Sydney International Convention, Exhibition & Entertainment Precinct

I object to this grossly over development for the reasons given in the Group submissions
I believe that for the reasons set out in the Errors paper that the submission should be rejected
Also the consultation with the Chinese population was disgraceful.

Refer to attachment.

See attachment for Beville Group cover letter and Don Fox Planning review.

See attachment.

see attached

Please find the submission below that OBJECTS to the current Development Application SSD5752.

I am an owner and resident in the Goldsbrough, a residential building of approximately 500 apartments, which is located directly behind the proposed ICC Convention centre.


1. OBJECTION 1: THE HEIGHT AND SCALE OF THE NEW ICC CONVENTION CENTRE IN RELATION TO RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURS.

We firstly object to the height of the proposed new ICC convention centre which is nearly to the top of the Goldsbrough's current height.
In the DA plans the proposed height is RL 50.3 which will block the entire view to Darling Harbour and the city from the Goldsbrough's eastern facing apartments.
There is supposed to be a concept of view sharing in the city but in this case the whole of the eastern view of the Goldsbrough will be blocked out by the new ICC convention centre.
In place of the current city skyline and Darling Harbour view there will be a flat blank metallic wall in its place, which is the rear of the proposed ICC convention building. The front of the ICC building looks to be nicely designed with glass and is broken up in angles, but the Goldsbrough will be facing an ugly flat back wall made of aluminum and mainly Grey.

Please see the diagram of the back of the ICC convention centre below , which will be approximately the same height as the Goldsbrough.

See attachment 1





2. OBJECTION 2: REMOVAL OF CURRENT CONVENTION CENTRE WALKWAY WITHOUT A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE PUBLIC ACCESS.

The proposed changes at Darling Harbour seem to take away an extremely important thoroughfare for the residents and guests of the Goldsbrough. From the plans it looks like the current overhead pedestrian walkway next to the Convention monorail station is being removed. Currently it is the easiest and safest walkway to enter the Darling Harbour precinct from the Western side.

If this is removed not only will the Goldsbrough be affected but It will also affect all regular users from the public carparks on the Western side of Darling Harbour, the commercial building at 135 Pyrmont St as well as all the residential buildings on Harris in Pyrmont.

If this entry to Darling Harbour is removed it will be a total disaster for many of the pedestrians who regularly use it as well as visitors to the area. Currently it is estimated that there are around 7000 pedestrian traffic movements across this walkway on a regular day and many more on busy event days. It is the only safe way to cross the light rail tracks and Darling Drive and is the direct access for 2 major carparks servicing Darling Harbour. This walkway is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with continuous public access.

The alternative link from the Western Distributor is not a convenient alternative to what is currently there. How are pedestrians especially with children meant to cross to and from Darling Harbour in a safe way at all hours ?

We note that there is no mention of the increased traffic flow within the immediate vicinity of the proposed complex. In particular we refer to the impact that such an increased amount of traffic will have on the ability of people to cross the road and the obvious increase in delays for traffic as people use the ground level pedestrian crossing.


From the Architectural drawings below it shows how the current walkway is removed in the proposed plan

See attachment 2

This is the walkway being removed

See attachment 3

3. OBJECTION 3: OVERSHADOWING OF THE GOLDSBROUGH FROM THE PROPOSED ICC AND LOSS OF WINTER MORNING SUNLIGHT.

The ICC shadow diagrams show that there will be significant overshadowing of the Goldsbrough from the new ICC and towers, taking away morning sunlight in the all important winter mornings. This will result in increased heating costs for the apartments as well as the loss of valuable morning winter sunlight.
From the Shadow analysis diagrams in the DA it shows a significant loss of sunlight on Pyrmont St in front of the building and the Eastern face of the Goldsbrough in winter.
This is in direct contradiction on trying to make Sydney's buildings more environmentally friendly.
See Shadow diagram below from DA submission.

