Hands Off Glebe!
Protect our Community in Elger,Stirling, Cowper, Wentworth and Bay Streets!
We are calling on all residents of Glebe be they public tenants, private owners or private tenants to come out in support of public housing.
The Elger St Development is nothing but a con forced on us by a thoughtless and careless NSW State Government, we need MORE not less public housing.
The NSW Department of Housing is planning to get rid of public land and sell it to commercial and private interests for profit not for the good of our community.
We do not have to take it! Resist and protest and join with us. In recent months the residents ofNewtownrejected the reclamation of their homes by State Rail and were successful. We can do the same.
Who is next?
If we stand idly by and allow the Government to destroy perfectly good houses what will happen when the Government and developers come for your house?
Let’s look at the Dept of Housing handiwork. These homes opposite Redfern Oval have been surrounded with a fence and left to vandals to destroy while the city is crying out for more housing.
When asked the Dept of Housing replied they did not have approval for anything but they were still kicking people out of their homes by Xmas! Is this the fate of our Glebe houses? They have no plans except to get people out!
The Government claims that it is building better housing for public tenants, but the new units will be inferior to the existing units
Less access to light and ventilation with most bathroom fully
- Less access to light and ventilation with most bathroom fully enclosed
- Smaller units
- No gardens or areas to dry washing
- Overshadowing of units and open space on the site
- Combined living, dining and kitchen even in 2 bedroom units
- No parking for public tenants
The Government claims there will be more public housing in Cowper Street, but is this true?
- There will be about 30 more social housing units but these won’t house more tenants. This is because most units in the proposed development will be 1 bedroom units. Only 40% will be 2 bedroom units. The existing units are a mix of studio units, 2 bedroom units and 3 bedroom units.
The Government claims the new units will ‘integrate’ public and private development
- The private & affordable units will be built on the Bay, Wentworth andCowper Streetfrontages. The Social Housing component will be built at the southern end of the site frontingElger Street. Guess which parts will get the best sunlight and views?
- ‘Integration’ is just another word for pushing public tenants out of Glebe.
Broken Promises!
- In the mid 1980s the Federal Government gave the Glebe Estate to the NSW State Government. At the time the Minister said:
‘The Federal Government will ensure that the New South Wales Government pursues the original objectives of rehabilitating and preserving the historic townscape and protecting the low income community.’
(Chris Hurford, Minister for Housing & Construction, letter to tenants 12 September 1984.)
Some Historical background
These homes were built for public tenants in the 1950’s in an effort to house the people ofSydneywhen far sighted forefathers were aware of social need. They did a fantastic job. This contrasts to today where the ALP state and federal Governments are hell bent on privatising hard won land and facilities for the public. These Governments are more concerned with the big end of town rather the ordinary people.
What they are doing now will undo their good work by transforming the character of the built environment and the nature of the community who live here. High rise development is not appropriate in Glebe. It will dwarf surrounding development and overshadow it. The fourfold increase in density of development will create a slum and will increase traffic and parking problems in the area. The Department of Housing plans to extendElger StreetintoBay Streetand permit two way traffic fromBay Street, channelling traffic through the back streets of Glebe.
Hands Off Glebe call on the Federal and NSW State Governments to:
- abandon the proposed demolition of public housing flats in Glebe;
- abandon the proposed construction of public housing in Glebe as high rise high density development,
- pursue the original objectives of the Glebe Estate namely the rehabilitation and preservation of the historic townscape of Glebe and the protection of its low income community.
- divert funds allocated to the above proposals to the expansion and improvement of public housing stocks through infill development and maintaining and where required upgrading existing housing stock.