Is this the most neglected part of the inner west?
Is this the most neglected part of the inner west? There was once promising plans for the Strathfield Triangle, a small and forgotten parcel of land bounded by Parramatta Rd, Cooper St, Everton Rd and Leicester Ave.
IS this the most neglected part of the inner west?
There was once promising plans for the Strathfield Triangle, a small and forgotten parcel of land bounded by Parramatta Rd, Cooper St, Everton Rd and Leicester Ave.
Cracked and raised footpaths teeming with overgrown weeds, abandoned houses, dumped rubbish, trolleys, graffiti and collapsed fencing was evident almost everywhere the Courier walked during a visit on Tuesday.
Resident Anne Marie Choi said local children cramped up in apartments were in desperate need of a playground as the nearest open space is “too far away” at Burwood Park.
“I moved here in 2003 thinking: ‘Great I’m five minutes from Strathfield station but the area has just been neglected,” she said.
“We did get a notification saying we were going to get a park but it never eventuated.
“Having a park is a symbol of having a space for the community rather than people seeing the area as a place to dump rubbish.”
The transient nature of the community and high proportion of renters has led to a lack of pride in the area.
Canada Bay councillor Andrew Ferguson described street cleaning and the state of footpaths as “overwhelmingly below standard”.
Straddling the southern edge of the LGA, Cr Ferguson says the area is “out of sight, out of mind”.
“Residents who bought in good faith here are in no man’s land,” Cr Ferguson said.
“There’s spectacular plans for the area which have been on the drawing board for ten years. “We need this community infrastructure delivered so residents don’t have to face another decade of deadlock.
“I’m hoping we can establish a playground which is not just about play. They’re vital to every neighbourhood, creating a space to socialise, build friendships and community.”
Canada Bay mayor Angelo Tsirekas said plans prepared in 2012 proposed a new park, new roads, laneways and public domain upgrades.
“As only a limited amount of development has proceeded in the Strathfield Triangle following the adoption of the plan, insufficient development contributions have been received to fund the delivery of the new infrastructure at this stage,” he said.
“This is a complex issue with many stakeholders involved including but not limited to land owners, strata managers, RMS and local residents.”
Cr Tsirekas said he had been working closely with residents about their concerns and had requested staff develop an action list to improve the area in the short term.
This includes ramping up monitoring of illegal dumping, mowing, street sweeping and maintenance.
“Our (staff) have been in the area investigating the matters in the past week and have determined to proceed with action to place orders on a number of premises that are not in a safe and healthy condition,” he said.
Further developments are expected to come to light in the next fortnight.
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