Newsletter #17 Addendum (Newsletter #17 below)
Car Parking on Moore Park East
Infrastructure NSW has pointed out to the CCC Chair that I’ve breached the CCC Guidelines with the statement in our Newsletter last night that: “The CCC is united in its determination that car parking should be removed from Moore Park but INSW refuses to address this issue and proposes the continuation of parking on the parklands.”
It is absolutely correct. Under CCC Guidelines I’m not permitted to speak on behalf of the CCC and it’s a reasonable interpretation that in the above sentence this is what I’m doing. I could – and should - have worded this better, and I apologise for not doing so.
It is also perhaps fair to say that, while there is strong support among most local community representatives on the CCC for the removal of on-grass parking, some feel less strongly about it than others.
However, Saving Moore Park does not apologise for addressing what we see as a critical issue. We are frustrated by INSW’s apparent unwillingness to plan for the removal of car parking from Moore Park East, as reflected in the diagrams we were shown at last Wednesday’s CCC meeting and which, presumably, will be on display at the information sessions.
The Moore Park Master Plan is quite clear in calling for the “removal of the temporary event on-grass parking in Moore Park East”. Consent condition B12 requires a comprehensive review of the Master Plan to identify how the SFS redevelopment can contribute positively towards and support it. Despite this, continued on-grass car parking is firmly embedded in INSW’s planning.
A Travel Demand Management Strategy and Green Travel Plan have been developed, but they are not expected to have a material impact on the demand for car parking on Moore Park East; this is expected to continue indefinitely at close to existing levels for peak events. If you attend a community information session, ask for details. Unless something is done to address this in connection with the SFS redevelopment, the issue will continue to drag on for years. Moore Park is for the community not cars, and no remediation can be undertaken to make the Park an attractive destination for the community until on-grass car parking disappears forever.
Michael Waterhouse
Convenor
10 April 2019
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Dear Supporter,
SFS Community Information Sessions
You can make a difference! Feedback to our survey earlier this year indicated that many of you would like to be more involved in preserving Moore Park. This is an opportunity for you to do so.
Most people will be aware of the three sessions being held in the Members Pavilion, SCG on 11,14 and 16 May. We encourage you to attend and please encourage others to do so as well. This Newsletter suggests items you should look out for. Please express your views to those running the sessions as they will be noted and may influence the design and the Stage 2 EIS.
Several presentations have been given to the Community Consultative Committee, most notably on the winning Cox/Aspect Studios design and Transport/Parking. These raise a number of serious issues. Things you should note include:
1. Height, profile and bulk
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The stadium will be 7 metres higher than the highest point on the old stadium (excluding the steel masts). With infill, it will present a solid mass when viewed from Paddington and Moore Park. See photos below.
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Higher elevation will mean greater transmission of crowd noise to Paddington residents.
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A massive visual display screen (30 x 10 metres) will dominate the Driver Avenue entrance, compounding the visual and noise impact on Moore Park.
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Overshadowing of Kippax Lake and surrounds may be a problem early in the morning (before 9am) in mid-winter.
2. Access from Driver Avenue
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The gently sloping ramp to the old stadium will be replaced by a six metre high bank of steps, described in the presentations as a “monumental entry experience” and “grand entry”, surmounted by the visual display screen. Visual impact from Moore Park.
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There will be a single lift for the elderly and disabled – completely inadequate.
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‘Fan zones’ are likely to contribute to the monumental entry experience, spilling over onto Driver Avenue and Moore Park, as suggested in the Stage 1 EIS.
3. Safety concerns
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Foremost among several safety concerns is the potential for a catastrophic domino effect if people exiting via the steps looks back at the visual display screen and fall.
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The steps do not therefore meet the objective of Consent Condition B10(a) regarding the “safety of pedestrian movements between the site and the adjoining lands”.
One solution which may resolve many of the CCC’s concerns, while enabling the basic stadium design to be preserved, is to sink it three metres into the ground. This would (a) reduce height and profile concerns from Paddington, (b) provide a safer entry and exit experience for patrons from and to Driver Avenue, (c) provide enhanced disability access, (d) reduce the visual impact from Moore Park and Kippax Lake, (e) reduce overshadowing of the Kippax Lake area. This has been done with the new Western Sydney (Bankwest) Stadium and this has reduced the visual impact on Parramatta Park.
Footnote: INSW initially declined to provide the CCC with the Competitive Design Alternatives Report, despite Consent Condition B6 requiring it to do so. So we do not know whether some aspects of the two losing designs may suggest solutions to problems associated with the Cox/Aspect design. After considerable pressure, INSW has finally agreed to provide the Report to a CCC meeting on 27 May.
4. Parking
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Consent Condition B12 calls for the stadium’s design and operation to contribute positively towards and support the Moore Park Master Plan, which calls for the “removal of temporary event on-grass parking in Moore Park East”.
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The CCC is united in its determination that car parking should be removed from Moore Park but INSW refuses to address this issue and proposes the continuation of parking on the parklands. Look for the diagrams that show this.
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Despite the development of a Travel Demand Management Strategy and a Green Travel Plan, INSW envisages that the share of patrons arriving by car and parking for peak events will only fall from 35 to 33%. Broadly speaking, patrons arriving by light rail will simply replace those currently arriving on special event buses.
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If you share our view that car parking on the parklands must cease, please say so at the community information sessions!
Michael Waterhouse
Convenor
9 May 2019
