“I didn’t object in the first place. It’s grabbing a fair bit of my sky, but it’s a school,” Walker said. “I am objecting to grabbing a bit more because who knows, if they can pull this one off, [they’ll say], ‘Let’s add another classroom on.’ It just seems they’re trying to exhaust citizens out of objecting.”
A 67-page study by Ethos Urban concluded the visual impact of the change was low to negligible, and “was likely to not be visible or be generally imperceptible from all the viewpoints” surveyed.
Fort Street Public School in July 2021.Credit:Nick Moir
Melanie Tait – who has a son at Fort Street and two daughters enrolled for future years – said the situation was tough for parents, and it was difficult for older residents in the nearby towers to understand the importance of having a functioning primary school nearby.
“Whenever there’s something to object to, all these people come out of the woodwork and everyone who doesn’t have a problem with it doesn’t say anything,” she said.
“You’re talking about a lift overrun – it’s not even 60 centimetres across the whole build. We just want the school to be finished, and we want them to do a good job this time so that they’re not renovating again in a couple of years.”
The redevelopment has been controversial from the start. A previous modification in 2021 elicited 85 objections, mostly concerned about building heights and the obstruction of views.
Those are hot-buttons issue in Millers Point. NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts last year quashed plans for taller buildings at nearby Central Barangaroo after a community backlash.
Several objections to the Fort Street modification also raised concerns about the project’s $68 million price tag. The primary school has fewer than 300 students but, once rebuilt, it will have a capacity for 550.
The school referred questions to the Department of Education, which said the “minor” design modifications would improve access between the school’s heritage and new buildings.
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“Relevant stakeholders, including representatives for local residents, were consulted prior to submitting the modification,” it said. “We are currently preparing responses to all submissions, as part of usual process.”
On Sunday, the Herald reported on another proposed lift causing controversy in the city; plans to install a lift next to the McElhone stairs in Potts Point. In that case, Potts Point and Kings Cross Heritage Society president Andrew Woodhouse said people who could not climb the stairs could catch the bus instead.
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