Darlinghurst Blog: Houses: 40A Caldwell Street Part Three

Remember the dunny-lane house? Back in February, Federal Court judge Dennis Cowdroy's company submitted a development application to build a house on this narrow, 2.6m wide dunny-lane off Caldwell Street:

Justice Cowdroy had purchased the 48sqm site for just $1 from a grazier, John Robison who had unknowingly inherited the title. The site - once used by dunny-men to collect residents's toilet-buckets - backs on to three Surrey Street homes and not surprisingly, those owners did not want a house wedged in their backyards. 

Well, on Monday night the City of Sydney council voted nine to one in opposition to the development, based on the loss of heritage, the floor to space ratio violation and ''bad design destroying amenity'', according to residents who attended the meeting. The council's Lord Mayor Clover Moore rightly summed it up by saying, ''this is basically a bad design trying to be shoe-horned into a very special part of Darlinghurst.''

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The End

Darlinghurst Blog: Detritus: News

After a big community push to save Fitzroy Gardens from the bulldozer's path, the City of Sydney Council caved into pressure, announcing at their meeting on Monday night that plans to demolish the gardens in Kings Cross were no longer on the agenda.
''Overwhelmingly our most recent feedback shows the local community is divided on what should happen,'' Mayor Clover Moore said in a press release yesterday.
''Half do not want any changes to the park, while the other half either support only minimal changes or all changes proposed in the 2010 draft concept plans.
''I'm a passionate believer in listening and working with local communities to get the best outcomes for an area.
''While support for the park's makeover was strong a year or two ago - it's clear that has now waned.
''I believe the best way forward is to preserve the park - to keep it just they way it is with only some vital heritage and maintenance work undertaken.''

I'm so happy that Ms Moore finally listened to what was actually the majority of residents, who were opposed to the $9 million redevelopment of the site. If you want to learn about the history of the site and the establishment of the gardens in 1971, visit my post here.
Later this year, the ''vital heritage and maintenance work'' will begin and will include restoration works on the El Alamein Fountain, improved seating and lighting, playground upgrades, painting of the Kings Cross police station and new shrubs and ''floral displays''.

Maybe the change from the $9 million can now go to helping the people in our community who are most in need, such as the men and women who frequent the Wayside Chapel, those who have become homeless and those suffering from mental illness. I don't normally preach like this, but $9 million seemed like such a waste to spend on a redevelopment that would have not only destroyed a part of the area's history, but was not wanted or needed by the majority of the community.

In other City of Sydney council related news . . . a new, amended development application for the dunny-lane house in Caldwell Street has been submitted to the council. The height of the building has been reduced to two stories plus attic and there are some other minor design revisions, which can be viewed at the council's website here.

There has been quite a bit of opposition to the proposed dunny-lane development at 40A Caldwell Street and if you are new to this story, you can read the background on my blog here. Most of the opposition comes from the owners of three terrace houses on Surrey Street that back on to the tiny site, which was purchased by Federal Court Judge Dennis Cowdroy for just $1. Justice Cowdroy also owns the neighbouring Caldwell Street terrace at 40 Caldwell Street.
The story behind the $1 title transfer was covered by The Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald, and those opposed to the plans have pasted-up tear sheets from the newspapers to a wall near the proposed site.

The protesters also hung this large banner (below) across one side of a terrace house, which prompted the City of Sydney council to threaten legal action against the owner of the terrace for not submitting a development application for the banner. What nonsense.

Also nonsensical is the fact that there are only two days left to respond to the new, amended development application. This short response period also makes me rather suspicious of the council's motives, as I had no idea there was even a new DA until late last week, and I am rather nosy about these kinds of things.
Last time around, 59 people wrote to the council stating their opposition to the plans. Some of that group have also set up a blog where you can read the latest developments of the proposed development.

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www.onedollardunnylane.blogspot.com

Darlinghurst: Houses: 40A Caldwell Street Part Two

You may recall how I wrote last month about the proposed dunny lane development in Caldwell Street, whereby a Federal Court Judge has submitted an application to the City of Sydney council to build a house on a tiny 48sqm Darlinghurst block. 

If not, you can read the blog post here.

The development application angered residents of Caldwell Street and nearby Surrey Street, especially the owners of three houses whose properties back on to the proposed four-storey house site. 

Their opposition to the development - and the judge's canny purchase of the land for a token $1 - attracted much attention in the mainstream press, with articles in The Australian newspaper and The Sydney Morning Herald. 

