Fifth Millers Point property sells for $2.27M

http://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/about_us/media_releases/fifth-millers-point-poperty-sells-for-$2.27m


25 Sep 2014

Minister for Family and Community Services, Gabrielle Upton, and Minister for Finance and Services, Dominic Perrottet, today announced the auction sale of the fifth government-owned property at Millers Point for $2.27 million.
Minister Upton said continued strong interest in Millers Point property sales saw the 86 Windmill St residence take the total proceeds of five property sales to more than $13.3 million.
The three-level, three-bedroom property at 86 Windmill Street is one of three houses constructed by the Musgrave family in about 1856 to 1861.
Minister Upton said the NSW Government inherited a social housing system that was unfair and unsustainable.
"The sale of properties in Millers Point reflects the Government’s resolve to put the social housing system back on solid financial ground," Ms Upton said.
"Money from the sale of government-owned properties will go back into the public housing system into things like new homes and maintenance."
"The strong sales results will mean more money can be poured back into helping people especially the 58 000 applicants on the public housing waiting list."
Minister for Finance and Services, Dominic Perrottet, said there continued to be high levels of buyer interest in the Millers Point precinct.
"Right throughout the initial sales program the market has continued to show keen interest in the historic precinct and this bodes well for future sales," Mr Perrottet said.
"For the property sold this evening, 86 Windmill Street, the sales agents, received more than 1370 enquiries, conducted around 200 property inspections and issued over 70 pre-auction contracts.
"There is still one property remaining as part of the initial tranche, 30 Argyle Place, which is due to go for auction on October 8."

NSW government hides funds from Millers Point sales

Saturday, September 27, 2014  By Jim McIlroy

 

The NSW Coalition government is refusing to tell the community how it will spend millions of dollars gained from the sale of Millers Point public housing. Potentially hundreds of millions of dollars will be reaped if the sale of nearly 300 houses goes ahead. The government has received more than $11 million from the auction of the first four houses.

A further 289 properties are still listed to be sold, including 79 apartments from the iconic Sirius building at The Rocks, which were purpose-built during the 1970s for the elderly and people with disabilities. The sales program is due to make the NSW government more than $500 million in total if completed.

Community Services Minister Gabrielle Upton has refused to reveal how the proceeds will be spent, only saying it will go "back into the social housing system," the September 19 Sydney Morning Herald reported.

A crossbench parliamentary inquiry into social, public and affordable housing in September found the detail provided by the government was inadequate.

The inquiry committee, consisting of mostly conservative MPs, was "dissatisfied" that the government could not spell out how much of the Millers Point proceeds would be used to build new public housing. The inquiry called on the government to invest the profits from all public housing sales into a fund dedicated to building new homes.

The Herald said the social housing waiting list in NSW of 58,000 is expected to increase to 86,000 by 2016. Labor housing spokesperson Sophie Cotsis said selling public housing properties to fund a maintenance backlog was "like selling your house to pay off your credit card."

Police were called on September 16 to evict squatters from a vacant property in Millers Point. Dozens of houses in the inner-city suburb are empty while the government prepares its forced eviction program for hundreds of other residents in the area.

Millers Point community spokesperson Barney Gardner told the September 17 Sydney Morning Herald that the squatters should have been allowed to stay.

"The property has been vacant for some time and will remain vacant for some time,” he said. “These people ... are not damaging the property, they are just living there. They haven't had anywhere to live and now they are being turfed out onto the street again."

In a further sign of the broadening of the community opposition to the government's neoliberal housing policies, Unions NSW has condemned the state government's sale of affordable housing throughout Sydney, saying the city needs a diverse community.

Unions NSW secretary Mark Lennon said: "We are seeing long-term residents kicked out of their homes in Millers Point, while the move towards elite, exclusive dwellings in the city rolls on.”
At the same time, the Millers Point community is continuing to organise to resist the state government's "social cleansing" of their suburb. A substantial section of the Millers Point public housing tenants are adamantly refusing to move, in the face of harassment and other pressure from housing department officers.

Like the article? Subscribe to Green Left now! You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

RESOURCED: https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/57427

Fifth Millers Point terrace fetches $2.27 million

Toby Johnstone  25th September 2014

A terrace at 86 Windmill Street, Millers Point sold for $2.27 million on Thursday night.

