| |
| |
|
This entry is based on Council’s work to revitalise Ryde Town Centre. This includes preparation of:
- Ryde Town Centre LEP 2006
- Ryde Town Centre DCP 2006
- Ryde Town Centre Public Domain Plan 2006
- Ryde Town Centre Integrated Transport Strategy 2006
And the implementation of those plans including:
- DA Assessment for Top Ryde Shopping Centre
- Delivery of more than $10M community benefits through a Voluntary Planning Agreement.
- Ryde Town Centre Public Domain project.
|
| Executive Summary / Media Release |
| |
|
In 2006 the new Local Environmental Plan (LEP) and Development Control Plan (DCP) to guide the revitalisation of Ryde Town Centre became effective. When publicly exhibited, the much awaited sustainable planning controls met with 86% community approval and are now the basis for the Ryde Town Centre including $1.2 Billion redevelopment of the Top Ryde Shopping Centre.
The redevelopment of the Top Ryde Shopping Centre will be the catalyst for the revitalisation of the Town Centre and implement Council’s LEP and DCP which envision a town centre that will serve local communities. The Ryde Town Centre LEP requires a childcare centre, improved public transport facilities, pedestrian footbridges over Devlin Street and almost 3000m2 community facilities to be located at one of Sydney’s most prominent intersections with more than 80,000 vehicles passing each day. The new Top Ryde Shopping Centre will also incorporate a 2000m2 public plaza and 10m wide pedestrian street, library and civic space, cinemas, supermarkets, boutique retail space and alfresco dining experiences.
The civic space in the shopping centre redevelopment will incorporate a 21st century public library, Ryde Council’s Customer Service Centre, as well as a multi-purpose area that will be used for a variety of key civic and business activities. Council’s aim is to develop civic space with a shop-front character that will be easily accessed, that will take advantage of the latest technology and better serve residents. It is envisaged that the facility will be constructed at no cost to Council.
Plans for Ryde Town Centre’s future electricity and transport infrastructure are also well advanced. Council developed an Integrated Traffic Solution to support the revitalisation of Ryde Town Centre that will see improved performance at major intersections and remove traffic from nearby residential streets. A site for a major new electricity substation has been identified and acquired.
Council adopted the Ryde Town Centre Public Domain Plan together with the new LEP and DCP. Public Domain improvements in accordance with this plan are being implemented by Ryde Council, the RTA and private sector partners. The Ryde Town Centre Public Domain works and the redevelopment of the Top Ryde Shopping Centre have commenced, with expected handover of the public library and civic space in 2010.
Ryde Town Centre urban renewal is a model project that demonstrates:
- Successful public-private sector collaboration to generate more than $2 Billion investment in Ryde Town Centre and its future.
- Council’s effective coordination of its own resources and the input of State Government bodies (eg RTA) to deliver transport, planning and development assessment outcomes in record time frames.
- Transparent governance with three significant community consultation exercises being conducted. The first by the developer to understand what the community wanted in a new shopping centre, the second by Council when draft planning controls were publicly exhibited and lastly during assessment of the development application for the Top Ryde Shopping Centre.
- An innovative and probity conscious development assessment process that included independent assessment team and an IHAP to process a major DA in less than 6 months.
- Delivery of exceptional community benefits including new public domain spaces, streetscape and park improvements, pedestrian over-bridges, bus amenities, public library, public art, child care centre, and shop front customer service facilities for council.
|
| Local Environmental Plan No 143 Ryde Town Centre |
| Development Control Plan 56 Ryde Town Centre |
| Ryde Town Centre Public Domain Plan |
|
Ryde Town Centre Integrated Traffic Solution |
| |
|
Local Environmental Plan (LEP) No 143 is a visionary and ambitious plan that will see Top Ryde revitalised as a modern shopping, entertainment and commercial area. It is part of a set of plans that will guide the design of new buildings and streetscapes. The LEP will steer the provision of new public domain space and community facilities.
Renamed Ryde Town Centre to acknowledge its important historic role as one of Australia’s earliest settlements and as a centre for the Ryde community with several Churches and community facilities, Ryde Public School, Ryde Council’s Civic Centre and library, historic Ryde Park, residential and shopping areas. Ryde Town Centre also has a location advantage being at the junction of major roads and bus corridors.
The LEP aims to build on the strengths of the area, to encourage a mix of land-uses, enhance shopping and entertainment, improve bus amenities, expand community facilities and promote new development. It also sets objectives for sustainability and improved design and enhancing the civic role of the area.
|
Ryde Town Centre is located in Sydney’s Inner North Shore equidistant from Parramatta and Sydney City |
|
|
| LEP 143 sets development standards for height and permissible land uses and establishes several character precincts. These include: |
- Civic / Mixed Use Precinct includes the Civic Centre and has the potential for up to 100,000sqm of nett useable floor space constructed on it. The height of new buildings is restricted to the current height of the Civic Centre.
