Homepage Latest News Archives

NIDA Raises Concerns Over UNSW’s Proposed Expansion in Kensington

The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Kensington has expressed concerns regarding the University of New South Wales (UNSW) expansion plans. The proposed development would add 881 new student rooms opposite NIDA’s main entrance.

Read: New SkyParks in Kensington to Enhance UNSW Learning Spaces

NIDA CEO Liz Hughes has stated that the development could significantly impact the institute’s operations. The organisation estimates that associated costs could represent more than a third of its annual budget and potentially affect the use of several teaching spaces.

The project’s origins trace back to May 2023, when UNSW submitted a Development Application for the redevelopment of its Western Car Park on Anzac Parade.

The initial proposal for 1,066 rooms across five buildings, with structures up to 23 storeys tall, has since been revised. Following input from Randwick Council and the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel, the current plan includes 881 rooms, with the tallest buildings reduced to 16 storeys.

NIDA reports that UNSW is set to lease the adjacent car park site to property developer Iglu for 99 years, in a deal reportedly worth $168 million. The proposed development on this site is expected to include not only student accommodation, but also commercial and retail spaces.

Ms Hughes has requested that the panel defer its decision and refer the application to NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully for additional review. She cited potential implications for NIDA’s future operations as the reason for this request.

NIDA’s concerns include the loss of nearby drop-off zones for visitors and limited parking during the estimated 3-5 year construction period. The institute also anticipates that construction activities could impact the use of teaching theatres, music studios, and sound studios, including spaces used by Master of Fine Arts students.

Several NIDA alumni, including actors Richard Roxburgh, Heather Mitchell, Sigrid Thornton, and Rob Collins, have voiced support for the institute’s position.

Read: Locals Worry About ‘Overpopulation’ With Regard To Proposed Housing In Kensington North

While recognising the demand for student housing, Ms Hughes stated that the development should not impede NIDA’s ability to operate. The institute serves its students and staff, as well as approximately 100,000 community members who visit annually.

The Sydney Eastern Planning Panel is now tasked with considering the various aspects of this development proposal in Kensington.

Published 24-September-2024

Kensington Set for Major Overhaul with $21.6 Million Dual-Tower Development

Developers are set to transform a quaint street in Kensington by demolishing three single-storey homes to make way for a $21.6 million high-rise apartment complex near a major transport hub.

Town planner Planning Ingenuity has unveiled plans for a new residential complex at 6-10 Bowral St, Kensington, which includes two high-rise towers of 10 and eight storeys. The development site, strategically positioned less than 300 metres from the Kensington Light Rail stop, benefits from its proximity to the University of NSW, Centennial Parklands, and Moore Park.

6 to 10 Bowral St Kensington — *Photo Credit: DA 208/2024*

The proposed development, DA 208/2024, would bring 34 new apartments to the area, comprising a mix of one to four-bedroom layouts. Ground Ink architects, involved in the project, have highlighted the site’s prime location for significant development due to the recent introduction of the light rail corridor.

Bowral St Kensington — *Photo Credit: DA 208/2024*

Context of the Development

This development initiative follows a series of major projects in Kensington and its surrounding suburbs.

Notably, last year, the Randwick Council approved a $52-million student housing project along Anzac Parade while construction commenced on TOGA’s $180-million mixed-use residential hub in the same suburb. These projects follow a controversial proposal by billionaire developer Harry Triguboff that faced community pushback in Zetland.

A previous proposal for a nine-storey building on the same site was rejected by the Land and Environmental Court in 2022, primarily due to concerns over the building’s height exceeding local limits by nearly 10 metres.

The current proposal, which suggests eight and ten storeys structures, aims to replace three Federation-style homes, which, while not heritage-listed, are part of a community with several protected buildings.

A heritage impact statement has been issued, noting potential conflicts between the new development’s scale and the surrounding area’s historical character.

Potential Impact and Benefits

The developers argue that the new towers would increase housing stock and offer substantial social benefits by providing diverse housing options close to essential services and public transport.

The project includes plans for 50 car parking spaces and a commercial site, enhancing the area’s accessibility and economic activity.

Approval of this project could significantly alter Kensington’s landscape and social fabric, marking another step in the suburb’s ongoing transformation driven by urban development and infrastructure enhancements.

Published 25-June-2024

Anson Group Receives Approval for 197-Unit Residential Development in Kensington

Anson Group has been approved for a significant residential development project in Kensington, marking a milestone in the company’s expansion efforts. The green light comes after a rigorous 16-month development application process for the proposed 197-apartment residential shoptop.

The project site, located at 77 to 103 Anzac Parade and 59A to 71 Boronia Street in Kensington, underwent scrutiny before receiving the go-ahead.