The exhibition period for the development was initially to end on March 3, but the council extended the deadline to March 25. The council received 60 submissions during that period and of those 59 were opposed to the development. There was just one single submission in support. 

According to the council, submissions included residents' concerns about loss of access to properties via the rear laneway and impacts on surrounding residential amenity, including reduced privacy, overshadowing and water run-off.

Submitters also raised concerns about impacts on the heritage value of the dunny laneway and Beare's Stairs (below) as well as inconvenience during the proposed construction period.

City planners will now review all the submissions and present them to the Planning and Development Committee for consideration, which is expected to happen next month.

It will be interesting to see what the committee decides. 

Darlinghurst: Houses: 40A Caldwell Street

I received a message last week from a Darlinghurst resident and reader who was concerned about the ''nasty development planned for the little lane with the beautiful historic sandstone wall that runs behind the terraces at the bottom of Beare's Stairs.'' 

I had seen the development application for 40A Caldwell Street, but had no idea where that address was and assumed it was a development planned for a site with an existing house. I knew nothing about a laneway or an historic sandstone wall, so set out to investigate.

Even if you walk along Surrey Street or use Beare's Stairs regularly, you may never have noticed a large wooden gate tucked away in the eastern corner of this Caldwell Street laneway. I certainly hadn't noticed it. But here it is:

Behind the wooden gate is a landscaped area that backs on to three Surrey Street terraces. It was difficult to see the landscaping, even when I looked over the gate, and under it:

This is the laneway, which was once a ''dunny lane'' that the reader mentioned and you can see the sandstone foundation wall on the right side of the right photograph. The area is about 2.6m wide and runs the length of three terraces at 79, 77 and 75 Surrey Street and has kind of been requisitioned by them to add an extra third of space to their back gardens. So the laneway is actually a private garden now and it is very difficult for anyone who doesn't live in these three terraces (below) to appreciate the sandstone foundation wall. 

The land - just 48m2 of it - is actually a separate Torrens title that dates back to the original 1800s subdivision of this area, now known as the Barcom Conservation Area. Perhaps because of its small size and obscure location, it was never developed. But now, the owners of 40 Caldwell Street (the blue terrace below right) have bought the title and want to develop the space. 

The terrace at 40 Caldwell Street is owned by a company called Specialist Advocates, whose sole directors are Federal Court judge Dennis Cowdroy and his wife, Jennifer. Specialist Advocates purchased the title for 40A Caldwell Street in November last year for a token $1 from grazier John Robison, who had inherited the title. 

There was a well-researched story in Tuesday's The Australian newspaper by Jodie Minus, which details the history of how the grazier came to have the title, which you can read here.

On February 2 architect Stafford Watts submitted a development application to the City of Sydney  council to build a $200,000 four-storey house with three bedrooms for the little site. The house will literally be wedged in to the site, right up against 40 Caldwell Street, which will act as a support wall:

If you look in the above illustration, you can also see how the front of the house will have a 4m high   ''sparrow-pecked'' sandstone ''plinth . . . to complement the sandstone base of No 40 Caldwell Street and provide a suitable backdrop to Beare's Stairs,'' according to the Statement of Environmental Effects submitted to the council. 

By law, there are also no windows on the side facing the backyards of 75, 77 and 79 Surrey Street, so their privacy isn't an issue. The only issue for those three terraces is sunlight and shadow, which is minutely detailed in the SOEE - but I won't bore you with that. And, of course, the loss of some of their garden.

I understand the reader's concerns about the disappearance of the historic sandstone foundation wall, but I frankly did not know about it anyway; it is only accessible and visible to the residents of those three Surrey Street terraces; and finally, there are loads of historic sandstone walls and foundations around Darlinghurst and I doubt the suburb will suffer for the loss of this one. 

Having said that, I really don't think the development application will be approved by the council because it is just seems far too daring and a little bit crazy to want to build a house on this tiny block. Access to the site for builders and scaffolding is also likely to be a major issue and just imagine if a bulldozer or grader or whatever accidentally bumped in to Beare's Stairs and damaged them. The spot would hardly get any sun and would just be a mosquito infested swamp. 

I also think it is a good idea to keep these heritage dunny-lanes as they are a rather peculiar relic of the past. What do you think? 

Interestingly, Mr Robison the grazier also inherited ''dunny lanes'' at 8A Nimrod Street (above left) and 24A Nimrod Street (above right, reclaimed by property owners years ago), which he has so far left unclaimed. 

