Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
A $400m development proposal, set to feature two towers, an aged care centre, student accommodation, three auditoriums and a public square next to St John’s Anglican Church at Parramatta, has attracted an “unprecedented” number of submissions with the majority voicing their disapproval of the project.
However, despite 59 per cent objecting the proposal next to the historic 219-year-old sandstone cathedral, Parramatta Council officers have recommended the Parramatta Local Planning Panel approve the project after its meeting on Wednesday.
If endorsed, the project will advance to the Planning Department which ultimately decides if the project gets a red or green light.
A large part of the project depends on whether the 111-year-old parish hall is retained.
The council’s original plans supported delisting the hall but the Planning Department wanted to retain the building as part of the project which proposes three auditoriums to house 1000 people, and 44,000sq m of office space for 4000 jobs. The department suggested any proposal to remove the hall should be assessed as part of another development application. The submissions comprised 59 per cent objecting to it, 40 per cent in support and one per cent neutral. Feedback was received from 390 residents, individuals and community groups; eight public authorities, five developers, major landowners and planning consultants.
The objections cited concerns about the loss of Parramatta’s heritage, open space and overdevelopment.The National Trust NSW branch is against heritage loss while the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects criticised the project for “landscape architecture” not being adequately considered, stating the proposal would negatively impact nearby historic areas and the towers were inapproproate.
The council officers state it was addressing those concerns with a plan to build a slender tower and to add landscaping.
Walker Corporation, the developers behind Parramatta Square, raised concerns about heritage, saying the development for two towers was possible while retaining the heritage hall.
It also suggested improving the square so it would have a better connection with Parramatta Square.
But the council concluded that public benefits would offset the loss of the hall.
Key reasons for supporting the project included improving the church’s use, benefiting the public, community, cultural and economic benefits and positive impacts for pedestrian safety and infrastructure.
The Anglican Church Property Trust owns the 12-allotment site spanning parts of Church, Macquarie and Hunter streets. The planning proposal seeks to rezone some parts of the site and amend the height rules to allow a commercial tower on the northern site and a mixed use tower on the southern side. Some of the council’s planning controls are recommended to be altered so the northern tower can be “well-proportioned, tall and slender”, which would also lessen the impact on St John’s Cathedral and Centenary Square. The huge number of submissions meant the project has been delayed.
