[REDWatch Heritage] Council Breifing on Impact of ATP Sale proposal

[Geoff Turnbull]

Dear people concerned about Eveleigh & ATP

On Monday night Council made public the HillsPDA independent review of the
EOI for the sale of the ATP. For easy reference here is the Mayoral Minute
<http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/226833/15022
3_COUNCIL_ITEM35.pdf>  which summarises the report and provides council's
reaction. Attachment A is the HillPDA report Australian Technology Park
(ATP) Eveleigh Stage 1 Call for Expressions of Interest An independent
review of the opportunities and risks relating to the Sale of the ATP
<http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/226834/15022
3_COUNCIL_ITEM35_ATTACHMENTA.PDF> . We encourage you to download both
documents and read them.

Council will provide a community briefing on the report and this will be
hosted by a number of community groups on Tuesday 3rd March at 6.30 pm - 8pm
at Alexandria Town 73 Garden Street Alexandria NSW 2015.

We have also written to UrbanGrowth asking them to delay closing their
central to Eveleigh feedback portal http://engage.centraltoeveleigh.com.au
<https://ug.consultationmanager.com.au/CommunicatorCallback.aspx?e=1230@ug.c
onsultationmanager.com.au&url=http-CCOL-//engage.centraltoeveleigh.com.au>
which is due to close this Sunday. If you get a chance to make a comment by
midnight this Sunday well and good but we have asked that there be an
extension to allow the community to get the council briefing and have a week
or two to make a considered response.

Please spread the word to anyone who has an interest in the ATP and the
proposed sell off through the UrbanGrowth EOI process.

Also on ATP - Unions NSW has come out in opposition to the ATP sale in line
with the following motion:

Draft resolution for NSW on proposed sale of Australian Technology Park

Unions NSW notes:

a)      The Baird Coalition government called for expressions of interest to
buy all of the 13.2 hectare Australian Technology Park on the former
Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops site, closing on January 30, 2015, with a
final sale projected by June 30, 2015

b)      The ATP site is focused on new technology development and related
business incubation, and that about 5,000 people work on the site, and
operates at a surplus for the people of NSW

c)       The ATP site contains the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshop buildings
including the working Blacksmiths Shop, which is a manufacturing
steam-technology heritage site of national and international significance,
and which has important social meaning to the local community and retired
workers throughout NSW.

d)      The current Conservation Management Plan for the site expires in
2019. This CMP was achieved after a significant union and community struggle
to retain public access to the heritage items now conserved there, to ensure
that interpretation of the site was developed, and that the Blacksmiths Shop
with its unique equipment continued to operate and to train new generations
of skilled metal workers. There is no guarantee that this CMP will be
renewed under a private owner after 2019.

e)      The Baird government is linking the proposed ATP sale to the bigger
project for the transformation of the Central to Eveleigh Corridor, but
there is as yet no strategic plan for this larger railway infrastructure
space to which any proposed changed use of ATP could relate.

Therefore Unions NSW and its rail union affiliates

1.	call on the Baird Government to cancel the proposed sale of ATP now
underway and to undertake an independent public consultation process to
determine the best use of the three large carpark sites in ATP which are
available for further development, while keeping ATP in public ownership.
2.	Call on the Baird government to further enhance the conservation and
interpretation of the Eveleigh site by ensuring a genuine CMP continues
after 2019, and by consulting with rail unions and TAFE about further skills
training programs for young workers in the heritage areas
3.	Call on the Baird government to undertake an independent public
consultation about possible transformation of the Central - Eveleigh
Corridor to ensure the maximum environmental, public transport, residential,
and commercial outcome of this mega-scale concept on public land.
4.	Support a Union-REDWatch community forum on these issues prior to
the March 28 NSW State election to alert the community to the immediate
challenges at ATP and the Central-Eveleigh Corridor, and to thus develop a
sustained campaign about these vital public assets, whatever the outcome of
the state elections.

Also next week REDWatch is holding a Meat the candidates (Heffron and
Newtown) Community BBQ on Thursday in Redfern Park  at 6pm Thursday 5th
March 2015 - in the event of wet weather the event will be moved to The
Factory Community Centre 67 Raglan Street Waterloo. REDWatch will provide a
few sausages and some bread but feel free to bring your own items to BBQ or
a picnic dinner and join us and the candidates.  A flyer to promote the
event is attached.

REDWatch covers two electorates and this year we are trying an informal
community event rather than two formal candidates events. REDWatch is
joining with Alexandria Residents Action Group and Friends of Erskineville
to hold a candidates forum for the seat of Heffron at Alexandria Town Hall
on Wednesday 11th March 6.45 for 7pm. While the ATP is outside Heffron the
decisions impact upon those that live in this electorate and one of the
questions being put to candidates is about the ATP.

Regards,

 

Geoff

Geoffrey Turnbull

Spokesperson

REDWatch

Ph Wk: (02) 8004 1490  Mob: 0418 457 392

email: mail at redwatch.org.au 

web: www.redwatch.org.au 

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