Great interest in plan for City of Sydney

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32677, 5 August 1971, Page 17

Great interest in plan for City of Sydney

(N.Z.P.A. Stafl Correspondent) SYDNEY, August 3. Despite a cost of $l5, Sydney’s new city plan is a runaway best seller. The brisk demand for the plan reflects tremendous public interest in the future development of the 5.2 sq. miles of the City of Sydney, which lies within sprawling metropolitan Sydney. Within 24 hours of its recent release, copies of the plan had run out and more were rushed into print. However, there were 800 names on the waiting list in less than a week, and many people have contented themselves with 50c summaries. Fostered by the Civic Reform Party which swept to power in Sydney Council elections late in 1969. the I city plan is the year-long work of 45 planners—architects, engineers, economists, sociologists, and council representatives. INTO NEXT CENTURY It is $155,000 blueprint to take Sydney into the next century and could revolutionise city development' throughout Australia. It gives guidelines for every facet of development in Sydney up to the year 2000 and visualises the city, now home to 70,000 people, as one of open spaces.

plazas. pedestrian malls, first-floor shopping galleries, open-air restaurants, and cafes. Pedestrian walkways will criss-cross the city and traffic is greatly reduced, with some streets entirely closed |to motor-vehicles. According to the Lord (Mayor of Sydney (Aiderman McDermott), the plan is the first of its kind in the world for a whole city. “The plan is not a map,” he said, “but a thesis or philosophy laying down lines of development :over the next 30 years. “It is not a rigidly fixed plan, but is flexible and can be amended at any time by a simple resolution in council." It would bring back life to the city, if adopted. "There is something in it for everybody.” he said. The plan recommends that the council be given power to specify what type of development will be allowed and where. FLOOR-RATIO SCHEME The plan has four major objects—management, accessibility, diversity, and environment each providing the heading for four policies under which are listed several "action priorities.” The whole report resembles a company’s organisational chart. In fact, observers say the city has decided its future with a systems management approach. , The key to the whole plan

Jis a floor-ratio scheme which controls the amount of renti able floor space allowed in a building according to the size of the land. The council would offer bonus ratios to developers in return for “genuine gifts” to the community, such as plazas, or terraces, contributions to parking trust funds, preservation of historic buildings, and so on. The council hopes to stimulate more retail, hotel, tourist ; parking, and pedestrian facilities through the bonus-ratio plan. I Also of great importance is a parking code which would concentrate on parking lots on the outskirts of the city, and abolish some i street parking. COUNCIL CONTROL Planning in Sydney in the last 20 years has been allowed i to slip awgy from the City Council into the hands of ; others. Now the council is firmly holding the reins (again, and other public i authorities have set common ■'guidelines. .1 This week, the City Council adopted the plan in principle. Detailed study of the ■| plan's recommendations will I j now begin