Millers Point & Dawes Point SHR property owners deliberative workshops – recommendations from participants

Client: Heritage Council of NSW

Version: v.2

Date: 6/25/2021

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1. Introduction

The Heritage Council of NSW, Heritage NSW and the City of Sydney are undertaking a process to engage the community in protecting and managing heritage in the Millers Point & Dawes Point Village precinct. This report documents recommendations developed by a group of 18 people who own property in the precinct. They participated in two deliberative workshops as part of the engagement process to refine a community vision for the precinct and identify ways to achieve this vision.

1.1 Background

The Heritage Council of NSW, Heritage NSW and the City of Sydney (as delegates of the Heritage Council of NSW) are working with the community to protect, manage and celebrate the heritage at Millers Point & Dawes Point Village Precinct. They are working together to make sure the heritage values of the precinct are protected and conserved for future generations, reviewing, and determining applications for changes to buildings, providing advice to owners, managers and the community about heritage and their management.

The NSW Government has divested its properties in Millers Point, since 2015. To ensure the conservation of heritage values, most of the properties were sold with Conservation Management Plans (CMPs) endorsed by the Heritage Council of NSW. The CMP for each property includes the history of the precinct and its social values, brief histories for individual properties and guidelines for changes to the properties to assist future owners to manage maintenance and new works to their properties.

Some inconsistencies have developed between the thresholds of alterations and additions identified in the endorsed CMPs and the process of approvals for changes to properties at Millers Point & Dawes Point Village Precinct and the aspirations of the owners who have bought these properties. This has resulted in time consuming and costly negotiations between the owners and the consent authorities.

1.2 Purpose

The aim of the deliberative engagement process was to commence a dialogue with the SHR listed property owners and Heritage NSW, the Heritage Council of NSW and the City of Sydney and to develop a set of recommendations to help improve the ongoing process of applying for and assessment of development applications for additions and alterations to the State Heritage Register listed properties. The aim being to minimise cumulative impacts on the heritage values of the Millers Point & Dawes Point Village Precinct and provide greater clarity and certainty for owners.

1.3 Methodology

1.3.1 Deliberative engagement

A deliberative engagement process allows a group to receive and exchange information, to critically examine an issue, and to come to an agreement which will inform decision making. Deliberation aims to:

• Promote consensus • Support informed public participation in decision-making processes

The organisation hosting the deliberative process commits to: • Providing information to participants to inform their deliberations • Seek recommendations from participants • Providing a response outlining how their recommendations will be addressed

1.3.2 The workshops - overview

Property owners in the Millers Point & Dawes point village precinct were invited to express interest in attending 2 deliberative engagement workshops, to be held at the Abraham Mott Hall and Harry Jensen Centre in Millers Point on Tuesday 15 June 6-8pm and Tuesday 22 June 6-8pm. Fourteen participants attended both workshops, one participant only attended workshop one and four participants only attended workshop two. In total 15 participants attended workshop 1 and 18 attended workshop 2.

Cred Consulting designed and facilitated the workshops.

The following representatives from Heritage NSW, the Heritage Council of NSW and the City of Sydney attended the workshops as observers and were called upon to answer questions by participants. They did not participate in adopting the vision statements, developing recommendations or voting.

Rajeev Maini, Senior Team Leader Regional Assessments – Heritage NSW

Shikha Jhaldiyal, Senior Heritage Assessment Officer - Heritage NSW

Bruce Pettman – Heritage Council of NSW Approvals Committee

Caitlin Allen - Heritage Council of NSW Approvals Committee

Tony Smith, Urban Design and Heritage Manager – City of Sydney

Yvette Andrews, Manager City Engagement – City of Sydney

Leonie Hancock, Engagement Coordinator - City of Sydney

Workshop 1 agenda:

Participants were introduced to the deliberative process and provided some ground rules for participation.

Participants heard about ‘the issues’ from a variety of perspectives, including report back from the previous broad community consultation and expert heritage consultants and from Heritage NSW and City of Sydney. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions of the government representative observers.

A series of vision statements developed based on previous broad community engagement were presented to the participants for discussion.

Participants were given the opportunity to ask additional questions or for additional information that they felt they may need to make recommendations on actions to achieve the agreed vision statements.

Participants commenced developing recommendations to achieve the vision statements in small groups.

Workshop 2 agenda:

Participants had the opportunity to ask questions of the government representative observers.

Participants were presented revised vision statements (based on discussion at previous workshop) for agreement.

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Participants developed recommendations to achieve the vision statements in small groups.

Participants indicated their levels of agreement for each of the recommendations developed, via Menti (online app).

Participants discussed how they would like to communicate and work with Heritage NSW, the Heritage Council of NSW and City of Sydney into the future.

2. Vision statements and recommendations

2.1 Vision Statements

The following 6 vision statements for the future of the Millers Point & Dawes Point village Precincts were based on the findings from previous broad community engagement. They were discussed, amended and then agreed on by the deliberative workshop participants:

1. Property owners and other custodians of the precinct have an obligation protect the heritage of Millers Point & Dawes Point properties.

2. All landowners and private and public landowners have a role in protecting and planning for the heritage character of the precinct and surrounds.

