Community Development Strategy for the redevelopment of the Kensington Development

Community sustainability as a key objective

The redevelopment of the Kensington public housing estate is not just a capital works project. The fundamental objective is to build a sustainable community. Consequently both Becton and the Office of Housing (OOH) need to focus on the broader economic, social and environmental aspects of the overall development. Failure to give as much attention to "building community" as to "building property" will mean that the problems the redevelopment seeks to overcome, namely the physical, economic and social isolation of public housing tenants, will be repeated.

Internationally, social mix is increasingly being seen as one strategy for enhancing community sustainability. The integration of public and private housing is not just a means to finance the redevelopment of public housing. It is also a strategy to develop a community with greater socio-economic diversity and thereby reduce the concentration of poverty.

Integration however is far more than the intermingling of private and public housing. In this instance it also means connectedness between the new neighbourhood and the broader Kensington community (including residential, commercial and welfare). It also means fostering positive social interaction amongst those who live within the new neighbourhood, regardless of their tenure. Fortunately the suburb of Kensington has a long history of community development and a strong sense of place. Community infrastructure is strong and the existing diverse population share a sense of belonging and commitment to their community. The new neighbourhood will be strengthened if it is effectively linked with this broader community.

In addition to the social objectives there are also commercial objectives for making "sustainable community" the overarching objective of the redevelopment. Becton's greatest risk is that negative perception about public housing will deter potential purchasers from acquiring a property in the new neighbourhood.

Rightly or wrongly there is a negative perception in the community about public housing; a perception reinforced by the form, condition and social environment of larger public housing estates like the site for redevelopment. Becton's challenge is to convince the public that the new neighbourhood will be fundamentally different to the old. In order to sell the private housing potential purchasers must be convinced that "estate management" is focussed on maintaining a high standard of physical amenity and creating a positive social environment over the long term. Community building is therefore central to Becton's commercial interests.

Community building goals for the Kensington Development

The community building strategy for the Kensington redevelopment aims to create a sense of place in Kensington, foster a sense of belonging for all residents, enhance the capacity of the community in terms of economic and social development, and build connectedness to greater Kensington community.

Essentially, the key objectives of the community building strategy over the long term are:

• Empowering residents through effective participation and consultation: this will involve the building or strengthening of representative structures to ensure community input to the development and its management.

• Building community capacity:
  this will involve harnessing social capital and providing robust vehicles through which that social capital can grow and contribute to the development of the new neighbourhood and the broader Kensington community.

• Retaining community links:
  this will include a proactive and supportive strategy to ensure as many existing public housing tenants, particularly those who are long term residents, can remain or return to the new neighbourhood.

• Strengthening community infrastructure:
  this will include the identification of deficits in existing community infrastructure and investing in new, or strengthening existing, community facilities to the benefit not only of residents in the Macaulay Village, but also the wider community.

• Encouraging local economic development:
  this will involve a proactive approach to identifying opportunities to capture the economic activity of the new neighbourhood for the benefit of Kensington residents, particularly public housing tenants.

• Fostering a sense of place:
  this will involve the establishment of effective communication links between the residents of the new neighbourhood and the educational, recreational and health services of the area. It will also include attention to creating a focal point to the neighbourhood through community facilities and other activities such as community arts.

• Respond to the needs of residents:
  this will involve paying attention to the specific support needs of residents, particularly older residents, and working to ensure that appropriate services are provided to these residents.