Kensington: 18-storey block planned for Kensington to Kingsford stretch
Developers have lodged the first application for a high-rise tower along Anzac Parade with this $77 million, 18-storey student accommodation project.
Southern Courier
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An 18-storey student accommodation tower proposed for Kensington has been labelled “absurd” by a nearby school community.
Development company Scape, which specialises in student accommodation, lodged a development application with Randwick Council last week for a $77.6 million tower at the corner of Todman Ave and Anzac Parade.
The proposed building is less than a kilometre away from UNSW and will feature 381 boarding rooms and a public plaza. It will also feature “key-worker accommodation”.
If approved, it will become the tallest building in the Kensington town centre.
The huge proposal has been submitted in the wake of a controversial decision made by Randwick Council in December on the K2K project.
The council approved the K2K rezoning strategy which allows high-rise buildings to be built up to 18 storeys in pockets of Kensington and Kingsford town centres.
The K2K rezoning strategy will increase development along the light rail corridor on Anzac Parade but is yet to get the final tick of approval by the Department of Planning.
Kensington Public School’s P & C – which fought against the K2K strategy – has raised safety concerns about the proposed 18-storey student accommodation tower.
The proposed tower is close to the public school on Todman Ave.
“It is absurd. It is even worse than having apartments, resulting in a lot more people,” P & C president Jock Marmotta said.
He said a large increase in population, in such a small area, would inevitably result in more congestion and traffic on the roads near the school.
He said many pupils walked, or rode bikes or scooters to the public school and it would put them at increased risk.
“Safety is the number one issue we have as a parents and citizens committee,” he said. “It is going to exacerbate the issue.”
However, developer Scape said the development will rely heavily on students using public transport including the light rail, and will only have nine parks for cars.
“The building provides nine carparking spaces, 50 motorcycle spaces and 90 bicycle spaces and end of trip facilities for both residents and retail workers,” the proposal read.
Mr Marmotta said under the K2K strategy, another three of these high-rise developments could be built at each corner of the same intersection.
“Another developer may say ‘they have 380 rooms, we want 390’.”
He added since the light rail had become operational this year, an issue had arisen with pedestrians.
The lights to cross Anzac Parade at the intersection with Todman Ave are not synched and mean pedestrians have to wait in the middle of the road on a pedestrian island.
Mr Marmotta said more people using these crossings would force people to spill out onto the road, school children included. “The proposed development is a fatality waiting to happen.”
The development site for the proposed tower is 157 Todman Ave and 182-190 Anzac Parade which includes the existing Kensington Pharmacy and Newsagency.
All existing buildings on the site will be demolished under the proposal.