A proposal to develop the stretch of Anzac Parade from Kensington to Kingsford has been laid out more than two years ago via the Kensington to Kingsford (K2K) Planning Strategy. Recently, Mayor Kathy Neilson stated that the process is finally moving in the right direction.
Significant changes to the proposal were made after an initial public exhibition and community consultation in 2016. The Council also requested a Gateway Review of the proposal with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
The Department, on the other hand, sought the help of the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) regarding the Gateway Review. IPC made its recommendations which enabled the Department to amend its earlier Gateway Determination.
Currently, the Council is seeking to meet with the Department to clarify a few provisions and wording in the Gateway Determination. The target is to resolve this matter before the Council takes up a re-drafted K2K Planning Strategy with its concerned committees and the public in the coming months.
The Council submitted the K2K Planning Strategy after several developers also lodged proposals to develop high-rise buildings of up to 25 storeys in Kensington and Kingsford amid the construction of the new light rail transit system.
“Throughout 2016 Council has been developing a draft planning strategy for the area to provide a vision for the town centres of Kingsford and Kensington, control development and maximise public benefits,” the Council stated in its fact sheet regarding K2K.
“Because Council has started this process, we have successfully been able to defend the community against inappropriate development.”
Ultimately, the goal of the K2K Planning Strategy is to build the following public benefits to Kensington and Kingsford residents:
- 8 new plazas
- 200 affordable homes
- Larger public spaces and wider footpaths
- 15 pedestrian mid-block links
- Shared laneways
- Separate bicycle ways
- Underground power lines
- A multipurpose community centre
- New carparks or extension of existing carparks
Follow the developments and updates of the K2K Planning Strategy via the Randwick City Council website.
