Sep 2017
The Institute is continuing to focus on delivering proactive and effective advocacy. We are working through the list of Institute policies that need updating, with ongoing consultation with members to ensure we are dealing with the issues that matter most to members and effectively communicating our messages to governments and the public. New policies can be developed at the instigation of the chapters, national committees and National Council.
Since our last update, we have also advocated at a national and local level on several issues:
Better Placed
The August launch of the NSW government design policy marks a turning point for the NSW built environment. Built around seven objectives, the Better Placed policy advocates the importance of good design in creating better places and spaces, supports industry and government to deliver good design and enables effective design processes to be established and supported in the planning system. Better Placed not only describes the design process itself; it will form part of the terms of reference supporting the delivery of design excellence processes, including design review panels and design excellence competitions. The NSW Chapter President Andrew Nimmo welcomed the release of the new policy, saying it will help to deliver a higher quality of new development and great places as we meet the challenges of an increasing population.
Parramatta North
The heritage precinct on the Parramatta River, northwest of the Parramatta CBD, includes some key colonial buildings: Cumberland Hospital, the former Female Factory (1821) and the Norma Parker Centre (1844). Most of the precinct is included in two separate listings on the State Heritage Register; an application has been made to the Commonwealth Government for national heritage listing. The precinct was rezoned two years ago to allow for future retail, commercial, recreation and community uses and the construction of 2700 dwellings. At the northern end of the site, 10-metre buildings will front the Parramatta River, with 21-metre buildings proposed for development lots to the east of the heritage precinct. The Institute’s NSW Chapter has provided a joint submission with the NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects responding to the development control plan and the initial development application. The submission emphasised the heritage significance of the precinct as a whole, arguing that future development of the site must, therefore, be based on the conservation, interpretation and enhancement of its heritage significance.
Wickham Master Plan
A draft master plan released by Newcastle City Council in March aims to build on the strategic shift of the commercial core of the city centre to Newcastle West. Wickham is evolving from a fringe semi-industrial area into a mixed-use urban neighbourhood with a new focus as the new Newcastle transport interchange.
In its submission, the NSW Chapter’s Newcastle Division recommended the preparation of a Newcastle-specific housing design guide to ensure a minimum consistent standard of housing design, saying the worst result would be a dense high-rise dormitory suburb. The submission also suggested that a Wickham Design Ideas Competition would encourage new ideas on the area’s design possibilities.
Powerhouse Museum
The NSW Government intends moving the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences from its Sulman Medal-winning adaptive reuse of the 1899 Ultimo Power House to a new building on the banks of the Parramatta River. In a Sydney Morning Herald op-ed, the NSW Chapter President Andrew Nimmo proposed two arms of the museum. The Ultimo building would continue to display its impressive collection of engines, aeroplanes and vehicles, complemented by a new branch of the museum in Parramatta. The government’s business case for the move is expected at the end of the year. NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin has been considering a continuing cultural space in the Ultimo precinct.
Occupational Licensing
The Department of Justice in Tasmania is conducting a review of the occupational licensing system as it relates to building-related occupations. The Tasmanian Chapter provided a submission, recommending changes to the terminology associated with the building design profession. Within the Scheme for the Accreditation of Building Practitioners, buildings designers are currently described as ‘Building Designer – Architectural Restricted’, ‘Building Designer – Architectural Limited’ and ‘Building Designer – Architectural Domestic’. The chapter argued that these descriptions are confusing and contribute to giving the impression to consumers that building designers and architects are one and the same. The submission recommended a basic change to ‘Building Designer – Restricted’, ‘Building Designer – Limited’ and ‘Building Designer – Domestic’ to ensure clarity and certainty for the public that they are getting what they pay for.
South City Beach Kiosk
The Town of Cambridge in Western Australia recently conducted a survey on whether to demolish or retain the South City Beach Kiosk, designed in the 1970s by architect Tony Brand. The Western Australian Chapter has argued strongly for its retention, describing it as a quintessentially beachside brutalist gem and an important symbol of City Beach. The chapter suggested that the town could meet the $150,000 cost of repairs by offering it to a proponent rent-free in return for specified conservation works, until the cost of the works is amortised over an agreed period.