Moved by Councillor Ellsmore, seconded by
Councillor Scott –
It is resolved that:
(A) Council note:
(i)
the
Franklyn Street complex is located between Franklyn, Glebe and Bay Streets in the
inner Sydney suburb of Glebe. It is over 1.3 hectares in area and is situated
within the Mountain Street Heritage Conservation Area. The collection of
mid-rise flats includes common gardens and multi-room apartments. It is home to
approximately 100 public housing tenants;
(ii)
the NSW
Government has announced its intention to demolish Franklyn Street, and replace
the existing public housing with 70 per cent private housing and 30 per cent
social housing (also known as the ‘Communities Plus’ model). Tenants, public
housing advocates and the Glebe community have been working to protect the
housing, the public land and the community that lives there;
(iii)
on 22
February 2023, public housing tenants and community resident action group Hands
off Glebe - with the support of The Glebe Society - launched the ‘Franklyn
Report’ at Sydney Town Hall;
(iv) the Franklyn Report rejects the NSW
Government’s demolition and redevelopment plan, calling instead for
maintenance, renovation and reuse of the solid brick flats on the site;
(v) the NSW State Government has imposed a
funding restraint on the body that manages public housing homes – Land and
Housing Corporation (LAHC) – whereby it is required to raise funds to maintain
or build new public housing by privatising or redeveloping public housing
sites. This is purported to be the main reason behind redeveloping public
housing estates like Franklyn Street;
(vi) the report outlines how the NSW Government’s
proposal for the site would result in adverse outcomes for the community, the
environment, heritage and the government’s own stated policy aim of increasing
public housing. Similar to other Communities Plus projects across NSW, the
Franklyn Street redevelopment would actually reduce the number of public
housing places by reducing the total number of bedrooms;
(vii)
this
report outlines that the NSW Government’s plans involve:
(a)
the eviction and forced relocation of long-term residents who have lived
in the complex for many years;
(b)
an unacceptably high cost of taxpayers’ money;
(c)
the privatisation of public land;
(d)
the demolition of sound and attractive public housing; and
(e)
few new homes and reduced bedrooms, which would not address the waiting
list for public housing which is currently more than 10 years in Glebe; and
(viii)
to
effectively address the chronic housing affordability challenges across the
City of Sydney and NSW, all levels of government need to address the provision
of housing as critical infrastructure; accompanied by policies that adequately
resource and fund its provision to ensure everyone has a safe, secure and
affordable home;
(B)
Council
congratulate Hands off Glebe and the Glebe Society for publishing the Franklyn
Report, highlighting the inequalities of current government policy, and
facilitating a platform for public housing tenants to have a voice; and
(C)
Council recognise the courage, endurance and
strong social bonds of public housing residents residing in the Franklyn Street
public housing complex.
Carried unanimously.
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