Anson Group lodged DA/395/2022 in August 2022 and received approval in March 2024.

According to the NSW Department of Planning, the average assessment timeframes for multi-unit residential developments in 2022-23 was 182 days, indicating a thorough approval process.

Anson Group, a real estate company with over 15 years of experience in Sydney, has strategically combined 14 lots to create a massive 6296-square-meter site in the City of Randwick. With a projected budget of $104 million, the development project aims to rejuvenate the area by constructing four buildings of varying heights, ranging from four to nine stories.

Anson Group Kensington — Photo Credit: DA/395/2022

According to BCI Central, their new development will include a variety of apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms. Buildings C and D will have nine storeys each and will be located along Anzac Parade, while the Boronia Street buildings will be four storeys high.

The buildings will be interconnected and have an upper-level infill built form. Additionally, there will be 245 parking spaces available across a two-level basement.

The architectural blueprint, designed by BVN, includes provisions for a thoroughfare link that runs east to west. This will improve accessibility and connectivity within the neighbourhood. Additionally, in a nod to community welfare, Anson Group has designated six units within the development as affordable housing, reflecting their commitment to inclusive urban development.

The site where the project is planned currently contains two-story commercial and retail spaces, as well as empty and outdated buildings. Anson Group aims to transform the area, which is expected to boost the economy, create job opportunities, and address the retail demands of the community. The upcoming development is projected to include a much-needed supermarket.

The development is taking place in Kensington Town Centre, and it is currently undergoing planning reviews to determine the best building heights and densities. The goal is to improve the infrastructure and promote commercial expansion.

Anson Group’s winning bid for the Kensington project highlights their strategic vision and dedication to enhancing Sydney’s urban landscape while meeting the changing needs of its residents.

Published 5-March-2024

Experience Cuisine Launches Unique Food Tours in Kensington

Experience Cuisine has launched an innovative culinary expedition in Kensington and has offered exclusive tours to explore Australia’s lesser-known food and wine destinations.

This initiative welcomes food and wine enthusiasts, travellers, and holidaymakers to a gastronomic journey, showcasing Australia’s vibrant food culture and diverse flavours beyond the typical tourist spots. These curated tours provide an immersive experience in local culinary traditions, from bustling food markets to picturesque vineyards and top-notch restaurants, promising to create lasting memories.

The tours organised by Experience Cuisine are not limited to food tasting as they are comprehensive journeys through Australia’s diverse culinary landscape, from its bustling urban eateries to the serene vineyards and farms in the countryside. These tours are designed to cater to a range of tastes and preferences, offering an authentic experience of local flavours and traditions.

Experience Cuisine Kensington — Photo Credit: Unsplash

Participants get to interact with local chefs, visit farmers’ markets, and learn about sustainable food practices, all while enjoying a variety of dishes that showcase Australia’s rich culinary heritage. This initiative not only provides a delightful experience for food lovers but also supports local communities and businesses

For more information on this gastronomic adventure visit the official site.

New Housing Project in North Kensington Blocked

North Kensington may be spared from a plan to introduce a new housing project following some objections from the local community.

With an average median house price of $3.4 million, North Kensington has been a target for affordable housing initiatives. However, amidst objections from Randwick Council, the scope of the housing strategy will be limited to West Randwick instead.

The NSW Planning Department proposed reinstating North Kensington and a portion of West Randwick as affordable housing investigation areas as part of a comprehensive planning proposal. Council officers informed the councillors about the department’s consideration, recommending an amendment to the Housing Investigation Area Affordable Housing Plan to include these areas, but only if the department reinstates them.

North Kensington Housing NSW — Photo Credit: NSW Planning Department

The decision to prevent increased affordable housing in North Kensington comes as the NSW Planning Department expressed concerns over Council’s push for developers to contribute 10 per cent toward affordable housing in local investigation areas.

In a letter to the Council, a representative from the Planning Department stated that the viability of this increased contribution rate “has not been tested.”

The planning representative also pointed out that the Council’s feasibility analysis had shown that even lower contribution rates of 5 to 7 per cent would not be viable.

A construction executive, George Sassine from CIMIC Group, also criticized the push, stating that it was no longer feasible to continue building houses. Mr Sassine highlighted the construction industry’s struggles with unprecedented inflation, which had led to bankruptcies. CoreLogic Australia’s construction cost index had risen by 12 per cent over the past year, with a similar increase in the previous year.

Whilst acknowledging the need for affordable housing, Sassine expressed frustration and argued for a greater focus on overall housing construction to meet the needs of the wider community. In response, the councillors voted to reduce the contribution rate to three to five per cent in major affordable housing zones.

