Sirius building

It's a bit of shame they only managed to fit in 76 apartments into this project. It would be good to have more people living in the city.

Please find attached EES response

refer attached

Please find agency response from Heritage NSW.

I feel that the current proposal which utilises the core of the existing building and adds to it sensitively will improve the area without detracting from the heritage of the rocks. Really pleased that the redevelopment is progressing.

A copy of the TfNSW response letter is attached.

See response letter attached.

I am am an owner of the adjoining building to this proposal 88 Cumberland St. The Rocks
My personal review of the information provided is that this proposal will create

1) Shadowing over our building due to some height breaches impacting our balconies and living areas as well as the northern windows of the commercial offices
2)Loss of northern view corridors, again mainly impacting the northern residential units and the commercial strata
3) The proposal is building up against our northern boundary creating privacy issues especially for the northern end residential unit.
4)The pool / entertainment area is very close to our northern boundary which will create noise / quite enjoyment issues
5) There is basement excavation etc hard up against our northern boundary. We require more details for proper comment and dilapidation reports etc to protect our property.
6) Request strict conditions in the construction management plan to protect quite enjoyment of residential residents and commercial tenants

My name is John Curtis, sole Director of Sitruc Pty Limited the owner of Unit 1, 88 Cumberland Street. This unit is at the northern boundary of 88 Cumberland Street which is directly next to the Sirius development. It is on level 4 being the residential level.

I object most strongly to serious detrimental impact the Sirius development will have on my apartment in the following areas:
1. Shadowing due to certain height breaches
2. Loss of northern view corridors
3. Building up against the unit will create privacy issues
4. The pool/entertainment area is very close and will create noise/quiet enjoyment issue
5. There is basement excavation hard up against our northern boundary. I require details for proper comment and dilapidation report to protect my property
6. Request conditions in the construction management plan will detrimentally impact my quiet enjoyment of my property.

The above issues are individually and collectively extremely serious and accordingly I object most strongly to the development. This development will affect not only the value of my property and quiet enjoyment of my property.

Yours faithfully

John Curtis
Director
Sitruc Pty Limited

Sirius was built as social housing and for the residents displaced by the redevelopment of The Rocks in the 1970s. Through the leadership of Jack Mundey and Nita McCrae, the Rocks Green Ban was placed, and in turn this led to saving the Rocks and constructing Sirius. Becoming known as the Battle for the Rocks, the history from which Sirius emerged will forever be part of its fabric, recording the values and ideas of a different era.

The building and the people – members of the Millers Point community have long been involved in the campaign to save both. The community within Sirius was displaced, and with it was lost the links to families that had lived in the Rocks since the early years of the Colony.

It may not be feasible to bring back previous residents of Sirius, and their displacement has changed forever the socio-economic makeup of the Rocks community. Myra Demetriou, the last resident of Sirius once asked, ‘Are we to live in the only major city in the world without social housing?’

It has been proposed that a proportion of major residential developments in the city be allocated to social housing. In view of its history, this would seem doubly important in the case of Sirius. Alternatively (or additionally), one or two units could be set aside and used in a residency program and associated with nearby arts organisations (performance or visual arts – MCA, Sydney Theatre, Sydney Dance, Bangarra, etc.). In recognition of the role of women in leadership and advocacy in this area, these residencies could focus on women in the arts.

It is appreciated that the proposed development retains and extends outdoor public spaces in the site, and within these spaces we would like to see recorded some of the history that led to the building of Sirius. Some of this history might also be suitable for the Phillip Room, and in view of its significance, there should be some public access to the Phillip Room.

The Millers Point Community Resident Action Group acknowledges the significance of retaining the existing building in the proposed redevelopment of Sirius, and further acknowledges that the proposed extensions demonstrate a high level of design excellence. However, it would be our preference for the Sirius building to be restored without additions or major modifications.

If the building is to be modified and extended, the Millers Point Community Resident Action Group records its support for the following elements of the proposed development:
• the way the existing building is clearly visible and the additions are differentiated,
• the way the proposed additions maintain and follow the outline of the existing building so that the new development has the same stepped appearance as the existing building in both plan and elevation,
• the retention of the pedestrian area at front and rear (even though the front courtyard is reduced)
• the new staircase through the building from Cumberland Street to Gloucester Walk, providing a new connection between pedestrian spaces
• the Gloucester Walk commercial spaces, which should increase pedestrian activation of this walkway
• the vehicle entrance being a minor element only at the front of the building.

The proposed development increases the overall height of the building by several metres. The height is also increased on several of the lower sections that were already higher than the maximum height allowed for other buildings throughout the Rocks. Alfred Street and the Cahill Expressway mark a boundary beyond which all buildings to the north are restricted in height. The exception to this restriction was the Sirius building, and this exception was agreed by all parties more than forty years ago to allow for the lifting of the Rocks Green Ban and the erection of Sirius to house residents displaced by the Rocks redevelopment. In this case it appears the increase in height is proposed only to maximise the return to the state government for the sale of a public asset.

What must not be allowed is for this increase in height and the redrawing of the height of the new Sirius to be used as a new benchmark for what is allowed as maximum height for buildings in the Rocks, Millers Point and Barangaroo that are built on land to the north of the Alfred Street Line. If new buildings creep above the existing height restrictions, new buildings will loom over the heritage precinct of the Rocks, the Observatory will lose more of its openness to clear sky, and Central Barangaroo will rise higher than the maximum height long promised to the people of Sydney, in the process cutting off large sections of Millers Point from the visual connection it retains with the harbour which is an important aspect of its maritime heritage.