- Town Core Precinct controls will allow the shopping centre to be redeveloped with up to 150,000sqm of nett useable residential, commercial and retail floor space. Most development in this precinct will be restricted to the height of the present Ryde Civic Centre. Buildings at the centre of the site may be higher, subject to overshadowing, privacy and other environmental impacts. New development in this precinct must also include a 2000sqm plaza and 10m wide pedestrian “street” through the site, a childcare centre, community space of 2700sqm and a traffic management solution that takes most vehicles directly from Devlin Street into basement parking. Two pedestrian bridges over Devlin Street and bus amenities must also be provided as part of the redevelopment of the centre.
- Heritage Precinct controls will conserve church, civic and public buildings in and around St Anne’s Church. New buildings must be sensitive to the charm and heritage significance of these buildings.
|
|
|
- Main Street Precinct controls will build on the early 20th century architectural qualities of Blaxland Road and Church Street to create a unique retail experience including outdoor dining where appropriate.
- Commercial Edge Precincts providing a transition from the Town Centre to adjoining residential areas.
- Ryde Park Precinct is an important green space that will be enhanced.
- Low Density Residential and Ryde School Precincts.
|
|
LEP 143 is supported by a development control plan and public domain plan. The Development Control Plan gives detailed guidance to the LEP and public domain plan describes Council’s vision for smart paving, street trees, outdoor dining and public art while the development control plan gives detailed urban design guidance.
All three plans were exhibited together late 2005 with information being distributed by:
- Advertorials and press releases to local media.
- Direct letter box drops.
- Mail out to approximately 5000 ratepayers.
- Councils website.
- At all Council’s branch libraries.
- Council’s customer service centre, and
- In the shopping centre itself.
More than 86% of submissions to the exhibition were wholly in favour of the plans, 9% gave conditional support making some suggestions for improvements and 5% of submissions were either negative or unclear.
Nineteen members of the community spoke at the Council meeting, which considered the draft plans, with sixteen supporting the plans and three against. The plans were adopted and the LEP forwarded to the Minister for Planning. The LEP was gazetted in May 2006.
|
|
|
|
The Ryde community demonstrates its support for the Top Ryde Shopping Centre redevelopment at the Council meeting to consider the DA.
|
Ryde Councilors consider the independent assessor’s and IHAP reports.
| |
| |
| Implementation of the Top Ryde planning controls |
|
Top Ryde Shopping Centre Development Application |
| |
|
The Top Ryde Shopping Centre development application (DA) was for the $1.2Billion redevelopment of the shopping centre. It is a development which will act as a catalyst for the reinvigoration of the whole Ryde Town Centre, attracting new investment, creating up to 3,500 direct new jobs, entertainment and recreation opportunities and new community facilities including a library, childcare and a shop-front face for Council’s Customer Service Centre. The DA was lodged with Council in November 2006 and sought approval for mixed use development to be carried out in stages.
The application was for a mixed use development including retail, commercial, entertainment, church and community facilities, with associated car parking, pedestrian and vehicular access, public domain improvement and road works. |
|
The redevelopment of the shopping centre incorporated:
Two lower ground retail levels.
Two levels above ground for retail, cinemas, community and other recreational uses including:
• Restaurants and cafes with “open” dining experience
• Cinemas, gym, And entertainment
• Church (auditorium with seating for more than 1000)
• Child care centre
• Modern fresh food, fashion and general merchandise stores
• Major brand supermarkets
• Discount department stores
• Outdoor plaza for community events
• 2700m2 City of Ryde Centre for community uses and
• Car-parking levels servicing the retail centre for 3025 cars |
| |
|
And, in accordance with the Ryde Town Centre Integrated Transport Solution and Public Domain Plans, the following:
- Road works and vehicular access ramps taking cars under Devlin Street and directly into the basement car-parking (rather than through residential streets)
- Two covered pedestrian bridges over Devlin Street linking to the Civic Centre.
- Streetscape improvements including granite paved footpaths, trees and street furniture.
|
|
Council carried out an extensive community consultation exercise regarding redevelopment of the shopping centre. As for the exhibition of the draft planning controls information was again distributed through the local media, libraries, internet, by mail out and at Council offices where an architectural model and fly-though were displayed.
More information regarding the development application may be found by visiting Councils website:
|
 |
| |
| Top Ryde Shopping Centre Redevelopment |
| |
|
The Top Ryde Shopping Centre development application tested the ability of the newly gazetted planning controls to deliver Council’s vision.
