Glebe social housing: Anger over plans for demolition
Glebe is set for a multimillion revamp with fancy new blocks replacing ageing housing. But those who live there are putting up a fight, describing the plans as vandalism.
Central Sydney
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Glebe’s social housing estates are undergoing major changes with plans for three nearby blocks to be knocked down and “integrated” with private housing.
While the NSW Government has said it is creating more social housing which is desperately needed in the inner city, residents claim fewer vulnerable people will be housed.
A planning proposal to rejig the social housing units at the neighbouring 17-31 Cowper St, and 2A-2D Wentworth Park Rd, Glebe, were submitted to the City of Sydney Council on behalf of the NSW Government towards the end of last year.
A further proposal for the Franklyn Street Estate at 45-51 Bay St, Glebe, is in the early stages of planning by the NSW Government.
At each site social housing units will be knocked down. The blocks will be rebuilt with more social housing residences, while also adding private homes.
17-31 Cowper St currently comprises of a two-storey block of 15 one-bedroom units and 2A-2D Wentworth Park Rd includes four two-storey terrace houses.
These 19 social housing residences will be replaced with 35 new social housing properties and another 39 private homes. An eight and five-storey building will be created on the land owned by the NSW Land and Housing Corporation, according to the plans.
That is almost quadruple the number of homes on the site at present.
“This planning proposal presents an opportunity to optimise NSW Government owned land to deliver new social housing on a site that is accessible to a range of public transport infrastructure, jobs and services,” the proposal states.
“Combined with a 5-10 year waiting period for social housing in this area, there is a critical need to deliver social housing on this site.”
A proposal for 45-51 Bay St was recently unveiled and includes 425 new homes, 130 of them social housing.
The Bay St site currently has 108 social housing dwellings in a series of two and three storey townhouses.
The new development could be a maximum of 14 storeys, according to the plans.
Signs reading “Save our homes” are currently hanging from the Franklyn Street Estate, near the Broadway shopping centre.
One of the residents who organised the signs, Emily Valentine Bullock, has been living at 45-51 Bay St for 30 years.
She said she refused to stay silent on the issue.
“I hope to kick up a fight so as to not permit this vandalism,” she said.
Ms Bullock said most of the residents at Franklyn Street “think it’s (the proposed redevelopment) a waste of money” and want to see the units repaired or redeveloped as they are, rather than knocked down.
“It’s presented as a 30/70 (social housing/private housing) division, and as benefiting all. But it doesn’t really. It doesn’t benefit the community at all.”
She said the estate includes three, four and five bedroom units and is full of families.
But she said the Department of Housing is planning to provide one and two bedroom units to “house fewer people”.
“It won’t house families at all ... It wont take one person off the waiting list, which is what the Department of Housing should be addressing,” she said.
Ms Bullock said her four immediate neighbours have all lived there for about 30 years.
“We have many elderly people within the block, even a blind person. People like that are not easily rehoused,” she said.
Balmain MP Jamie Parker said: “Residents are understandably outraged that the government wants to kick them out and destroy their homes. If they are granted a right of return then they will all be crammed together into a 13 story apartment block.”
Our community wants to see the retention, repair and upgrade of the existing properties on the Franklyn Street estate, and throughout Glebe, not this proposal to knock down, rebuild and privatise.”
Mr Parker said “There are currently 108 public housing homes in the Franklyn Street estate, which include 254 bedrooms as there are a large number of two and three bedroom units. The proposal to replace these with 130 new social housing dwellings – predominantly one and two bedroom units – will see a decline in the amount of accommodation available.
“The government’s usual sleight of hand is to increase the number of dwellings but reduce the amount of accommodation by replacing two and three bedroom apartments with one bedroom homes.
“This disguises the real beneficiaries, the developers and the private housing market rather than vulnerable people desperate for housing.”
A NSW Land and Housing Corporation spokesman said: “The NSW Government’s Future Directions for Social Housing in NSW policy aims to create mixed tenure housing communities, ensuring these estates are integrated within their communities and providing equal access to opportunities for all.
“The Land and Housing Corporation is proposing to redevelop the Franklyn Street social housing estate to renew and increase social housing, including new homes, attractive shared streets and public spaces for the Glebe community to enjoy.
“The renewal of Franklyn St is in the preliminary stages of investigation. The majority of the new fit for purpose homes are likely to be studios, one and two bedroom units in response to current and future demand.
“Residents will then be able to express their interest to return to the new development when it is completed.”
According to NSW Land and Housing Corporation, residents will not be relocated before mid to late 2022 at the earliest.
In November, the NSW Government announced plans to create 4,250 new social and market homes across the City of Sydney LGA.
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