A 6,500 sqm public park, within the $2 billion re-development of the Carlton and United Brewery site in Chippendale, has been given the green light.
The Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) today gave the go-ahead for Frasers Property Australia to build a new $4 million public park, which will include extensive lawn areas, footpaths and seating, plus related infrastructure including new public roads, footpaths and traffic signals.
The development is the largest urban renewal project currently underway in Sydney. Plans for the park include a prominent water feature in its centre, a generous pedestrian boulevarde, extensive seating and a cycle route through the centre of the park which will stretch from Balfour Street to Broadway and on to Jones Street.
Turf Design and Jeppe Aargaard Anderson Landscape Architects have been appointed to design the park and public spaces.
“The people of Sydney are one step closer to enjoying what will be a magnificent new public space,” NSW planning minister, Tony Kelly, said in announcing the approval today.
“This park will be a great asset to the City of Sydney and represents the first time the space will be open to the public in over 150 years,” Kelly said.
A key feature of the Central Park project will be the connectivity that it will bring to Broadway and Chippendale, linking major commercial nodes, local businesses, transport, retail centres, schools and universities to the southern end of Sydney’s CBD, CEO of Frasers Property Australia, Dr Stanley Quek, said.
“Central Park will become one of the Sydney CBD’s iconic meeting places such as Circular Quay, Pitt Street Mall, Chinatown or Hyde Park - where people will one day be saying ‘Meet you at Central Park’,” Quek said.
Frasers has also appointed renowned artist Jennifer Turpin to create a significant public artwork to be located in the new park.
In February 2009, the NSW Government approved the modified concept plan for the 5.8 hectare site which will support some 1,550 residential units and 6,000 ongoing operational jobs.
The concept plan approval provides an over-arching vision for the entire site but requires Project Applications (PAs) to be lodged for each building or stage of works before construction can begin.
The PA for the park and infrastructure is the third such application to be approved on the site, with four additional applications currently lodged with the NSW Department of Planning.
The park is due for completion within 12 months from the start of construction, at which time it will be open to the public while work continues elsewhere. Frasers anticipates construction of the park and infrastructure will begin within two weeks of today’s announcement, with the contractor, Christies Civil Contracting, to be appointed immediately.