The fifth terrace to be offloaded by the state government at Millers Point sold for $2.27 million on Thursday night.


Those who inspected the property had been told that buyer interest was between $1.5 million and $1.6 million.


The heritage-listed three-bedroom terrace at 86 Windmill Street had a functional kitchen and backed on to a park known locally as 'The Paddock'.


Other Millers Point properties that sold recently were considerably larger or had sweeping harbour views.


Even so, that didn't deter the crowd of about 70 who were squeezed into the auction room at Di Jones head office in Woollahra. Entry was limited to pre-registered bidders who were required to bring photo identification on the night.


Bidding started at $1 million but a series of $100,000 bids quickly took the price above $1.5 million.




RESOURCED: http://m.smh.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/fifth-millers-point-terrace-fetches-227-million-20140925-10lzo1.html

Fifth Millers Point NSW government terrace to go to auction tomorrow - 209

The next Millers Point terrace - part of the 214 freehold terrace properties being sold by the NSW state government - goes to auction tomorrow night, Thursday September 25.

There is no revealed price guidance for the Di Jones auction offering on Windmill Street.
The 1880s heritage listed terrace (pictured above) has three levels.

"It is immediately liveable, as is, with modern finishes, and there is further potential for refurbishment or reconfiguration," the marketing says.

The next scheduled auction is the 30 Argyle Place, 8 October offering through Craig Pontey at Ray White Double Bay.

The NSW government has grossed $11.1 million from the first four property sales.

The disposal, which will include the in one line sale of the 79 apartments in the Sirius building at The Rocks, appears set to inject more than $500 million into the government's coffers.

The Community Services Minister Gabrielle Upton says the proceeds will be returned to the social housing system, for repairs and new projects.

The social housing waiting list numbers around 58,000 households.

RESOURCED: http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/finding/residential-investment/sales-and-auctions/36057-fifth-millers-point-nsw-government-terrace-to-go-to-auction-tomorrow-209-to-go.html

No surrender at Millers Point

22 September 2014 | Chris Anderton

“They’ve worked, they’ve paid taxes, they’ve paid the rent”, Patricia Corowa, Millers Point resident and Indigenous activist, told Red Flag at the Millers Point Spring Picnic on 14 September. “This is their community, their home.”

Yet one by one, the close-knit community of residents, most aged between 70 and 100, are being split up and shipped off to make way for millionaires and developers.

Their right to live in the homes they’ve long grown attached to has been weighed against the cost of maintaining the properties and the potential resale values. The state Liberal government has gone for money over human rights.

The 57,000-long waiting list for public housing was cited as a reason for the clearance. Yet all of the auctions have been of properties that have been vacant for some time, even years. Despite their having netted more than $6 million, there has been no explanation of where the money is being spent.

Photos in a local hall depict the long history of the working class area. It was Australia’s first suburb of public housing, provided for the wharfies who toiled through plague, Depression and war. After more than a century, properties in the charming heritage area once viewed as a slum are fetching more than $2.6 million.

Down by the former dock workers’ area in Barangaroo, the rumble of construction vehicles building James Packer’s casino complex signal the transformation of this harbour area into a playground for the rich and powerful. As Mike Baird, NSW premier, has made clear, “All our ministers will be salesmen and saleswomen for this state, with the job of convincing companies why they should come and set up here.”

Low-income housing just doesn’t mesh with the vision of Sydney held by big business and its buddies in government.

In the face of this despicable treatment, the resistance of the Millers Point residents has been inspiring. “We will not be moved!” protesters called out over the police line at a protest on 11 September. There’s no doubt that the state government is facing fiercer resistance from community members than it anticipated.

A combination of direct actions, social media campaigning, “Save Millers Point” merchandise and union support have produced a strong and visible campaign. The picnic topped it off with a huge turnout of locals and supporters.

The Labor Party has given verbal support, but clearly would be on with the developers if in government. When asked by Corowa what the ALP would do about the sell-off if elected, state party leader John Robertson said it would hold consultations.

Consultation would have been useful before the eviction announcement, which came as a complete shock to the community. But as Corowa related, this shock was quickly replaced with a conviction to fight. The residents of Millers Point and the threatened areas surrounding it have forcibly made their demands.

They have a mission, and a motto: No surrender.