See attachment 4

4. OBJECTION 4: NO CONSIDERATION FOR AESTHETICS ON THE WESTERN OR REAR FAÇADE OF THE ICC.

As the height of the proposed ICC is nearly the current height of the Goldsbrough, any outlook from the Goldsbrough to Darling Harbour will be dominated by the Western (rear) face of the ICC.
In the DA plans it shows that this will be a mainly Grey metal panel wall which will just look like a Grey metal barricade from the Goldsbrough. All the architecturally appealing glass frontage is kept for the Eastern (Darling Harbour facing ) face of the building. All the publicity shots show the view of the East face yet all the Goldsbrough will see is the ugly utilitarian Western face.
If the view from the Goldsbrough is to be dominated by the ICC then at least some regard should be paid to the fact and the Western face of the ICC modified to be more aesthetically appealing. The western face could be architecturally articulated and made of materials that don't look like a metal barricade.

See Diagram below for view of the Western face of the ICC facing the Goldsbrough. Note the scale of this wall in relation to the people in the picture.

See attachment 5


5. OBJECTION 5: THE GOLDSBROUGH BEING AN ICONIC AND HERITAGE
PART OF DARLING HARBOUR WILL BE OBSCURED FROM THE PUBLIC VIEW.

The scale of the ICC and the position of the ICC will obscure the view of the Goldsbrough which is a building of iconic and heritage significance in Sydney.
As it stands, the Goldsbrough remains one of the last historic buildings in the Darling Harbour precinct that can be seen from the public areas. It is one of the remaining links to the area's historic past and one that has also been successfully reused as a modern building.
The new ICC will obscure the historic façade of the building form public view and one that has been part of the Darling Harbour landscape since Sydney's early days.


See view below of the face of the Goldsbrough being obscured by the proposed ICC.



Current view of the Goldsbrough from Darling Harbour






In conclusion we urge that the above concerns are taken seriously as they have a major adverse impact on over 500 apartments in the Goldsbrough building alone not to mention neighboring buildings.

The vital walkway to Darling Harbour behind the current convention centre cannot be taken away as it is one of the major pedestrian traffic ways to the site and into the city, used by large numbers of people at all hours. Removing it will be a huge disaster for pedestrians and traffic in the area alike.

Also if the height of the ICC is not modified, then more attention must be paid to the Western façade to make it more acceptable to the residents and owners with existing view lines to Darling Harbour.
Measures such as changing the form and materials of this Western wall should be urgently considered. With a different use of materials, reshaping and clever use of lighting , this face need not be such an eyesore that will dominate most of the resident's views.
This is the least that the ICC proposal should do to try and minimize the adverse impact it will have on the neighbours behind it.

I object to the plans for the redevelopment of the Exhibition Centre. The size and scale is an over-development for that area, being too close to the water for such a large monolithic building of 50m high. It will block the view of the 54m high historic Goldsbrough building which I believe is an enhancement to the area.

As an owner/investor in one of the units in the Goldsbrough building, upon seeing the visual impact analysis of the area from the Goldsbrough building, I'm certain that if built (along with the associated ICC twin-tower hotel), would have such a negative impact on the value of most, if not, all of the units that currently enjoy an uninterrupted view of the the city.

Furthermore, the current Exhibition Centre is not proven to be inadequate for purpose, so it's demolition and replacement is questionable. If approval for this new building is refused like I think it should be, SICEP will undoubtedly submit plans for a new scaled-down version, hopefully closer to the plans created by Multiplex, the ones that were unanimously chosen by an independent jury.

The impact on sunlight from the dominant proposal will have a negative impact on the units, especially in the winter months

I include pictures to illustrate the negative impact of the proposed development, and how things could look if this development is refused and a more appropriate one is built instead. I also attach a photograph of the view from my level 8 centrally placed unit, which enjoys views which enhance the value of the unit. A taller, squarer building replacing the more subtle will be about 1/3 higher, blocking much of the buildings behind it, and the views of 'Harbourside' shopping centre and much of the skyline will be obscured by the associated ICC hotel towers. The last two pictures are current views that would be lost if the Exhibition centre and hotel are built, the loss of these views would be of detriment to Darling Harbour and Sydney.

Please refer to the submission document from Docomomo Australia Inc.

Submission