Catholic Uni told ‘you’re not telling the truth’

Sat 18 Feb: When the wealthy and mighty come together at a Strathfield Town Hall meeting on a Saturday you know that something is up.

A $55 million development being proposed on the five hectare Australian Catholic University site, situated in Strathfield’s residential “golden mile” on Barker Road at Strathfield, that would include four storey buildings over fifteen metres high, underground parking and potentially an unlimited increase in students numbers has brought Strathfield neighbours together.  And they are not happy.

Residents who live around the ACU and St Patrick’s College are assembling their collective expertise, know-how and connections to fight the ACU proposal and met at Strathfield Town Hall for a ‘self-help’ information session.

The meeting, attended by Strathfield MP Charles Casuscelli but not by any of the invited Strathfield councillors, were told by speakers who live on Barker Road that an ACU flyer letter-box drop to only 220 near-by residents was ‘misguided’ and urged residents to act.

ACU exceeding student numbers

The ACU website states that, “The Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary) hosts more than 3,600 students, including more than 100 international students.” According to its handbook, there are 4043 students enrolled.

Residents heard that the ACU currently has a 1994 Land and Environment Court consent for 510 students per day on campus at any one time and 270 at night. “The numbers [of students] attending at any one time has risen to 2,200. How has a 400% increase been allowed to continue?” Barker Road resident Tony Pistolese asked the meeting.

“The  RTA recommendation says that no more than 10,000 vehicles per day should be on Barker Road, yet the ACU Traffic Report for the proposal exceeds this number. Additionally the ACU wants an underground car park entrance from South street with three lanes travelling west and one east. Imagine 440 cars going in and out of another underground car park, with no lights, from Wilson Street. Plus there would be a staff only access to underground parking from Edgar Street for thirty teachers for St Patrick’s College.”

“The traffic study is imperfect and needs to be done independently with a proper assessment. You smell a rat when you study their plans and see Gate 4 listed as Gate 3 on their own plans.”

“Not fair ACU – you’re not telling the truth. We the residents have voices. You have mislead us,” Mr Pistolese said.

Development under old Part 3A

Strathfield Council is not the determining authority for the ACU development and under a convenient twist, the proposal is one of only ten NSW projects that is still subject to the now repealed Part 3A determination process.

Acting Executive Director for Major Projects NSW Planning, Heather Watson has said that the ACU development will be considered under Part 3A because, “this proposal is at an advanced stage in the assessment process.”

Twenty-five submissions are believed to already have been sent NSW Planning Minister, Brad Hazzard, which Strathfield MP Charles Casuscelli said is the required number to open up the possibility of appointing a panel in a public forum.

Mr Casuscelli met with representatives of the ACU late last year and found that some of their answers to his questions “were inadequate”.

“I asked my staff to find out how many residents will be affected in the immediate area. I was told  2,700,” Mr Casuscelli said. “I have looked at four main issues; local amenity, safety, traffic and parking and I’ve found the [ACU] Traffic Study to be inadequate. I’ve also contacted the Minister [for Planning] to ask for a two week extension of the public exhibition.”

“I do not support the proposal as it currently stands,” he stated. “If there are more and more meetings, I promise that I or a member of my staff will be there.”

One resident called for a three-month extension of the exhibition period, saying that the legalities of the development should be properly explored. Barker Road resident and CEO of the Australian Shareholders’ Association, Vas Kolesnikoff said that the situation was “an indictment on the council for letting this go on for so long. It is an indictment on the O’Farrell state government if he lets this happen. This is becoming a government problem and is fundamentally wrong.”

Strathfield Council Mayor Paul Barron and council officers acknowledged in a meeting with concerned residents late last week that the Australian Catholic University have been operating beyond the limits of its Land and Environment planning consent for many years and have agreed in principle to pursue the matter.

“Having reviewed the proposal, I too share the concerns of the residents and committed to Council’s continued support for the residents in the matter.”

This will be small comfort to Edgar Street resident Therese Le Strange, who has been vocal at Strathfield Council meetings since 2007 regarding the increasing traffic surrounding St Patrick’s College  and particularly in 2009 when she tried to bring the growing ACU student enrolments to the attention of the council. No-one wanted to hear her concerns then, they may now.

Submissions on the project must reach the NSW Department of Planning by close of business on Wednesday 29 February, 2012. Submissions must state the application number MP10_0231 and can be emailed to plan_comment@planning.nsw.gov.au  faxed to 9228 6455 or posted to Major Projects Assessment, Department of Planning and Infrastructure, GPO Box 39, Sydney NSW, 2001.

The full development proposal can be seen at Strathfield Council or viewed on line.