolworths has one of the worst records in the country when it comes to being anti-competitive.

“There are two other supermarkets in walking distance. We don’t need a third.”

A spokesman for Woolworths confirmed last year that it was poised to operate the site if the supermarket was built by the developer Harold Finger.

It’s the second development application lodged for the site by Mr Finger. He previously lodged an application for a supermarket twice the size of the current proposal, which the council rejected in 2008.

A subsequent appeal made by Mr Finger in the Land and Environment Court was rejected before he submitted the current proposal.

Mr Finger did not return Central’s calls, but in a previous interview he expressed surprise at the reaction from residents and Sydney Council when he first tried to build a supermarket at the site.

“Having purchased the site we got a reasonable feel from residents and a positive nod from council and traffic planners,’’ Mr Finger said. “We basically told them what we were planning to do and they said they did not have a problem. Council said as long as we comply with the planning rules we are OK.”

In the meantime, residents of Waterloo have the opposite problem. They are crying out for more supermarkets according to the local MP.

Last month, residents with the help of Heffron MP Kristina Keneally surveyed the grocery choices for low-income residents and made a price comparison.

They found it was cheaper to travel all the way to an ALDI store at Eastlakes than it was to shop locally.

Ms Keneally said the results were outrageous and urged the council to approve more supermarkets in the area including a Waterloo ALDI application currently before council.

Ms Keneally and some residents were concerned that Sydney Council would reject other supermarket applications to protect its planning vision for Green Square.

The Green Square vision dictates that shops should be close to residential hubs to cut down on transport needs and create sustainable, energy efficient communities.

In June, the council rejected an application for an ALDI at St Peters because it interfered with Green Square’s proposed supermarket and shops.

A council spokesman rejected the claim there was not enough choice in Waterloo or elsewhere in the local government area.

“There are 41 supermarkets, 36 grocery stories, 14 delicatessens and 16 health food stores already within the City of Sydney local government area, and new applications are received by city planners regularly,’’ he said.

The council has already faced legal action from supermarket developers over its interpretation of the Green Square plan, but the Land and Environment Court has upheld its decisions.

Source: http://sydney-central.whereilive.com.au/news/story/sydneys-supermarket-sprawl-under-fire/

Supermarkets – the new urban battleground

REDWatch — 2009-08-30T09:42:15Z

In Erskineville the locals are bitterly opposed to a proposed supermarket which they say will degrade the City’s “best urban village” by bleeding business from its strip of small shopfronts and filling its backstreets with yet more cars looking for parking.

They say there are plenty of supermarkets in nearby Newtown.

However in Waterloo the residents have collected a 600+ signature petition supporting a proposed Aldi store right opposite a Coles Express under construction at Bourke and Danks Streets.

The residents want the Aldi store in the hope that the competition will bring down prices, crucial to many public housing tenants who live nearby. The site also borders the large East Redfern unit development near Moore Park so it would serve a large population within walking distance.

Ross Smith from residents’ group The Peoples Precinct has been helping with the petition, which will be presented to Council. He said Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who lives very close to the site, had taken a special interest in it during a recent Community Forum and locals were concerned that Council might refuse it.

“It’s right on several major bus routes and it’s within walking distance for a lot of nearby residents,” he said.

Mr Smith’s group worked with Planning Minister and local MP Kristina Keneally on a trolley price comparison between Aldi Eastlakes, Coles in Cleveland Street and a boutique food outlet in Danks Street. The result was startling: The Aldi total was $23.96, Coles $23.96 and the smaller outlet a whopping $78.85 (see table).

“There is no doubt, residents of South Sydney are poorly served for choice when it comes to groceries,” Ms Keneally said.

During the past 12 months the City has received 15 Development Applications for new supermarkets, 11 of which have been determined. Two were refused and four are still being assessed, including the Bourke Street Aldi site. The City points out it can rule only on the land use, not determine which supermarket chain occupies a site. Nor can it comment on the Aldi proposal because it is still being assessed.

The Erskineville site and one in Alexandria were both refused by Council, a decision since upheld in the Land and Environment Court.

The State Government is itself at the centre of a debate around planning for retail centres. At stake is whether new retail centres should be located within existing town centres — where established players already have a stake and land is expensive – or whether new players like the US Costco chain can set up in more outlying areas, keeping costs down.

The problem is Sydney’s choked roads. People shopping in a mixed centre can complete multiple errands in a single trip, while people visiting an outlying retailer typically must make a separate car journey which means more car trips, more congestion and more pollution.

Kristina Keneally’s Planning Department in April released a draft Shopping Centres Policy. Its first principle embraces concentration within existing centres, and it proposes audits of available floorspace in each area as a basis for ensuring that there would always be sufficient floorspace available to allow new competitors into each centre.

A submission from The Shopping Centres Council of Australia, unsurprisingly, argues that retail should be concentrated within existing urban centres – the emerging Green Square being the nearest regional centre to Waterloo. Already the City has refused one supermarket DA close to but outside Green Square.

The Shopping Centres Council argues: “To provide one retailer with access to cheap land, while another has to consolidate expensive commercial-zoned land, is inequitable and provides financial benefit to one at the expense of the other. It is not competition.”

