BIKEast Objection to White City DA 477/2019

Woollahra Council

DA 477/2019 – White City

Property Details: 30 Alma Street PADDINGTON NSW 2021

Type of Work: Club First stage of the development of White City for a multi-purpose sports centre and registered club facilities including site remediation

Objection from BIKEast:

Safe active transport management, facilities and related public access to, across and along the site has not been adequately provided for under the above proposal.

Key reasons to cater for active transport:

The proposal will generate very large increases in motorised traffic and a large number and range of visitors to events and other users of the proposed site facilities.

Visitors will be coming from various destinations, but including from nearby suburbs and reach the site from relatively remote transport nodes and access corridors from several directions.

Access to the site must be made as attractive as possible for pedestrian and bicycling traffic.

Adequately catering for active transport with attractive facilities and good access for pedestrians and cyclists is essential to contain the level of motor vehicle traffic and managing all the diverse activities.

Required response:

This means conditions must be set if the DA, largely as as proposed, is to be approved:

Potential for active transport and a target for this mode of travel for the next 25 years must be assessed and established.
Based on that study and other traffic assessments already undertaken:
- active transport and travel management plans must be prepared that provides advice to the public how best to reach this site (e.g. from nearest bus routes, Edgecliff and Kings Cross Stations and bicycling routes) – an appropriate adjustment to transport IT apps should also be prepared by the proponent;
- restoration of pedestrian access once available across the White City site and immediately adjacent lands, is to be part of an active transport plan;
- on-site active transport (share pedestrian and cycle paths separated from car parking) and facilities (e.g. bike parking) and related measures must be planned and developed;
- concurrently, public access into, across and along the site must be provided and maintained with special management of active transport access and motorised traffic during major event days; and
- public access across the site and along Rushcutters Bay Creek, must be available 24/7 every day of the week.

Additional background in justification

The Hakoah Club’s project for this site is a significant traffic and transport generator.

Fundamental to the planning for all this new traffic to and through parts of Paddington is to take up this opportunity to restore pedestrian access lost and to provide safe and easy public access along and through the White City site as part of its redevelopment.

This is not clearly evident in any of the DA plans.

Such access must also include bicycling and adequately guarantee orderly through public access connected to the proposed shared path system proposed between Trumper Park and Rushcutters Bay along Rushcutters Bay Creek (part of the Sydney Water Drainage and Public Open space system).

A Greenway shared path is under consideration by both the City of Sydney and Woollahra Councils and must be accommodated.

The White City project should not be approved in a way that frustrates this essential public active transport access and the possible future development of the Greenway scheme.

Council will need to take action, including to amend its Woollahra Bicycle Strategy 2009, to provide bicycling facilities that fully connect to the site from all directions. Such plans should be implemented timed to the opening of the redeveloped White City. This is to ensure that walking and cycling to White City happens early and minimises the increase in motor traffic flows through Paddington.

Recommendations:

Consequently, should this proposal proceed to approval:

Conditions of consent should be imposed that fully address the matters listed under the Required response heading, above; and
Separately from the DA process, but in response to any significant development approval for the White City site, Council should resolve to amend Woollahra Bicycle Strategy 2009, and implement safe bicycling and walking access to and around the site.

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To make a submission on this DA, email WOOLLAHRA COUNCIL <records@woollahra.nsw.gov.au> referring to DA 477/2019 30 Alma St Paddington, including:

your name,
your address,
your contact phone number
your email address

Yvonne