Published 7-June-2023

UNSW Scientists’ Discovery Has Potential To Revolutionise Embryo Development Models

Scientists from UNSW Sydney have started an experiment at the Kensington lab that aims to mimic a key step in animal and human embryo development and may eventually lead to a new approach to enable this to happen outside of the body.

Read: New SkyParks in Kensington to Enhance UNSW Learning Spaces

The process, called gastrulation, occurs at Day 14 for an embryo developing in the womb, but scientists at the UNSW Sydney showed it can be done much earlier than how it occurs naturally.

The experiment, led by Scientia Associate Professor Kris Kilian, involves a gastrulation-like event that was triggered within two days of culturing human stem cells in a unique biomaterial that, as it turned out, set the conditions to mimic this stage of embryo development.

Gastrulation, as Associate Prof Kilian describes it, is the key step that leads to the human body plan.

When a human being starts to form, a mass of undifferentiated cells begin the first steps of a long journey in the womb.

“It is the start of the process where a simple sheet of cells transforms to make up all the tissues of the body – nerves, cardiovascular and blood tissue and structural tissue like muscle and bone. But we haven’t really been able to study the process in humans because you can’t study this in the lab without taking developing embryonic tissue,” Associate Prof Kilian said.

Associate Prof Kilian said that it’s really exciting that they were able to see this happening in vitro.

“Our method could lead to a new approach to mimic human embryogenesis outside of a person.”
Associate Professor Kris Kilian, UNSW Sydney

Read: Expert in UNSW Kensington Sees Promising Future for Flying Cars

Scientists from UNSW Sydney, using a technique adapted from the semiconductor industry, defined regions that are fabricated across a hydrogel for cells to stick to.

The researchers from the Sydney school are hopeful they can continue exploring the benefits of their discovery by understanding how materials can guide embryogenesis and beyond. Although the finding is exciting, Associate Prof Kilian still believes more work is needed to guide the gastrulation-like processes to form useful tissues.

Sydney Airport Lands on Most Stressful Airports List

Photo credit: Sydney Airport / syndeyairport.com.au

Did you know that a recent study has named Sydney Airport as among the most stressful airports in the Asia and Oceania region?

Four Australian cities, in fact, were included in the top 10 list in the rest of Asia and the Oceania Region with Sydney landing on the second spot following Tan Son Nhat International in Vietnam. The Philippines’ Ninoy Aquino International ranked third followed by Melbourne and Perth whilst Brisbane rounded out the top ten.

Extreme delays were noted as among the reasons why 59 per cent of Google Reviews for Sydney Airport indicate stress. The study also cited data from FlightAware compiled by CNN Travel which showed that 34.2 per cent of flights scheduled between 26 May and 19 July 2022 at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport were delayed.

Other reviews mentioned poor signage, surcharge for public transport to and from the airport, added airport taxes, and the airport curfew.

The study was conducted by Holiday rental company Hawaiian Islands which aimed to determine the most stressful airports in America and the world. The group analysed more than 1,500 Google reviews for over 500 airports across the globe and based the ranking on the percentage of reviews that indicate stress.

The top 10 most stressed airports in Southeast Asia and Oceania

Tan Son Nhat Intl, Vietnam – 60.13%
Sydney, Australia -58.98%
Ninoy Aquino Intl, Philippines – 57.81%
Melbourne, Australia – 55.40%
Perth, Australia – 55.30%
Beijing Capital Intl, China – 52.70%
Auckland, New Zealand – 51.35%
Bandaranaike Intl, Sri Lanka – 50.38%
Don Mueang Intl, Thailand – 50.27%
Brisbane, Australia – 48.53%

The distinction of being the most stressful airport in the world went to the UK’s Manchester Airport, with 82.5% of reviews indicating stress. Moreover, nine of the 10 most stressful airports overall were located in Europe, four of which are UK airports.

View the complete list here.

New SkyParks in Kensington to Enhance UNSW Learning Spaces

Photo Credit: UNSW

Did you know that the University of New South Wales (UNSW) could soon have SkyParks, a new urban garden that is expected to provide additional learning spaces and ‘living labs’ for research at its Kensington campus?

The project is expected to improve the balcony spaces of the UNSW SquareHouse building and will provide research opportunities on the impact of the cooling and greening of under-utilised areas. It will also pave the way for the development of adaptable, flexible, and energy-saving improvements in urban sites.

UNSW will also be setting up monitoring equipment to study the environmental conditions at the SkyParks to complement its research.

The plan is in line with the “Greening our City” initiative, which will be funded by the NSW Government. One of the goals of this project is to plant a million trees all over Sydney by the end of 2022.

Paula Masselos, the mayor of Waverley, calls the SkyParks the “living labs” that will help with the innovation of goals for a sustainable and climate-resilient Sydney. Waverley and Randwick Councils are also supporting the SkyParks initiative.