RESOURCED: http://redflag.org.au/node/4196 

Squatters evicted from Millers Point

September 16, 2014   Nicole Hasham  


"A farce": Tayce, 27, speaks with police in Millers Point

They had stocked the kitchen with food, hauled in crate-loads of belongings and even brought their tortoiseshell cat.

But the two-month long rent-free bliss enjoyed by a group of squatters at Millers Point ended abruptly on Tuesday, as the state government pushed ahead with its plan to empty the harbourside suburb of vulnerable residents.

The small group of 20-somethings left the Argyle Place property about midday after being ordered out by police.



The Argyle Place property "is being prepared for sale", officials said. Photo: Ben Rushton/Getty Images

Banners draped from the balcony read "Millers Point Not 4 Sale" and "Communities Not Commodities".

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Tayce, a 27-year-old squatter who declined to give her last name, said the eviction was a "farce".

"I'm homeless - there are so many people on the waiting list for [public] housing and this house was empty for two years," she said.
"There is nothing wrong with the house, it's beautiful. I don't think houses should be sitting empty."
The house was connected to electricity and, despite a bit of mould, was otherwise "amazing", Tayce said.

About four squatters had occupied the terrace house after finding the back door unlocked and the property empty. Squatters are also known to be occupying other homes in the area.

Scores of properties at Millers Point are lying idle as the government embarks on a two-year program to evict public housing tenants and sell hundreds of homes.

The first four sales well exceeded price guides and netted the government $11.1 million.

The government says the homes are too expensive to maintain, and sale proceeds will be reinvested into the social housing system. However, welfare advocates question why all properties must be sold, rather than letting some elderly and long-time residents stay on in the area.

Housing groups have also called on the government to ensure the proceeds are used to build new social housing in inner Sydney areas.

Millers Point: a community under the hammer

Millers Point community spokesman Barney Gardner said the squatters evicted on Tuesday had not caused a nuisance, and should have been allowed to stay until the property was ready for sale.

"The property has been vacant for some time and will remain vacant for some time. These people ... are not damaging the property, they are just living there," he said.

"They haven't had anywhere to live and now they are being turfed out on the street again."

It is understood no charges will be laid, because the squatters left voluntarily.

Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich said the vacant properties at Millers Point "should have been used to house people in need".
He said public housing residents had previously raised concerns about other squatters, however the government was only taking action now the sell-off had begun.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Family and Community Services said the Argyle Place home had been vacant since late 2011 "and is being prepared for sale".

"The government has continued to carefully monitor the safety and security of vacant Millers Point properties and any illegal occupancy or squatting will continue to be subject to action by NSW Police," she said.

RESOURCED: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/squatters-evicted-from-millers-point-20140916-10hkt8.html

NSW Government criticised for secrecy over public housing proceeds

Nicole Hasham  September 19, 2014

The NSW government has refused to tell taxpayers how it will spend hundreds of millions of dollars reaped from the Millers Point public housing sell off, despite a parliamentary inquiry expressing concern over the cloak of secrecy.
It comes amid a continuing furore over the controversial sale, which Labor MP Amanda Fazio on Thursday likened to social cleansing in Nazi Germany.

The government has collected $11.1 million from the first four property sales. A further 289 properties are yet to go under the hammer, including 79 apartments in the Sirius building at The Rocks.



Amanda Fazio

The sales program is on track to inject more than $500 million into the government's coffers, but Community Services Minister Gabrielle Upton has refused to say exactly how the windfall will be spent, saying only it will be returned "back into the social housing system".

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A crossbench parliamentary inquiry into social, public and affordable housing this month found the spending detail provided by the government was inadequate.

The government says the sale will relieve taxpayers of high maintenance costs and rental subsidies, and help alleviate the long wait for public housing.

However, the absence of both economic modelling and an up-to-date public housing policy has stoked fears the proceeds will be used to fill a gaping hole in the public housing maintenance budget, rather than building much-needed new dwellings.

The inquiry's committee, dominated by conservative MPs, was "dissatisfied" that the government could not say what proportion of Millers Point and Sirius sales proceeds would be used on new housing supply.

Millers Point: a community under the hammer


It called on the government to invest the proceeds from all public housing sales into a fund dedicated to building new homes.

When selling multi-unit properties in Sydney such as the Sirius building it said the government should also require the buyer to allocate at least 10 per cent of all dwellings to social, public and affordable housing.