The Griffin Theatre Company has applied to the NSW Land and Property Management Authority for possession of the title at 8A. The title apparently runs all the way along the backs of houses on Craigend and Caldwell streets, right past the theatre to the kerb. The theatre want the title so they can use the wide footpath area (below - apologies for the grainy night pic) for an alfresco day cafe and night bar. They will add another entrance to the theatre in the wall on the right.

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To view the development application for 40A Caldwell Street, Darlinghurst, visit the council's site here.

The exhibition period closes on Thursday March 3. 

UPDATE: The exhibition period has been extended to March 25.

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While on the topic of heritage, the submission period for the council's proposed redevelopment of Fitzroy Gardens was extended until February 25 - that's tomorrow! Be quick! 

Visit the Save Fitzroy Gardens website, which has an easy one-click-wonder-way to lodge your submission. 

Darlinghurst: Plant Life: Caldwell Street Garden

I wish I knew the name for this little patch of green. There are no visible signs to indicate what it's called so I have simply come to know it as the Caldwell Street Garden. 

It is places like this that make living in the inner-city bearable on those days when you need to relax your eyes with green, pat the leaves and rest your feet in the grass. 

I have had quite a few of those days recently.

The garden isn't much really, just a tiny triangle of trees and shrubs on the corner of Caldwell and Nimrod streets. But I am so glad it is there.

I remember being told a story once about how developers in the 1980s had eyed the garden off as a potential site for a building. What a waste of good space, they must have thought. Fortunately, others thought differently and there was a small and successful campaign to save what was known as the ''Convict Park''.
I don't know if that story is accurate, or if perhaps the person who told it to me was referring to the park on Surrey Street. If you happen to know, please contact me.

The garden is basically a small patch of grass with an eclectic mix of plants, two benches and two trees. 

If it is a hot day, I often make a little pit-stop here on the way home, to have a little rest and think. 

I recruited my horticulturalist friend Ruby Molteno, to come to the garden one day and identify the trees and plants for me. There is one pine type of tree in the street corner, which I forgot to ask her about. 

But the focal point of the garden is a Weeping Fig (Ficus Benjamina), pictured above, that has lots of berries hidden amongst the foliage.

The ground-cover (below) is called Tradescantia Zebrina and the ''upright, strappy succulent-like plant'' is some kind of Agave, according to Ruby. 

On one of the rocks surrounding a garden bed is this little plaque and dog tag, saying JOJO, surrounded by colourful bits of broken tiles and shells. The plaque reads:

"In memory of our good friend and neighbour, Michael Robertson, 1926-2007."

While walking home from the Caldwell Street Garden the other day, I noticed this paste-up on the wall of the Nimrod Theatre, which sums up my feelings after a moment among the trees perfectly:

Darlinghurst: Detritus: Christmas Below the Coke Sign

Christmas Lights Above the Coke Sign, Christmas Eve, 2010.

It's a Friday night and Christmas Eve in Darlinghurst and the neighbourhood is empty. Residents have flown from the city, suburbia has decided to give the suburb of sin a miss for the night, and tourists are low key. 

Parking spots? 

Hundreds of them.

Yet over the past couple of weeks, people have been celebrating Christmas in Darlinghurst with trees, wreaths and colourful lights - in laundromats, dress shops and private homes. I wandered through the back streets seeking out such decorations and here is a collection of photographs taken on my jaunts.

I'll be back on Monday, December 27, with a reader's ripper of a story set in 1960s Darlinghurst, so make sure you check in next week.

Have a safe and happy Christmas dear readers! 

Stars and Lights, Burton Street Laundromat, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, Caldwell Street, Darlinghurst.

Lights, Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst.

Bells, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

Red Christmas Tree, Forbes Street, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, Hardie Street, Darlinghurst.

Kingsgate Shopping Centre, Kings Cross

Merry Christmas, Blossom Gardens Nursery, Burton Street, Darlinghurst.

Plastic Santa, Blue Spinach, Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, Womerah Avenue, Darlinghurst.

Red Door and Wreath, Womerah Avenue, Darlinghurst.

White Door and Wreath, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

Star and Wreath, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

Blue Lights, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

 Wreath, Craigend Street, Darlinghurst.

Nativity Scene, Nimrod Street, Darlinghurst.

Tinsel-Covered Bus, Oxford Street, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, 22 Roslyn Gardens, Elizabeth Bay.

 Christmas Trees, 61 Roslyn Gardens, Elizabeth Bay.

 Miniature Christmas Tree, 46 Roslyn Gardens, Elizabeth Bay.

Lights on Frangipani Tree, 19 Roslyn Street, Elizabeth Bay

And my little tree branches!