“[The garden] will also help us achieve our community target of net zero emission by 2035, as this cooling would hopefully mean less reliance on air conditioning,” Ms Masselos said.

The students and staff at UNSW look forward to discovering the positive outcome of the SkyParks.

“Through a series of pilot sites, we hope to identify the barriers, benefits, and ultimately best practice solutions to adapting our existing buildings, Although many of these forgotten spaces are currently under-utilised, they have the ability to create a more climate-resilient and socially equitable city,” said Alexander Georgouras from UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture.

Locals Worry About ‘Overpopulation’ With Regard To Proposed Housing In Kensington North

Locals are concerned about plans for a new housing precinct in North Kensington, which will also involve some changes in terms of the zoning, height and density rules in the area.

Read: Kensington House With No Bathroom, Kitchen & Power Sells for $4.7 Million

Based on planning documents, the new housing precinct would involve transitioning down to the proposed 7 and 5 storeys in the Housing Investigation Area (HIA) to the existing three and four storey walk-up apartments setback to either side of Anzac Parade, and to the lower scale one- and two-storey villas and semi-detached dwellings in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

The proposal is part of the Comprehensive Planning Proposal to amend Randwick City Council’s Local Environmental Plan (LEP).

As part of the LEP, Council is also considering rezoning 59A-71 Boronia Street and 77-103 Anzac Parade, Kensington (between Anzac Parade and Boronia Street).

“It is recommended that the optimum urban design outcome (building massing and height) for the Kensington North HIA, taking into consideration the existing and future surrounding built form context, is the proposed scenario with seven and five storey maximum height limits. Feasibility testing has demonstrated that this built form scenario is viable with a 5% Affordable Housing contribution,” the analysis report reads.

Locals’ concerns

housing randwick — Housing Investigation Area (Photo credit: Randwick City Council)

Some members of the community are against these proposed changes, with some locals citing ‘overpopulation; and ‘increasing densities without the appropriate infrastructure’ as their top concerns.

According to the Randwick Council, LEPs need to be amended periodically “to ensure they meet best planning practice and are strategically aligned with community values and the directions of state plans.”

Whilst Council is vocal against overdevelopment in the area, Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker explained that the local government had to keep up with the NSW Government’s target to have as much as 4,464 new dwellings in the next 6-10 years.

“To limit the impact of these housing targets, our draft LEP proposes additional housing in areas well located to public transport, jobs and shops,” Mayor Parker said.

Meanwhile, the Council also encourages locals to have their say on the project, on the public exhibition which will be held at the Kensington Park Community Centre from 31 May to 12 July 2022.

The new housing proposed for Kensington North will be one of the new precincts proposed by the Randwick Council, along with those proposed for West Randwick, Arthur Street, Magill Street, and Kingsford South.

For more information about Council’s Kensington North HIA, visit randwick.nsw.gov.au.

Expert in UNSW Kensington Sees Promising Future for Flying Cars

An aerospace design expert from UNSW Kensington School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering believes that flying cars, once a concept only seen in sci-fi movies, could soon be a reality that will help motorists travel without road congestion.

Dr Sonya Brown, a senior lecturer in Aerospace Design at UNSW Kensington, said that variants of hovering motor vehicles have been in emerging around the world as companies invest in research and development projects to fine-tune the technology and design so that flying cars would become “more versatile than traditional aircraft and helicopters.”

Engineers are working on prototype mash-ups of a drone and small aircraft. These vehicles should be able to fly above ground but below commercial airplanes and cover a distance of 250 kilometres in one ride.

“The underlying technology that’s so important with flying cars is the ability to both take off and land vertically and fly horizontally as well. This makes the mechanics much more complex than a helicopter which primarily has vertical propulsion,” Dr Brown said.

“And that’s why we’re calling them flying cars because they resemble the type of travel we would do with cars.”

Most prototypes are also designed with electrically powered rotors that operate with rechargeable batteries, which means flying cars will be sustainable green vehicles that won’t emit toxins to the environment. However, Dr Brown said engineers should also work on bringing the noise down to an acceptable level as there will be heaps of these vehicles above the sky.

“It’s important that we consider the impact the noise will have for people in their homes below.”

Dr Brown also sees a few bumps ahead before flying cars take off as regulations with traffic control use and flight paths have to be established to prevent accidents and collisions.

“If we take a closer look at some of the flying cars in development, they are flown by highly trained and qualified pilots. But if we want to make them more accessible, then we need to bring the licencing requirements down,” the expert said.

“It will be up to regulators and managing Government bodies around the world to work out what licensing category it fits into it – because currently there isn’t one.”