Figures show the present social housing waiting list of 58,000 households will blow out to at least 86,000 by 2016. The report reiterated concerns by the NSW Auditor-General last year that selling public housing to fill a budget shortfall was "not financially sustainable".

Labor MP Sophie Cotsis, a member of the committee, said offloading properties to fund a maintenance backlog was "like selling your house to pay off your credit card".

Ms Fazio said in the NSW upper house on Thursday the government had failed to produce a plan to solve the public housing crisis after more than three years in office.

She described the Millers Point sale as "a bizarre social experiment ... eradicating a whole suburb", adding "it's not much different to some of the eugenic stuff that was being practised in Germany in the 1930s".

Ms Upton said the Millers Point sale would provide "more homes for more people", describing Ms Fazio's comments as "abhorrent".

She said the government was examining the inquiry's 41 recommendations, but did not say what proportion of sale proceeds would be used to build more homes.

RESOURCED: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-government-criticised-for-secrecy-over-public-housing-proceeds-20140918-10ikc2.html

PICTURES Millers Point Save Our Homes

‎Save Our Homes - Millers Point, Dawes Point & The Rocks

Yesterday there was a showing. We weren't allowed to see this public assett- by appointment only. Notice the yellow hard hat? All potential buyers were asked to wear one for their own protection. The tenant had only just moved out! It amazes me how safety assurances are determined by a cheque book.

‎Save Our Homes - Millers Point, Dawes Point & The Rocks

This was half the number of police officers brought down to remove our peaceful neighbours.

‎Save Our Homes - Millers Point, Dawes Point & The Rocks

Sadly, our new neighbours are being asked to leave. We enjoyed the security of knowing it wasn't being used as a crack house.

Save Our Homes - Millers Point, Dawes Point & The Rocks and like this.

Save Our Homes - Millers Point, Dawes Point & The Rocks
Minister Upton quoted recently talking about the importance of homes and community, not just bricks and mortar. Why doesn't this apply to Millers Point as well!?!





Save Our Homes - Millers Point, Dawes Point & The Rocks
Anyone have refuting statements at hand or any info on Ms Briggs AO







Save Our Homes - Millers Point, Dawes Point & The Rocks

Please share FOR SALE !! ATTENTION!!! Unframed Original Art Work by Sydney's cultural ambassador and all round top geezer Reg Mombassa Im going to keep boosting this every day organically .If you care share .If you dont,we just dont want to hear any of your parrot spin of misinformation. Say it again!!FOR SALE !! ATTENTION!!! Unframed Original Art Work by Sydney's cultural ambassador and all round... top geezer Reg Mombassa .All proceeds from sale to go towards Millers Point residents fighting fund.The artist tells me a piece this big A4 size coloured pencil and charcoal in the gallery would sell for anything between $1300 and $1500. Should the buyer ever choose to resell. I'm sure a piece with the historical provenance this piece carries.On resale would go for a lot more. The residents committee has already been offered $1000 for the work. Msg me with your offer . Get in ahead of the e bay rush.It is lined up to go to auction on e bay in three days time. Starting e bay bid $1000

Millers Point scandal just the tip of the iceberg

17th Sept 2014   Peter Mac

The NSW coalition government is suspected of having “underquoted” the anticipated sale price of two publicly-owned Millers Point houses this month to benefit the small group of buyers specially selected by the government to attend the private auction.

The government intends to sell another 292 Millers Point houses, and to relocate more than 300 public housing tenants who occupy them.

The intention of deliberately underquoting is to reduce competition and deter interest, and this may be assisted by collusion between the buyers. The price guide for one Miller Point house was $1.3 million, but it sold at $1.9 million, and one real estate agent has claimed that the bidding should have reached at least $2.5 million.

Labor opposition housing spokesperson Sophie Cotsis called for a halt to the sales and an official inquiry into the auction, to which she was denied entry.

The government intends to sell another 292 Millers Point houses, and to relocate more than 300 public housing tenants who occupy them, but it hasn’t prepared a plan for the relocation. Ms Cotsis remarked: “The government says they will build more [social housing], but where?”

Ms Cotsis also described the government’s plan to “sell an entire suburb” without proper economic planning as incompetent. However, selling the houses within the 18 month time frame would undoubtedly drive prices down, suiting potential purchasers very nicely.

The houses, which enjoy fabulous harbour views and proximity to the city and nightlife, have long been coveted by the real estate market, but members of the Millers Point community have close personal relationships, and the area has deep significance for them.

