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SOUTH HEAD DRAFT MASTER PLAN LIGHT ON DETAIL
EASTERN SUBURBS Bayside NEWS
• BELLEVUE HILL • EDGECLIFF • DARLINGHURST • DARLING POINT • DOUBLE BAY • ELIZABETH BAY • PADDINGTON • • POINT PIPER • POTTS POINT • ROSE BAY • RUSHCUTTERS BAY • SURRY HILLS • VAUCLUSE • WATSONS BAY • WOOLLAHRA •
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South Head Draft Master Plan light on detail
Locals as well as Sydneysiders further afield remain concerned about the impact of an NPWS Draft Master Plan for South Head – and the latest attempt at possible commercialisation of the precinct.
Eastern Suburbs Life sought NPWS comment, who responded: “Community feedback received during the public consultation phase of the draft South Head Master Plan is being reviewed and a summary will be provided when the South Head Master Plan is finalised, expected to be later in 2022,” an NPWS spokesperson said.
On a number of issues, many believe the Draft Master Plan [DMP] was light on detail, including how the existing park buildings – for which 40-year leases are proposed – will be “repurposed”.
As the submission by the Watsons Bay Association Inc highlighted: “The plan notes that ‘the adaptive reuse of the buildings on South Head will be a positive and logical transition that does not over-commercialise or lead to significant intervention that is irreversible,’ then qualifies this statement by saying ‘without a bold approach there may not be a viable use for some elements.’
“We question what this ‘bold approach’ may involve, given community sensitivity concerning commercial uses for the buildings,” WBA president Roger Bayliss said. “This ambiguity needs clarification.” Similar concerns were raised by Merrill Witt, Residents First councillor for the Vaucluse Ward of Woollahra Council, in her submission – that more details were needed “about how the parklands’ buildings will be readapted so that the local community doesn’t have to fear a repeat of the 2015 proposal” to repurpose the site as a wedding and convention venue. She noted that the previous plans “were fiercely opposed by thousands of people”.
Furthermore, some pathways in the DMP appear to be designed for light vehicles – to possibly service the ‘adaptive reuse’ of the park buildings – which wasn’t clear when the DMP was advertised for comment.
Other submissions underlined further significant issues within the DMP that were felt not been to fully addressed by the NPWS
Photo: Stuart Spence – including parking pressures and traffic, managing tourist numbers, and upgrading public transport to alleviate congestion in and out of the Watsons Bay peninsula.
Of further note is that the South Head trail – which runs between the two iconic landmarks of Macquarie Lighthouse and Hornby Lighthouse, at the Entrance to Sydney Heads – has been recognised as an important link in the Bondi to Manly Walk.
Last month, Bondi to Manly Walk Supporters sent a letter to The Hon Gabrielle Upton MP, Member for Vaucluse, supporting her efforts to secure State Heritage Listing for South Head, stating: “There is simply no doubt South Head is one of the highlights of the Walk – with its extraordinary and unique natural, cultural and built heritage values experienced by many, many thousands of walkers,” B2M president John Faulkner emphasised. “Bondi to Manly Walk Supporters strongly believes these values must be protected in perpetuity.”
Along similar lines, Sydney Harbour Association Secretary Hylda Rolfe noted in her submission: “No explicit commitment to retention of the integrity of the South Head National Park real estate as a whole for its legislated purposes is proposed in the Draft Plan.”
Paula Towers
More info: Instagram: southheadwhaletrail
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