A Short History of Thoughts About Height
Just two thoughts are provided in this short history.
As can be seen from yesterday’s post, The Gardener has his hands full dealing with The Wild One, and can spare little time for matters of state. But history is seductive so here is a short note about a little of it and concerning that vexed topic, urban design.
One thought is from 1900, and one is in 2010. Both thoughts involve the same person, Paul Keating, former Prime Minister and Treasurer.
In 1990, when Federal Treasurer, Paul Keating was empowered to control building design for projects funded from overseas. For such a project which planned to redevelop the Paddy’s Market site at Darling Harbour, Sydney, Mr Keating made the developer reduce the height from 36 stories to 26 levels. We know this because of a court case which says in part:
“After looking at plans presented to him by Mr Choy, Mr Keating said that after he had taken into account all the considerations his responsibilities demanded, he found the original Rockvale building to be unacceptable with its 36 storey tower. He said that in order to be more sympathetic with the surrounding environment the tower needed to be shorter, thus not overly intruding upon the skyline and neighbouring buildings. After looking at amended plans presented by Mr Choy there was some discussion between Mr Keating and Mr Choy on details of the plans which the First Respondent cannot now recall, as no notes were taken at the meeting. Mr Keating said that he saw merit in the amended plans. Mr Choy asked whether Rockvale could submit an amended proposal based on these plans. Mr Keating said that Rockvale would be entitled to submit an amended proposal based on the plans shown to him, and that the Foreign Investment Review Board would consider them and make a recommendation to the Government.”
Later in the court decision the Darling Harbour Authority, which also controlled development there was reported as having said about the amended plans sent to Mr Keating:
… ” Reduction of the commercial tower height by 10 floors, from 36 to 26 levels is acceptable. Redistribution of lost floor space in the remaining 26 tower floors and the podium level is supported in principle. “
[These quotes are from a court case, Re Yates Security Services Pty Limited v Honourable Paul Keating Mp; Rockvale Pty Limited; Valtone Pty Limited and the Registrar General of New South Wales [1990] FCA 432; 98 ALR 21 (2 November 1990)]
The Paddy’s Market site sits at the base of the Darling Harbour cove, about 800 metres from its southern shore.
Spin 20 years on to this year and Mr Keating, no longer in parliament, was chairman of the Barangaroo Delivery Authority’s design review committee. This time Mr Keating approved several buildings 60 floors or so high to be built on Darling Harbour waters or beside it. They dominant views and it will no longer be possible to see the harbour from a large swathe of the shore.
Access by foot for the citizens to these buildings may only be had from one side by land. Only limited uses found in the rest of the city, such as hotels or office blocks, are planned for these projects with some cafes and shops at ground level.
Mr Keating wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald last weekend in defence of his decision to approve these buildings which are about three times higher than the building he refused to approve in a much less prominent site in 1990:
“The historic and heritage stone line of Bridge Street means the city can go no further north. It therefore has only one place to go and that is west. And it can only turn west north of King Street and that is to and upon the old Patrick wharves along Hickson Road. But it must make the turn in a big and confident way; for without larger buildings and a critical mass of people it will die on the periphery as other similar sites in Australia have died.”
If there’s one part of Sydney which still has life at the street level for much of the day it’s Paddy’s Markets.
Why?
One contributor to the life is the ground level markets where several hundred small stallholders sell cheap fruit and veggies, as well as clothing and other stuff. We citizens can walk into the markets on all four sides of the building.
It’s not the bigness or the mass or the might of the project that makes this part of the city work; its the street level activity and diversity, including the affordable food folk may buy there; the markets are the belly of the city.
The stallholders, who initiated the series of court cases that saved the markets, were able to give the markets life to this day by having an Act of Parliament made which guaranteed the markets would have a minimum number and space allocated to the markets, thus:
“7. The Darling Harbour Authority shall ensure that the development of the Development Area will be carried out in such a manner as to enable not less than 85 per cent of the number of stalls existing at the Paddy’s Market site as at 25 January 1988 to be re-accommodated with minimal reduction in stall size, level with Hay Street throughout that site and with adequate vehicle access points as soon as practicable after the date of assent to this Act.”
Here endeth the short history of two thoughts.
Back to The Wild One,
May the street be with you.