Many of the families have lived there since the early 19th century. They helped build the Harbour Bridge, survived the Great Depression, fought in the First and Second World Wars, and were involved in the Builders’ Labourers’ 1970s green bans which saved the early buildings in the Rocks from demolition.

But the government refuses to acknowledge that public housing funding is inadequate, or that the forcible relocation of a community of 300 people over eighteen months is an act of social vandalism.

Instead, it is arguing that by selling the houses the residents currently occupy it could build many times more with the proceeds of sale. But the proceeds would be partly offset by the cost of re-housing the residents, and the remainder would simply be returned to consolidated revenue, rather than being dedicated to increasing the public housing stock.

A Harbour virus

The Millers Point battle is just one of many struggles being waged over the Sydney Harbour foreshores.

Post-WW2 industrial relocation provided great opportunities for sympathetic redevelopment, including the foreshores of the former Callan Park Asylum and adjacent sites, which were adapted to form the Bay Walk, now treasured by local residents and visitors.

However, the development industry is now overriding the public interest. The most spectacular example is the gross overdevelopment of Barangaroo, the former stevedoring area immediately west of the city on Darling Harbour.

The government also proposes to redevelop the old White Bay power station and adjacent industrial areas, probably with as great a site density as at Barangaroo, but on a site four times larger, and to build new hotel and entertainment facilities within the Royal Botanic Gardens and Sydney Domain.

And now it wants to form a new agency to create a “strategic vision” for the foreshores extending from the Bays Precinct and Darling Harbour west of the Bridge to Millers Point, the Rocks, Circular Quay and the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The Sydney Harbour Foreshores Authority currently oversees development of that area, and owns more than $1 billion in publicly-owned real estate there. The cabinet is considering abolishing the Authority, and has asked a committee of the heads of government departments to report on the Authority’s future.

The government has already placed its property development agency Urban Growth in charge of the Bays Precinct. Shadow Opposition spokesperson on planning, Luke Foley observed: “… government policy concerning the Sydney Harbour foreshore seems to be directed at development and commercialisation rather than developing the public realm”.

He’s right. Developers lobby group Urban Taskforce is campaigning for sale of government foreshore land in the Bays Precinct and elsewhere. It wants the private sector to take over Harbour events now managed by the Foreshore Authority, and to act as landlord and strategic planner for public foreshore lands.

Urban Taskforce CEO Chris Johnson commented: “… we are most concerned that some organisations have suggested that all [foreshore] lands must remain in public use”. He urged the government to “ensure development opportunities are fully explored, including the Bays Precinct”, adding: “The government should also consider selling [its] buildings within the Rocks …”

He remarked: “It would appear that [the review] is only related to the urban parts of the foreshore and this needs clarification”. Developers are very interested in largely undeveloped former Defence lands at Chowder Bay, Georges Heights, Middle Head, North Head, Neutral Bay, Cockatoo and Snapper Islands, Watsons Bay and the Woolwich dock.

Those areas are currently managed by the NSW government’s Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. But the government now requires the Trust to operate like a commercial entity, funding maintenance or remediation of these sites itself.

The Trust’s dwindling financial resources have effectively overridden its responsibility to “provide a lasting legacy for the people of Australia by helping to create the finest foreshore park in the world and provide places that will greatly enrich the cultural life of the city and the nation.”

The minutes of a recent Trust board meeting noted: “The Trust will be focusing on its core business – leasing – in the coming months”. The NSW Trade and Investment office in Shanghai recently advertised North Head and Middle Head sites for long term lease and “unique development opportunities”.

It declared that the sites’ unspoiled settings and wonderful harbour views offered great potential for development, including construction of a boutique hotel.

After a public uproar the Trust withdrew the advertisement, but the incident vividly illustrates the government’s intention to privatise its foreshores operations and sell off or lease public land.

The big developers’ greed in exploiting the remaining undeveloped or redundant industrial sites could well bring about the destruction of the Harbour’s exquisite beauty and unique character.

 

Next article – Exploitation ratchets up


RESOURCED: http://www.cpa.org.au/guardian/2014/1656/06-millers-point-scandal.html

No surrender for Millers Point public housing tenants as picnic draws big show of support

James Gorman September 15, 2014



Kingtide performs at the Millers Point Spring Picnic.