On the other hand, anything that reduces prices for consumers will be popular. The proposed Aldi at Waterloo is not in an existing retail centre. But Mr Smith and his residents group point out that many locals do not have cars to get to a larger centre and the Trolley Comparison is stark evidence that overarching strategies do not always address local circumstance.

by Michael Gormly

Trolley price comparison of the cheapest available item in each line (not necessarily the same brand)

This proposed redevelopment on Bourke Street would include an Aldi outlet

Source: www.altmedia.net.au/supermarkets-–-the-new-urban-battleground/10540

Aldi is a goodie, say Waterloo locals

REDWatch — 2009-08-29T05:59:19Z

If approved by Council, the store would be situated at 863-871 Bourke Street, between Philip and Danks streets.

The Aldi chain utilises cost-cutting to benefit consumers. Most of its products are own-brand labeled, all aisles remain undecorated and shelves consist merely of boxes stacked with products and replenished accordingly.

Councillor Irene Doutney has been involved in the mediation process between residents and Council as they deliberate over the introduction of the discount retailer to the area.

Ms Doutney believes the appeal may lie in the proximity of the proposed store to large NSW Housing complexes. “Choice claims that Aldi products are between 30-40 per cent cheaper than Coles or Woolworths, so I would have thought it would be a gain for local low-income earners,” she said.

Despite the German-based origins of the retailer, Ms Doutney believes the need to purchase staple items at a low, competitive price could prove more important to consumers than loyalty to Australian chain stores.

“The more affluent residents from that area can probably afford to go to other supermarkets or specialty stores in Danks Street if they so choose, [but] for people on low incomes, the rising cost of living makes price the major factor in making their shopping choices. I would have thought the brand becomes insignificant … and that the behaviour of the two major supermarkets would not inspire trust or support from locals – such as cheap petrol if you spend over $30.”

Diane Whitworth has been a resident of Waterloo for 27 years and confirms that many locals struggle with the minimal range of shopping choices. “I don’t shop in the area. A lot of people go outside [Waterloo] to shop, but sadly some people can’t afford to and have no choice.”

Member for Heffron, Kristina Keneally, is a strong advocate of an Aldi store, commenting on the REDWatch website that increased grocery stores in South Sydney would break the market monopoly and place downward pressure on prices. “[This would have] a particular benefit in an area with high density of both public and private rental housing.”

Despite the need for variety, Council had received 11 submissions against the development. These were predominantly focused on traffic concerns. Cr Doutney also admits concerns, but over Aldi’s personal business principles and their political implications. “I have concerns that the Aldi chain may not support a unionised workforce but this is a matter of personal principle and does not relate to the DA.”

Waterloo residents are encouraged to send their views about the Aldi store, or the proposed IGA supermarket in Redfern to be located at the new Souths Leagues Club to Council officer Mr Luke Murtus at lmurtas@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au or via post at City of Sydney, GPO Box 1591, Sydney NSW 2001.

The proposal for the Aldi store, as well as a possible IGA supermarket in Redfern at the new Souths Leagues Club is available at www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au under the 'Development' section.

Photo: Ali Blogg - Keen Aldi shopper, Diane Whitworth

Source: South Sydney Herald August 2009 www.southsydneyherald.com.au

Approval Paves the Way for Pemulwuy

REDWatch — 2009-08-16T06:56:26Z

Kristina Keneally, Minister for Planning, announced the good news at the Block in Redfern to an excited crowd of locals and politicians. “It’s a step forward to creating a modern, and a vibrant, and a sustainable community here in the heart of Redfern, on the Block,” she said

But the positive atmosphere could not ward off questions about where exactly funding for the project will come from.

Peter Valilis, Project Director at the AHC, has a simple explanation for why the source of funding has not yet been confirmed. “Until the project was actually approved, there was no point looking for the funds. In fact, if we had sought funding prior to having our application approved, we would have left ourselves susceptible to influence from governments or other potential financiers looking out for their interests,” he said.

The AHC has long prided itself on being an independent organisation that makes its own decisions. It is for this reason that some of the Planning Minister’s comments left puzzled looks on some faces.

Ms Keneally made particular mention of the residential aspect of Pemulwuy as a “vibrant new use for this land”, which undoubtedly would have pleased the AHC.

Mr Valilis has described the residential component as their hardest won victory, as this posed for them the biggest obstacle to approval during the Sartor years. The feud with Frank Sartor was no private affair, so many seemed confused when Ms Keneally went on to say, “The AHC has always enjoyed the support of its local members; State and Federal, and presence of Tanya Plibersek and Carmel Tebutt here today affirms that fact.”

This didn’t seem to bother her fellow politicians, though, with the abovementioned and even Lord Mayor Clover Moore keen to show their support. And nothing could dampen the spirits of Mick Mundine, CEO of the AHC, who seemed to be at a loss for words to express his happiness. The approval has marked a bittersweet day for Mundine, who clearly bears the battle scars from the ten-year fight for Pemulwuy.

“We went through hell. But that was a learning period for us; we had to go through those trials and tribulations,” he said.

For Mundine, who believes that Pemulwuy was always meant to be, it’s now time to get on with the job and look to the future. “Things are looking very promising around here.”