SLAP bang in the middle of Orange, the old base hospital site is like a keystone in the structure of Orange; redevelop it poorly and the entire centre of town will suffer; create an appropriate use for the block and it will strengthen the appeal of a huge area.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
For this strategic reason Orange City Council has been negotiating for several years to gain control of the entire block.
In truth it would have been a brave state government indeed which rebuffed the approaches of a council in this situation and sold the land instead to a private developer.
Such a move would have weakened the city’s ability to control the shape of the development and made some difficult planning decisions even more challenging.
Instead the NSW Government has sold the site to the Orange council, and in such a fashion that the huge cost of demolition of part of it will not be borne by ratepayers. It is an agreement residents should be generally pleased with.
The next step, refining the vision for this massive site so that it reflects the wishes of the community while demonstrating sound planning principles is the really challenging part.
There will no doubt be endless discussion, and there will be some doubts about the council’s ability to deliver against a backdrop of inevitably competing interests.
There will be those championing open space over high density residential developments and retail and commercial spaces while others will question a council getting involved in a commercial development on such a grand scale at all.
Critics might point to the vacant saleyards site, which languishes almost forgotten since the regional saleyards opened in 2008, and ask whether council can drive this project to a better outcome.
To win the support of residents the council will have to win these arguments by demonstrating genuine consultation at every stage.
This is a once in a generation opportunity to create a landmark precinct.
After the initial fanfare it must not retreat behind the closed doors of commercial in confidence.