$40m redevelopment for Redfern

A SECTION of the notorious Redfern public housing estate is to be razed and redeveloped into a mix of housing styles including new private apartments.

Urban Affairs Minister Andrew Refshauge yesterday announced the $40 million redevelopment of a site bordered by Elizabeth, Phillip, Morehead and Kettle Sts.

The project is about 200m north of the location of street riots in Waterloo during June and close to where buses had to be diverted after attacks from youths last month.

A series of two and three-storey 50-year-old unit blocks are currently on the site.

There does not appear to be plans at the moment to demolish the nearby landmark high-rise unit blocks in the Waterloo and Redfern area, which are said to be popular with elderly people.

Dr Refshauge said the redevelopment would allow elderly people in existing three-storey unit public housing blocks to be shifted to newly built low-rise terrace homes.

The new private homes would all be in six-storey unit blocks.

The site, opposite Redfern Oval and near the small Waterloo shopping strip, also houses a Police and Community Youth Club.

A new building for the PCYC will be feature of the development.

The Housing Department has a policy of trying to reduce the concentration of public housing in some areas, and introduce some private housing, in a "salt and pepper" approach.

But there appears to be strong resistance from private developers to mixing private and public housing in the same buildings. At present, much of western Redfern and eastern Waterloo is made up of public housing with scattered pockets of private housing on the fringes.

The introduction of private housing may help lessen the area's sometimes abandoned feel.

The redevelopment was first proposed in October last year, well before the riots, although the application to be lodged in coming days has increased in size since then.

When it was first announced, the development was proposed to affect 38 existing public housing dwellings but the new larger development site covers 106 dwellings.

These homes will be replaced by 88 new public housing units and 158 private dwellings.

"Including private sector residents into the area ensures a mix of housing and will help sustain local businesses," Dr Refshauge said.

There will be no reduction in public housing supply, because the new public housing units will contain multiple bedrooms, replacing the existing bed-sit public housing units.

Peddle Thorp and Walker have prepared a concept master plan to guide redevelopment of the site, which will now be lodged with South Sydney council.

A presentation has also been made to South Sydney mayor John Fowler.

At Fairfield East, the public housing estate, which included high- rise buildings constructed in 1981, has been razed for a new private development called Hamilton Grove.