Hundreds  gathered in Millers Point on Sunday to celebrate the spirit of a community which won’t surrender its homes without a fight.
Months of hard work paid off when the embattled public housing community hosted a picnic to raise awareness about the forced sell-off of their homes.
More than 400 people from across the country made the trip to the historic precinct along with key personnel who gave heartfelt speeches to remind local residents they had not been forgotten.



A sign of defiance at Millers Point. Source: News Corp Australia

    



The NSW Police Band lets rip

.

Despite the State Government having already accumulated more than $11 million in revenue from the sale of four historic properties, the Millers Point community have not given up hope their generational homes could still be saved.

CITY DONATES $10K FOR MILLERS POINT PICNIC

Local resident Barney Gardner said he was overwhelmed by the support the picnic received.
“The atmosphere was amazing,” he said. “We had out meeting in the hall, where Clover Moore, Alex Greenwich and Irene Doutney were just some of the people who made speeches.

“Each speaker had a Q & A afterwards and there were a few tongue-in-cheek jokes, so everyone had a laugh.



Artist Jane Bennett. Source: News Corp Australia

   

Tigerlily Gledhill contemplates a move.

 

     “For the people who came along there was plenty of entertainment and you could see everyone having fun and enjoying the weather.

“For the people who live here it was great to have a day where we could just relax and have fun and not worry about everything that’s happening.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Should the Millers Point community keep fighting? Tell us your thoughts below

“We had visitors who made the trip up from Victoria and … Queensland.

“These were people who grew up in Millers Point and moved out but still came back to show their support.”

Making a point. Source: News Corp Australia

    

The Reg Mombassa-designed fighting symbol. Source: News Corp Australia

   

Mr Gardner said it was time for the State Government to disclose how it would be spending the millions of dollars already accumulated from the sale of Millers Point properties.

“The government has already raised about $11 million from the sale of four properties so what we want to know is when is the first spread of soil going to be turned and where exactly are they building these new properties they have promised us,” he said.

“We have been promised that every cent from these sales will go back into social housing so we want to know how it is going to be spent.”
THE LATEST SALES


● Two more Millers Point properties were sold last week at a closed door auction by McGrath Estate Agents
● The historic properties sold for a combined net value of just over $6.6 million

 

RESOURCED: http://m.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/city-east/no-surrender-for-millers-point-public-housing-tenants-as-picnic-draws-big-show-of-support/story-fngr8h22-1227060262716

Sydney's instant multimillion dollar suburb: Terraces in rundown Millers Point selling for twice the expected price... the latest for $3.95million is a new record

 13 September 2014   May Slater

An old housing commission terrace in Sydney's Millers Point has set a new record in the historic inner city suburb, selling for $3.95 million at a secret night-time auction.
 

The Victorian-era five-bedroom house 'Ballara' is the fourth of 293 state-owned houses to go under the hammer in a government plan to sell off public housing and relocate 600 housing tenants.
 

The sale price was much larger than expected. Buyers were given an estimate of $2.7 million in marketing material handed out before the auction, Property Observer reports.

11 Fort Street in Millers Point sold for $3.95 million last night, setting a new record for terraces in the suburb

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Built in 1879, 'Ballara' is one of several recent heritage listings along Lower Fort Street, which runs from the Sydney harbour foreshore at Dawes Point up to Observatory Hill in the city's historic the Rocks district.
 

With prime views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and easy access to the tourist hot-spot the Rocks, the terraces are hotly sought after by developers. The first heritage-listed home at 119 Kent Street recently went under the hammer for $1.9million. The second at 23 Lower Fort Street sold for $2.685million.

 

More...

• Next group of Millers Point properties up for grabs … for more than $4.3 million
• From poor house to the penthouse: Second historic Millers Point property sells for $2.56 million... more than $1 MILLION over reserve

The sales have delivered a windfall to the New South Wales government of more than $11million so far, with two more properties - 86 Windmill Street and 30 Argyle Place - due to be sold in the coming weeks, according to the NSW Office of Finance and Services.

 

The old Millers Point social housing terraces command some of Sydney's best harbour views

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But the State government's mass relocation of public housing residents has triggered claims of economic cleaning in the inner city area, and Thursday night's auction saw around 40 Millers Point residents turn up to voice their complaints.
 

