Summary of Dulwich Hill Station Urban Design Study and Recommendations In April 2020 the Inner West Council began a series of locality based urban design studies to better understand what changes needed to be made to the existing planning controls to accommodate the housing targets set by NSW State Government for the Inner West Council area.
Purpose The uplift area of Dulwich Hill Station was identified in the adopted Local Housing Strategy (LHS) 2020 and the Local Strategic Planning Statement 2020 as an area able to accommodate additional housing growth in the short – medium term. The LHS identified Dulwich Hill as an investigation area given its proximity Dulwich Hill Train Station which is soon to be upgraded to a metro service, as well as good current and future active transport links including the GreenWay The LHS anticipates the Dulwich Hill will grow to accommodate an additional 1,262 new dwellings over the next ten years, of which half (631) will be located within the Dulwich Hill Station precinct. Changes to existing planning controls are needed deliver 476 of those dwellings. The Dulwich Hill Station Urban Design Study establishes the evidence-base for changes to planning controls in a future amendment to the Inner West Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan needed to facilitate housing growth in the study area with positive urban design outcomes that reflect the place-based character of the Dulwich Hill Station precinct.
Figure 1: Artist’s illustration from the railway bridge looking southwards down Wardell Road and westwards towards the new metro station entrance
Vision and key aims The vision for Dulwich Hill Station is for a vibrant local hub for the community. The delivery of the new metro station has galvanised activity and created a vibrant mixed use, medium density precinct between the station and the Cooks River. The commuter car park has been transformed into vibrant station forecourt activate with retail uses at ground floor. Ewart Street is transformed into an active high street providing residents and visitors with a new local supermarket and lane way connection to the station. The area between Ewart Street and Tennyson Street is transformed into a green, medium rise residential precinct focussed on a central open spaces and sustainable urban drainage corridor running through the precinct towards the Cooks River. The area to the north of the station retains its largely low scale suburban character as defined in the South Dulwich Hill Heritage Conservation Area. Some of the properties fronting onto Bedford Crescent are redeveloped with modest and well considered 4 to 6 storey development that retains and integrates the existing historic building frontages on Wardell Road. The surrounding areas have seen modest infill development and benefit from additional street trees and an upgraded public domain unlocked through the broader development of the precinct.
Figure 2: Key aims for Dulwich Hill Station.
Key Recommendations The study includes a set of recommended planning controls to facilitate this housing growth through sensitive infill development. The recommendations include changes to the Inner West Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan. The illustrative masterplan for the study provided below details the main changes proposed including:
Land use zoning • • •
Rezoning existing B1 – Neighbourhood Centre land on Wardell Road to B2 – Local Centre Expanding the B2 – Local Centre zone west along Ewart Street to transform it into a mixed-use high street Rezoning selected areas near to the train station, Wardell Road and Ewart Street to R4 – High Density Residential including properties fronting Balfour Street, Tennyson Street, Riverside Crescent, Dibble Avenue, Pilgrim Avenue, Bayley Street and Wicks Avenue
Floor space ratio (FSR) •
Increasing the floor space ratio of sites on Wardell Road, Ewart Street and selected adjacent areas
Height of building • •
Increasing allowable building heights on Wardell Road from 5 storeys currently to 8-storeys i.e. an additional 2 storeys Transitioning building heights down to 4-storeys for areas surrounding Wardell Road
Other recommendations • • • • • • •
Facilitating sensitive heritage redevelopment including retention of important facades on Wardell Road that reflect the nuanced character of the Inner West Expanding the pedestrian lane network and improving access to Cooks River Upgrading Ewart Lane and connections to the new metro station plaza currently under construction Transforming Ewart Street into a mixed-use high street with ground level commercial activity Increasing street tree plantings across the area Establishing a water sensitive corridor linking Ewart Street and Betty Spear Playground / Marrickville golf course Creating new public open spaces on Tennyson Street and Pilgrim Avenue
Figure 3: Illustrative masterplan – showing proposed areas of change.