UDF discussed at meeting

Members of the Cyrildene and surrounding communities met with Urban Development Framework (UDF) town planners on May 18 for a public participation meeting regarding the precinct plan for the area.

At the meeting Mr Steve Baylis of VBH Town Planning advised that the City Council had appointed a team of consultants to prepare a new urban development framework for Cyrildene and the study area, focused on Derrick Avenue.

He said that the intention of the meeting was to invite the community to put forward their ideas and concerns about developments in the area.

Mr Baylis also discussed the preliminary findings from the socio-economic survey conducted among residents and businesses to determine perceptions of the development.

The survey included strengths of the area such as accessibility, proximity to work and facilities, attractive to Chinese immigrants and businesses.

It also included the weaknesses which included overcrowding of houses, noise, dumping, un-hygienic conditions, insufficient services, parking shortage, failure by City to address the zoning, illegal building, and urban management in the area.

Cyrildene comprises roughly 770 residential stands whereas the study area comprises 136 stands or roughly 22 hectares.

“The study area is attractive for Chinese businesses and new immigrants. Many are not fluent in English and local tongues and therefore an interpreter had been invited to assist where necessary,” Mr Baylis said.

Sixty percent of people residing in the study area were of Asian descent with 55 percent of these born in the People’s Republic of China.

The study revealed that the area was generally low density, but a greater concentration of larger, three- to four-storey buildings was evident around Derrick Avenue.

“The preliminary parking investigation showed where parking takes place. The adequacy of parking is clearly a problem, affecting adjacent residential areas too, and an expert will be looking at that,” Mr Baylis said.

He added that regulations generally require on-site parking for developments and conversions, but these do not appear to be enforced as many basements for parking have been converted to alternative uses and many new uses do not have adequate on-site parking.

“Many stands along Derrick Avenue are zoned for business use and special zoning while most others are zoned as residential 1 which means one house per stand.

“The land use plan shows what actually takes place on stands and it is clear that there is a mismatch between zonings and land uses,” Mr Baylis said.

He pointed out buildings and activities which indicated non-compliance with the zoning.

The indication was that there is a high concentration of illegal uses extending into the wider area.

He said that the improved integration of Chinatown with the established residential area would be the main thrust of the UDF.

“More specifically, the gateways need resolution, the public space needs upgrading, the parking problems need a solution, and the limited compliance with building codes and zoning needs urgent attention,” Mr Baylis said.

Concerns from the community once again included illegal buildings, councils lack of response to issues and general urban degeneration of the suburb.

Residents were told that dealing with illegal land use would form an important component of the plan which will also provide a guideline for assessing and promoting development in the area.

Those attending the meeting were advised that the draft UDF plan will be presented on June 8 .

The meeting will be held at Queens High School in 8th Avenue, Dewetshof and will start at 6pm.