Name: Parramatta CBD Opportunity Sites
Location: Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta, being the second township to be established in the colony, retains a wealth of surviving colonial buildings and historical archaeological sites and places and the city is of significance for its ability to demonstrate, in its physical forms, historical layering, and archaeological records, the development of colonial and post-colonial settlement in Sydney and New South Wales.
As part of the development of the Parramatta City Centre Local Environmental Plan, LSJ were commissioned to provide heritage input into Council’s Review of Opportunity Sites in the Parramatta CBD report as required by the Department of Planning. Opportunity Sites were a new concept for certain sites in the Parramatta CBD to provide opportunities for tall, slender towers; to encourage opportunities to improve the quality of the public domain; and to facilitate opportunities to deliver additional community infrastructure.
LSJ undertook a high-level assessment of the potential impacts of the proposed opportunity sites on heritage items, heritage conservation areas and historic streetscapes; followed by a detailed assessment of potential heritage impacts of proposed opportunity sites within nominated testing areas. The report provided a concise summary of heritage issues and addressed the merits or otherwise of the proposed opportunity sites in relation to the impacts on the areas of heritage significance and historic streetscapes.
Recommendations were also developed for amended and new wording to be included in the Parramatta City Centre LEP to mitigate potential negative heritage impacts.
