Flat Chat Strata Forum Common Property Current Page

  • Creator
    Topic
  • #8490
    FlatChatFan
    Flatchatter

      This morning on ABC local radio, Tony McCabe, Director of Planning & Delivery for the NSW Department of Education & Training said the NSW Government ‘is considering demolishing some Sydney schools and redeveloping the land to include residential and commercial buildings alongside school facilities’.

      Mr McCabe said he has met with the Ultimo P&C and ‘put an option for consideration’.

      St Andrew’s Cathedral School is part of a high-rise and it seems to work, but has a government program + mixed-strata + developer building ever been successful?

      Do they plan to just sell of the land and lease back the school area?

      What do the P & C members who are approached need to look out for, especially if they have no experience of strata developments?

    Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
    • Author
      Replies
    • #16911
      alley cat
      Flatchatter

        This is something that I have given some thought to. I have visited schools in various parts of the world that are housed in high rise, however I have not seen a mixed use building such as that being proposed at Ultimo. I don’t have a problem with a school in a ‘high rise’ as this is relatively normal in many places, even here in Australia there are a number of multi-storey schools.

        From a strata point of view I have a number of critical success factors that I think would need to be addressed.

        1. the mix of government / private / commercial use of the same complex would be a legislative / administrative nightmare – worse than a BMC. Particularly the governments track record of maintenance of public schools.

        This then relates the the ‘enclosed land act’ issues for access to schools, add to that the issue of community use of school facilities out of school hours and the impact on others could be very significant.

        2. Noise – even a small group of kids creates a great deal of noise.

        3. Child protection issues – separate and discrete areas would be needed.

        4. Rubbish storage and removal from the school premises – again the density of students to size of property creates a significant amount of rubbish.

        5. Direct access to public transport – a bus bay is common.

         

        I am sure that I will think of more

         

        regards

        Alley catWink

        #16916
        FlatChatFan
        Flatchatter
        Chat-starter

          Thanks Alley Cat,

          Maybe the government hopes Strata Fees will fund school maintenance?

          If it goes ahead in Ultimo, and any other area where a public school has a large area of land, I hope there is a very thorough vetting of the developer who is given the job.

          One problem seems to be that a shonky developer can choose to go insolvent or bankrupt, then changes the name of their company and is able to continue to do the same shoddy work.

          Department of Fair Trading needs to keep track better.

        Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
        • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

        Flat Chat Strata Forum Common Property Current Page