RANDWICK RALLIES AGAINST TOWERS

SOUTHEAST EASTERN SUBURBS VOICE

• BOTANY • CHIFLEY • CLOVELLY • COOGEE • DACEYVILLE • EASTGARDENS • EASTLAKES • HILLSDALE • KENSINGTON • • KINGSFORD • LA PEROUSE • LITTLE BAY • MALABAR • MAROUBRA • MASCOT • MATRAVILLE • PAGEWOOD • RANDWICK • ROSEBERY •

RANDWICK RALLIES AGAINST TOWERS

Meriton’s latest plans for two massive residential towers on the Pagewood side of Eastgardens have come under attack from Randwick community leaders.

The property giant wants to build a pair of skyscrapers at the former British American Tobacco site. One tower would stand 18 storeys high and the other would be 19 storeys. Together the two buildings would house 449 units.

Although the site is in Bayside Council territory, it is residents in the Randwick LGA who would bear the brunt of increased traffic and pollution. And now a showdown could be looming between Bayside and Randwick over the latest plans for the site, recently lodged with Bayside Council.

Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker said: “Randwick is concerned that this development simply cannot be supported by the existing transport infrastructure. It is local Maroubra residents who will be impacted.

“Meriton’s mega-development is simply too tall, too bulky and will effectively house an entire new suburb that can’t be supported on the existing parking, services, and infrastructure. Until these issues are fixed there is just no reasonable way it can proceed.”

Council is not prepared to take Meriton’s word on the infrastructure implications and Mayor Parker says Randwick is carrying out two independent studies to establish “the true impact of this proposed megadevelopment on our community.”

Local activist Maria Poulos-Conkin says the latest plans lodged by Meriton with Bayside Council would spell the death knell for the traditionally quiet, unspoiled suburbs of the south-east. “It’s one of the largest residential developments in Australia,” said Ms Poulos-Conkin, who has led the fight against a cruise terminal at Yarra Bay and is leveraging her social media following to rally opposition to other projects.

Ms Poulos-Conkin said there needs to be a comprehensive planning strategy that aligns with population growth and infrastructure. “Public transport is already at capacity – in fact, the bus services have just been cut. The plans seem to have been predicated by an extension of the light rail to the site but there’s no sign of that happening.” Independent Randwick councillor and former Mayor Noel D’Souza said he supported the Meriton project “to a certain extent” because it would provide affordable housing, urgently needed in this area. But he saw the scale as excessive and criticised Bayside for ignoring infrastructure needs. “Bayside seems to encourage and support overdevelopment without infrastructure,” he said.

A spokesperson for Bayside Council indicated that it could now be too late to alter the scale of the development. “The site was rezoned from industrial to residential a number of years ago, which facilitated the

Too big: Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker on the Banks Ave edge of the site

development of high-rise apartments. Following completion of the first stage of the development, a concept plan was approved by the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel for the northern half of the site in 2020.

“Both the rezoning and concept plan processes were the subject of extensive community consultation and all stakeholders, including Randwick City Council, were invited to provide comment.

“The parameters approved under the concept plan, such as height and floor space, are not open for reconsideration."

EASTGARDENS

Now showing in