If an increase in height is allowed for the Sirius redevelopment, then the envelope defining the maximum height of buildings in this area must clearly outline why Sirius should be allowed to break the current height restrictions and safeguards must be put in place to ensure the increased height does not provide a precedent for future development in the Rocks, Millers Point or Barangaroo.

Please find attached submission on behalf of the Mercantile Hotel operators.

Please see attached letter.

Several organisations and many Sirius supporters have said Sirius should include an element of social good. It should also represent the people for whom it was constructed and the story of why it was built.

Providing social good was the original purpose of Sirius. It was built as public housing and for the people displaced by the Rocks Redevelopment in the 1970s. It could again be used for social housing, or following suggestions made by heritage-based organisations, a few units in the development could be set aside for short-term accommodation for women artists, actors or performers, especially if the women are engaged in events or exhibitions within the art galleries, theatres or performance spaces nearby. Providing such a residency program or some similar social use of a couple of apartments should be a condition of consent for this project.

How to tell the stories of the Rocks Green Ban, its removal to allow Sirius to be built for the maritime community that lived in this area and other local residents -- the form of such storytelling could be developed by those who will occupy these apartments, but with a condition of consent that a budget be allocated for this purpose.

The design excellence of the proposed development should be recognised, including the way it clearly allows the existing building to be seen and appreciated.

The design of the new Sirius continues to provide public open spaces and courtyards for the public and residents alike, and will enhance the experience of all who visit the area. The new stairway through the building is a good addition to the stairs and lanes existing in the area already.

If it is possible to keep the building as it now stands and without additions, this would be a better outcome for maintaining the heritage of the building, but it is acknowledged that the new additions appear to be well considered and will not interfere with the current style of the building.

Prior to this proposal, Sirius was marked for demolition. The Historic Houses Association has stood alongside the architecture profession, the National Trust and the groundswell of public opinion to support the local community that stood up for this building and all it represents.

The proposed redevelopment of Sirius is in part a good outcome for adaptive reuse of a heritage item. The proposal represents many features of good design. It is thoughtful and respectful of the heritage of one of the most significant buildings of its era.

The heritage significance of Sirius goes beyond the building itself. It was constructed as public housing to accommodate many of the people who were displaced by the redevelopment of The Rocks redevelopment. The Rocks Green Ban, with unionist Jack Mundey and community leader Nita McCrae, saved the Rocks from high-rise development. The ban was lifted so that Sirius could be constructed to house this community that had its roots in the first years of settlement in Sydney.

Displacing the residents of Sirius has diminished its heritage significance. Increasing the height of the building and adding other elements will also diminish its significance.

The Historic Houses Association requests that some element of Sirius be used for social housing in one form or another. Elsewhere, an arts residency program has been suggested to accommodate young women associated with the arts, and in particular the public galleries and performance venues in the area. Such a program would extend the social good that was integral to the original Sirius, and the Historic Houses Association endorses this proposal.

The additional height of the new Sirius is also a concern, not for its impact on commuters crossing the Harbour Bridge, but for the possibility that it will be used as a precedent to build higher in the Rocks, Millers Point, Dawes Point and Barnagaroo. The maximum height of buildings in this northern heritage precinct of the city must continue to be capped at its current level.

SIRIUS: A HOME FOR A COMMUNITY

Sirius is a building that has a vision with a heart and soul. It embodies a cultural aspiration that sees an apartment complex as one designed to support a mixed community. The significance of this has been lost in the redevelopment of Sirius.

Sirius is the name of a star, a ship that was part of the First Fleet, it is also the name of a Sydney Ferry and with greater relevance to us, it is the name of a wonderful building. Sirius was built to house people displaced when The Rocks was being demolished to make way for high rise buildings. A Green Ban was placed on all work by Jack Mundey. The Green Ban was lifted so Sirius could be built to house those who had been displaced by the demolition of The Rocks and they came to live in public housing designed for them. It had apartments for families as well as one bed room units. Sirius celebrated the vision of social housing built to support a mixed community.

Many of those who lived in Sirius were elderly single women who loved where they lived as they had been able to raise their children in a supportive community. Our friend Myra Demetriou although blind was the last person to move out of Sirius. Myra in her nineties was able to navigate her way through a familiar environment to the Community Centre in Millers Point, walk to the Garrison Church on Sunday or catch a bus into town, because she had lived in the area for over forty years. Sirius had a lift to take Myra to the top floor where supposedly she had a view of the harbour and Opera House that she could not see. Myra was confidently able to look after herself with a little bit of help. It was the way her apartment had been designed to supported her independent living.

I completely understand that the building must be renovated and bought up to date. There are issues of airflow, use of community spaces, parking and adequate bathroom and kitchen facilities I like the idea of more gardens and more useful outdoor areas. You only have to observe how The Phillip Room has been looked after that the previous residents valued what they had been given.

I do not understand why there will be no affordable housing in this building. The plans for redevelopment of Sirius to me it is like the emperor in new clothes. There are far too many obvious add ons overtaking the distinctive shape. The new plan does not acknowledge any hirer order thinking or earn any cultural capital for the developer. This is a great loss to us all and reflects poorly on us as a society.

An adventurous developer has an opportunity to gather into this unique building a mixed community to celebrate the vision of Sirius. This I see as a far more attractive opportunity for potential residents and for those who are wishing to make a home in the building. Otherwise the apartments will become land banks and purely an investment. Sirius will loose its heart and soul.

— Margaret Bishop

Please see attached

I support this

Heritage NSW comments for Aboriginal cultural heritage matters attached.