Because of the involvement of Council as landowner for some of the development land (to be utilised for vehicular access ramps), the Top Ryde Shopping Centre development application assessment was subject to significant scrutiny and the assessment undertaken on behalf of Council by an independent assessment team comprising:
- Urban design and planning - Architectus
- Economic impact - Hill PDA
- Access – Traffix
- Heritage – Graham Brooks and Associates
- Civil Engineering, Servicing and Stormwater - Patterson Britton and Partners
- Landscape and public domain - Context
The independent assessment team produced a report that was several centimetres thick and which may be found in full on Council’s website:
http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/development/planning_exhibition/report2.htm
This report was considered by an Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel (IHAP) whose role was to provide expert advice to Council as the Consent Authority on the veracity of the assessment process and reports. The community was invited to make presentations to the Panel which drew representation from a diverse range of disciplines including:
- Mary-Lynne Taylor (Chair) – Lawyer
- Dr Ian Garrard – Environmental issues
- Brett Newbold – Urban planning issues
The IHAP report is available at
http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.auhttp://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/WEB/SITE/RESOURCES/DOCUMENTS/Planning/TopRyde/ihap_report.pdf
Consent was granted to the proposal May 2007.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Top Ryde Shopping Centre Voluntary Planning Agreement |
| |
|
The developers of the Top Ryde Shopping Centre offered a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) together with the DA. The Planning Agreement offered to dedicate a land stratum free of cost to the Council, to pay monetary contributions to the Council and to provide other public benefits including the construction of a library.
The planning agreement excluded the application of developer contributions which amounted to $7.3M approx. Under the agreement Council also waived specified construction related fees for a limited timeframe capped in the amount of $2.3M.
The VPA public benefits include:
- The design, construction and commissioning of the City Of Ryde Centre with an anticipated delivery date to Council of 30 June 2010 in the estimated amount of $8,350,000 (exclusive of GST). Ryde Local Environmental Plan No 143—Ryde Town Centre (LEP 143) requires that the comprehensive development of the Top Ryde Shopping Centre must include 2700m˛ nett usable floor area for community related uses. The VPA offer provides for the base fit-out and handover of this space as a public library, customer service centre and related civic and office uses.
- The dedication of a stratum lot that includes the City Of Ryde Centre (approx 2700m˛ nett) to Council.
- $100,000 contribution towards the relocation of a Cenotaph from its current position in the centre of a traffic roundabout affected by the proposed development, to a prominent site in Ryde Park better suited to contemplation and memorial. The contribution will be used by Council to commission a new cenotaph in consultation with local Returned Service organisations. $5,000 of this contribution sum is to be paid as an advance payment to Council to assist with up-front consultant costs.
- $250,000 contribution towards the redevelopment of Ryde Park; a significant heritage, recreation and green space for Ryde Town Centre and beyond. The leisure focused redevelopment of the park will be carried out in stages consistent with the Ryde Park Master Plan.
- Public Domain Enhancements in the estimated amount of $1,620,000 (exclusive of GST) to the eastern side of Tucker Street, northern side of Pope Street and southern side of Blaxland Road in accordance with the Ryde Town Centre Public Domain Plan, 2006. These public domain spaces are on the opposite sides of the streets from the shopping centre and must be finished to the standard detailed in the Ryde Town Centre Public Domain Plan. The public domain spaces immediately adjoining the shopping centre will also be improved in accordance with the Ryde Town Centre Public Domain Plan.
- A licence to use the Plaza Licence Area shown on the plan in schedule 9 of the proposed Planning Agreement for up to 20 Community events per year.
|
| Community Benefits of the Planning Agreement |
| |
The benefits under the proposed Planning Agreement are valued at $10,320,000. This exceeds the total estimated section.94 Contributions and Construction Related Fees Obligations that would otherwise be payable by the Developer to Council by $607,964. (Refer to the table below which compare the Public Benefits of the proposed Planning Agreement with Developer’s s.94 Contributions and Construction Related Fees Obligations.)
|
| Table 1 - Summary of proposed Planning Agreement Offer |
| DESCRIPTION |
VALUE |
|
Total Offer by Developer – Public Benefits (see Table 2 of attachment A)
|
$10,320,000 |
|
Total s.94 Contributions & Construction Related Fees that would be forgone by Council (see Table 3 of attachment A) |
$9,712,036 |
|
OFFER IN EXCESS OF s.94 CONTRIBUTIONS AND CONSTRUCTION RELATED FEES |
$607,964 |
|
|
The above mentioned values exclude:
- The value of the asset (City Of Ryde Centre) that will be dedicated as a stratum lot to Council.
- Design and industry costs, fees and charges which are at the Developer’s risk and may be incurred in the construction of the City Of Ryde Centre.
- The licence agreement for the use by Council of the Plaza Licence Area.
Consequently the monetary value of the net public benefit that would be achieved under the proposed Planning Agreement exceeds $607,964.
|
| Ryde Town Centre Public Domain Improvements |
| |
|
City of Ryde Council and the RTA are working in partnership to deliver streetscape improvements in Blaxland Road – Ryde Town Centre’s main street. Works have commenced and include installation of new Smartpole street lighting, granite paving, landscaping and public art.
The cenotaph is to be relocated to a new position on Blaxland Road suited to quiet contemplation and the ceremonial activities held annually on Remembrance Day.
Four local RSL organisations have been consulted and support both the location and the artwork.
|
