The City of Sydney has released strategic plans to encourage business development, entertainment and retail opportunities along Botany Road and the north Alexandria light industrial area.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the proposed changes – some of the most significant in Sydney for the last 20 years – would guide considered development in the rapidly growing city south.
“South Sydney is an amazing part of our city, rich with Indigenous and industrial histories – we are introducing new planning controls to ensure the area reaches its potential and thrives into the future,” the Lord Mayor said.
“The proposed changes will drive investment in commercial floorspace, provide employment opportunities, and creative space for our community as well as affordable housing. Developers will be given floorspace and height incentives for investing in these developments, conveniently located close to transport and jobs.
“We estimate that the proposal will create more than 15,000 jobs in a wide range of industries, from office-based employment through to high-end manufacturing, helping us meet future demand for jobs in the local area.
“We will also improve the public domain with widened footpaths, new cycleways and laneways to improve the area’s walkability and access to key transport hubs, including the new Waterloo Metro Station.”
Redevelopment driven by strategic location
City of Sydney Director of City Planning, Development and Transport, Graham Jahn AM said the City focused on the Botany Road and North Alexandria Precinct for several reasons, but primarily location.
“These changes provide substantial new floor space and unlock the potential of areas that are strategically located between the CBD, Sydney airport and Port Botany,” Mr Jahn said.
“We’re investing in public spaces to breathe life into older commercial and industrial areas. We’re also establishing new planning controls that support growth and promote the economy in a centralised, but often overlooked, location.
“These areas are close to public transport, including the new Waterloo Metro, as well as amenities in and around Green Square town centre.”
The Botany Road Precinct covers 21.4 hectares to the east and west of Botany Road and is bound by Gibbons Street to the north, Cope Street to the east, McEvoy Street to the south and Garden and Wyndham streets to the west.
The North Alexandria Precinct covers 36 hectares in area and is bound by McEvoy Street to the north, Wyndham Street to the east, Bowden Street to the West, and O’Riordan and Johnston streets to the south.
Amending LEPs and DCPs for growth
The North Alexandria Precinct planning proposal seeks to amend the Sydney Local Environmental Plan and Sydney Development Control Plan to:
- build on opportunities created by the City’s recent investment in open space in the area
- encourage businesses to form an entertainment destination
- create a mid-rise enterprise precinct and increase opportunities for commercial offices close to public transport
- preserve heritage character and encourage well-designed adaptive reuse
- continue to facilitate affordable housing in north Alexandria
- provide flexible built form that accommodates the needs of a range of employment types and can be modified as businesses grow and evolve
The Botany Road Precinct planning proposal seeks to amend the Sydney Local Environmental Plan and Sydney Development Control Plan to:
- recognise and celebrate the historical significance of the area to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- encourage the delivery of new commercial buildings and new affordable housing developments
- enable the creation of a new laneway network, footpath widenings, new street plantings
- encourage high environmental performance standards for buildings
- ensure 10% or more of any affordable housing projects is provided for First Nations people
- revitalise Regent Street as a high street that’s active at day and night
Responding to Engagement and Consultation
The City’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities were widely consulted at early stages of the proposals’ development in keeping with the area’s rich Indigenous and industrial histories.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said recognising and respecting the area’s cultural, historical and political histories were an essential part of the proposal.
“We need to protect and recognise the importance of Botany Road and the surrounding area to First Nations people – not only for its connection to country but as a place central to the Aboriginal rights movement,” the Lord Mayor said.
Both proposals will go for gateway determination in August, with public exhibition anticipated before the end of the year.
See the full Botany Road precinct proposal and the North Alexandria proposal.
For images and video go to: https://fx.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/?ShareToken=14425B91321192CDE4808A8CAD9E7BEF49D5F611
For media enquiries contact Nicky Breen Phone 0436 599 861 or email nbreen@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au . For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore contact Trish Croaker Phone 0418 397 462 or email tcroaker@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au