3. Contemporary living and liveability needs (internal and external to properties, and local amenity) will be balanced with heritage responsibilities

4. The individual and ongoing story and unique significance of each property is acknowledged and respected.

5. Improving the properties and the precinct for environmental and social sustainability should be recognised (including multi-generational living, renewable energy, landscaping and greening)

6. There will be improved communication channels and sharing of information between the community, City of Sydney and Heritage NSW, including clear and consistent communication around roles, responsibilities, delegations and decisions.

2.2 Recommendations to achieve the vision statements

Workshop participants worked together in small groups to develop recommendations for achieving the agreed vision statements. Participants then had the opportunity to ask questions of each other and clarify recommendations prior to indicating their levels of agreement for each of the recommendations developed, via Menti (online app). Participants were most interested in discussing and developing recommendations for vision statements 3 and 6. This section shows the recommendations developed by participants and the levels of agreement for each (where 1 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree) from workshop participants. Where there was significant discussion or advocated changes to a recommendation a note has been provided under the graph.

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Recommendations to achieve vision statement 1: Vision: Property owners and other custodians of the precinct have an obligation protect the heritage of Millers Point and Dawes Point properties.

Recommendations to achieve vision statement 2: Vision 2: All landowners and private and public landowners have a role in protecting and planning for the heritage character of the precinct and surrounds.

Recommendations to achieve vision statement 3: Contemporary living and liveability needs (internal and external to properties, and local amenity) will be balanced with heritage responsibilities.

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Notes: Recommendation 18: Participants agreed that they wished to split this recommendation into 2 separate recommendations. A show of hands indicated that 100% of participants support the ability to add skylights, and 70% of participants support the ability add or solar panels. It was also recommended that solar panels should only be allowed if they can't be seen. It was further discussed that it was assumed by participants that all actions/recommendations are not enforceable for everyone - e.g. you don't have to put in sunlights or solar even if it is permitted. The intent is to provide options for consideration. Recommendation 20: Participants sought clarification on this recommendation. Those who wrote this recommendation explained the example being 33 Bridge Street (commercial) allowed to have so many changes but individual home owners can't do the same. Recommendation 25: The intention of this recommendation was clarified to be to remove the policies from CMPs and only leave the history and significance of the property. Balance needs with the significance of the property.

Recommendations to achieve vision statement 4: The individual and ongoing story and unique significance of each property is acknowledged and respected.

Recommendations to achieve vision statement 5: Improving the properties and the precinct for environmental and social sustainability should be recognised (including multi-generational living, renewable energy, landscaping and greening).

Notes: Recommendation 3: It was thought that the pool mentioned in this recommendation was a proposed local swimming site. Improved garbage management - this also impacts on the heritage outcomes for the neighbourhood.

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Recommendations to achieve vision statement 6: There will be improved communication channels and sharing of information between the community, City of Sydney and Heritage NSW, including clear and consistent communication around roles, responsibilities, delegations and decisions. Key needs expressed including: 1. Establishing a working group 2. Heritage NSW or City of Sydney to visit individual houses prior to making assessments 3. Regular representation at the Residents Action Group meetings (both Heritage and City of Sydney).

Notes: There was a collective agreement that more collaboration between homeowners, Heritage NSW, Heritage Council of NSW and the City of Sydney is needed to ensure the best possible heritage results for these important heritage properties. It was stated and overwhelmingly agreed that the Millers Point & Dawes Point Village Precinct is one of Australia's most special post-contact places, and it is a privilege to be a community member in it – it was agreed that “we must collaborate and stop the disputation”.

Recommendation 7: The working group should represent all property owners - businesses, residential (living there or investment) to continue on the journey.

3. Recommendations in action

Participants were asked to explore what the recommendations to consider ‘liveability’ in SHR properties might look like in action. The following are the verbatim responses from participants.

• Pools should be allowed subject to hard digging, if necessary, for archaeological reasons.

• Allow retracing of electricals in previous illegal openings.

• As the homes have evolved over time e.g.: whale oil, gas and now electricity. We should have the ability to e.g.: add a new screen door – in a style sympathetic to the exterior period to enable the front door to remain open, whilst providing fresh air, serenity, keep out insects etc, cross ventilation.

• Permitting the re-instalment of external bathrooms to the rear face of the building through previous

openings, in a form that is similar to the previous bathroom that existed.

• Such liveability issues are well addressed at local government level in LEPs and DCPs. Woollahra DCP is an excellent document – addressing addition of dormer Windows, air conditioning, pools, screen doors etc. It makes rules clear before a DA. CMPs also provide some guidance. Therefore each property should be assessed on its own individual significance and merits. NSW Heritage should provide general guidelines on specific issues such as the above. I don’t agree with arbitrary decision making by Heritage NSW, which is where this is loading.

• One piece of feedback that was left out was around the precinct planning which has been done for

other communities but not ours. Would need to include COS, DOH, Department of Education, Department of Transport etc. To plan:

o Traffic and movement o Look and feel o Amenity

All future development should be gauged and approved based on fitting in with plan.

• Increase liveability and longevity of inhabitants by allowing external glass lifts with the following provisions.

o Minimal impact on original fabric. o Minimal visual impact

• Reconfiguring stairs to bring them up to code if possible. Sound proofing windows. Grimes cottage –

not being able to finish façade – it looks dreadful.

• Supporting aircon and heating solutions e.g. refusal at Grimes Cottage makes loft unliveable (and is not my home).

• Pools – who cares? Archaeology in precinct (with some exceptions) is not highly significant.

• Solution focused approach to liveability not a knee jerk no.

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