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Graeme
P Harrison
BE(Syd),
BSc(VUW), MBA(Harvard), FAIM, MNIA, MIEAust MACS,
MIEEE, MAIE, MACM, MIREE, AMAusIMM,
JP
454 Maroubra
Road Maroubra Beach 2035
Tel&Fax:+61(2)9349 7470 Mobile: +61(500)UGETME
Email: <me@MyPostBox.com>
18 November 2002
Courier
News
wfitzgibbon@couriernews.com.au
MEDIA RELEASE
OUTCRY OVER 6 FLOORS FOR BEACHFRONT PUB SITE
Since
our story in the Southern Courier of 29 October
2002 on ‘Problem Pub is Hot Property’ there has been
a flood of complaints submitted to Randwick Council
and the Premier regarding the DA to build a six-storey
apartment building on the site of the heritage-listed
Maroubra Bay Hotel.
Maroubra
Beach resident Graeme Harrison said “All of the residents
who participated in establishing the Development Control
Plan for the Maroubra Beach Commercial Precinct (and
who are still contactable by the precinct committee)
have signed the petition to Council and the Premier
to stop the six-storey concrete and glass apartment
building that will swamp the heritage-listed three
storey hotel. To
ensure the fix-up of the beach area, the DCP stipulated
that redevelopment of properties on the North side
of the McKeon Street shops had to be under 8m at the
footpath, climbing to not more than 12m after a setback
of 6m from the footpath. That was done so that the cafes and retail
on McKeon Street would not be in permanent shade during
winter. Now we’ve got Multiplex proposing a 17.5m wall
where the DCP allows 8m, with a councillor singing
the praises of the development. Cr Bastic says the pub will be replaced by
‘a small brasserie’ and this would ‘enhance’ the beach,
but he failed to mention the five storeys of apartments
to go above the small brasserie. This is the same site where Cr Bastic removed
(by mayoral minute) the heritage listing just weeks
before the site was auctioned some years back.
The other councillors re-instated the heritage
order after they learned what Chris had done.
I think it is inappropriate for anyone from
the consent authority to participate in generating
positive PR on a DA that is clearly in breach of all
existing planning laws. It deservedly undermines the faith people ought
to have in their council as representing the interests
of the residents.”
Kerri
Hamer who was also on the Maroubra Beach Plan of Management
Committee and former Secretary of the Maroubra Beach
Precinct Committee said “We spent some years developing
the DCP and the DCP puts an absolute ceiling of twelve
metres on the whole area to keep the development under
the height of the Seals Club…
and the community will not accept one millimetre above
12m.”
Franz
Weiss, immediate past-President of the Maroubra Beach
Precinct Committee said “It would set a precedent
for other excessive development along the beachfront.
The DA exceeds the 12m height limit by over
5m and exceeds the allowable floor space ratio.
It will also exacerbate traffic and parking
problems in the area. Moreover, the juxtaposition of the old façade and floor spacing,
with a ‘modern’ façade and different floor spacing
is jarring. The new façade is straight lines and contemporary
finishes, the old façade is curves, castellations
and masonry. This
will not be an attractive development.”
Effee
Manousaki, neighbour of the proposed development said
“I applied for a garage at the back of my property
which was earlier approved but which was recently
refused as Council told me people didn’t want to look
at a wall of just seven feet, but now I’ll have a
64 foot high wall on the footpath right next to my
house. It won’t look nice, and will cut all my afternoon
sun.”
Brian
Vazey, past President of the Maroubra Beach Precinct
Committee said “The DCP is a sensible compromise,
coming out of a extensive public consultation and
debate. It would be an insult to ride roughshod over
it. The McKeon
Street public area must not be put in permanent shade
during winter. It
is foolish to put high buildings along the waterfront
and block views and sea breezes.
The lower the building line along the waterfront
of Maroubra Bay, the better it will be for a large
number of people well into the future.
We shouldn’t have a few people sitting along
the waterfront in high buildings blocking off the
views of others.”
Mr
Harrison said “At Coogee, Council sold off the views
by allowing large developments right on the beachfront,
for the sake of nominal contributions by the developers
towards the beach fix-up.
If you went back to all those who lost their
views and asked them if they’d have preferred the
beach fix-up to have taken two years longer, but with
the retention of their views, I’m certain they’d all
prefer their views back.”
A
public meeting is being planned to discuss the community
concerns. <see if you can get details from Larissa at RCC, as no-one
else at Council knows about it, and otherwise the
precinct will hold the meeting and let you know details
for next week’s paper>.
Mr
Harrison says in the meantime, please pop into the
little shop just North of the hotel on Marine Parade
and sign the petition asking Council to stick to the
existing planning laws.
We have a thousand signatures so far, but would
like still more to put to the Premier and Council,
to ensure that the elected representatives understand
where the community sit on the issue.
No-one is against development, but it has to
be done within the parameters set in law when this
developer bought the site.
Those who’d prefer to submit a few words on
the matter by email should send an email noting they
don’t want an unsympathetic treatment of the heritage
item, nor more than 12m to RCC on general.manager@randwick.nsw.gov.au
and cc it to the Premier on bob.carr@parliament.nsw.gov.au,
and the Minister for Planning on deputypremiers@mail.ccsu.nsw.gov.au,
and finally to the precinct on me@mypostbox.com
for collation.
_______________________________
Graeme Harrison (0411)680666 me@mypostbox.com
Brian Vazey 9349-6043 vazeyb@accsoft.com.au
Franz Weiss 9314-1911 fpweiss@rivernet.com.au
Effee Manousaki 9314-1265
Kerri Hamer 9349-5170 (0412)042201
khamer@oakhill.nsw.edu.au
Dr Ute Vollmer-Conna (Precinct Chair 1998-9 &
High School Site Negotiator 1994-6) hm9344-5534 work9385-2945 ute@unsw.edu.au
Press
Release: Maroubra Beach Sydney : Oasis in the East?
*You
are on Greg Tingle's website: Media Man Australia
www.mediaman.asia
Articles:
Violent
crime wave in South Eastern Suburbs Beaches, by Greg
Tingle and Rozita
Jump
on board, by Greg Tingle
Maroubra:
Hot bed for cafe's in Sydney's east, by Greg Tingle
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