Leichhardt councillors voted 11-1 at their 19 April meeting to allow the Anka Property Group to proceed with a major residential development of the Carrier/Multiplex site, 118-124 Terry Street. Big changes had been demanded at the March council meeting: Anka has agreed to them all.
It’s a relief for affected local residents, though many concerns remain and many dangers await us in the coming months and years as the project advances into detailed planning, contamination removing and long-term construction.
To get past GO, Anka had to significantly reduce the project’s bulk and size. Here’s what has changed:
* The Floor Space Ratio has dropped from 1.7:1 to 1.5:1.
* Street-front buildings have come down from 4 storeys to 3 storeys.
* The highest apartment block, once 8 storeys, is now reduced to 6 storeys.
* The proposed supermarket, formerly 600 sq metres, is now 300 sq metres. (No retail business may exceed 300 sq m.)
* The overshadowing of existing Crystal Street properties has been reduced.
THE NEW-LOOK ANKA PLAN
To put some bite into their controls, councillors also voted 11-1 for a Voluntary Planning Agreement between Anka and the Council. There will be a penalty of $600 for each square metre Anka squeezes through over the 1.5:1 FSR limit.
We didn’t get anywhere with our suggestion to forget the ‘Street to Nowhere’. The proposed joining of Merton and Margaret Streets is impossible without the agreement of the owners of Kennards and the purchase of 11A & 11B Wellington Street. But at least councillors (11-1) stated clearly that there will be no compulsory acquisitions. This main entrance/exit to the site’s 179 new residential units will now be referred to as a cul-de-sac; a Crescent rather than a Street.
And, instead of putting aside two units as ‘affordable housing’, Council is allocating a required contribution from Anka of $850,000 to a new ‘affordable housing fund’, for creating new low-rent units within the Leichhardt area.
Of interest to the residents of 7-9 Wellington Street is the reduction from 6 to 4 storeys of the proposed block nearest them, plus there’s a bit more open space between them and the block and — look! — there's an absolutely massive 'deep-rooted' tree coming! (I know it isn’t much, Tom, but think of the shade!)
OVERSHADOWING. It was the persistence of the residents of Crystal Street that pushed Anka into stepping back the block that will loom over them. Instead of a 6-storey cliff-face they are now promised a 4-storey block that will then step back to 6 storeys. Let's hope it's not too bad for them. Certainly the developer's shadow projections look grim. Here's the worse-case — 9 a.m. in summer:
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