Barney Gardner from the Rocks Public Housing Tenants Group said the heritage of Sydney's first neighbourhood will be lost with the sales.
 

'They're not only selling the bricks and mortar of the area, they're selling our history and our heritage,' he told the Daily Mail.
 

'The thing we're really angry about is the fact that some of these properties have been vacant for so many years, some for as many as seven  years,' he said. 'The property in Kent St has been vacant for the last three years - meanwhile we have all these people sleeping rough on the streets who could have had a roof over their heads.
 

'I call it 'eviction by dereliction,' he said. 'We've been asking to get work done on these places for so many years and they wouldn't do it, now they're making repairs because they're going to make some money of their own.'

No Surrender: A mural at Lower Fort Street protesting the NSW government's moves to sell off social housing and evict 600 residents at Millers Point

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The Georgian terrace 'Tarra' sold for $2.68 million, almost double its forecast value

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The Minister for Family and Community Services, Gabrielle Upton, says the sale of the Millers Point properties will return hundreds of millions of dollars to the public housing system to help the 58,000 people currently on the housing waiting list.
 

'This is all about reinvesting money back into the public housing system by selling properties that are very costly to maintain,' Ms Upton said. 'The age and heritage nature of the Millers Point properties mean they often cost four times as much to maintain as the average social housing property.'
 

The government says that for every house sold in Millers Point, it can build three houses elsewhere.

The old social housing terraces in Millers Point occupy prime foreshore land and are within walking distance to the historic Rocks precinct

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Some of the Millers Point terraces being sold-off have been vacant for at least three years

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Mr Gardner said the elevated prices being received for the properties raises suspicions.
 

'How can you undervalue a place by half to a million dollars? One real estate agent told me that if a place goes for 10 - 20 per cent more than it is valued at, that's buyer excitement - but if it goes for 80 - 90% more than expected? Something's wrong,' he says.
 

A spokesperson for the NSW Office of Finance and Services, who are managing the terrace sales, says the price guide is set by the sales agents.
 

'They're set by market feedback, obviously there's not a lot of market detail for these kind of properties in the precinct that haven't been sold for 100 years - so the agents are going by what buyers have told them,' he told the Daily Mail.

This property at 86 Windmill Street will go to auction later this month

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Mr Gardner said he and at least 200 other Millers Point residents who have been issued with eviction notices will 'fight this to the end.'

 

'We're in a lot of talks with the opposition at the moment. Labour says they'll stop the sale if they get into government, they're formulating a housing policy and have asked for our input,' he said.
 

'It's hard for some of the more elderly people here, they don't have the energy, but I'll fight this to the end, it's my home. '

RESOURCED: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2754322/Rundown-Millers-Point-terraces-double-price-fourth-terrace-sold-sets-suburb-record.html

An alternative way forward for social housing in Millers Point and the Rocks

In March 2014, the NSW Government announced that it proposed to sell 293 properties in Millers Point, Gloucester Street and the Sirius building in The Rocks as part of a social housing divestment plan to provide an upfront cash injection to the Land and Housing Corporation. The government identified the reasons for sale as being ‘the high cost of maintenance, significant investment required to improve properties to an acceptable standard, and high potential sale values.’

SGS Economics and Planning prepared an independent report at the invitation of the Miller’s Point Community Group to review the government’s plan. The report uses a cost benefit analysis framework to argue that a more strategic approach to social housing properties in Millers Point and the Rocks may result in a better economic and social outcomes for NSW as a whole.

SGS suggests retaining a mixed community by providing a range of private, affordable, social and aged care housing by retaining at least some social housing in the area.

Failing to provide opportunities for people on lower incomes to live in well-serviced, accessible and job-rich areas, like inner Sydney, has an impact on the city’s overall productivity and global competitiveness.

Although a mixed community will provide less cash upfront for the Land and Housing Corporation, the report argues it will have improved outcomes for NSW as a whole. These include:

• Enabling workers on lower incomes to live closer to employment opportunities. This allows them to access a deeper jobs pool within community distance and more easily improve their skills.
• Making it easier for firms in the inner city to fill lower paid positions, such as cleaners and childcare workers
• Providing housing for ‘key workers’ essential to the city’s functioning, such as police, nurses and teachers, which could have an effect on the tourism, hospitality and education sectors.
• Addressing the mismatch between the locations of cheaper housing and employment in Sydney, which affects lower income families, especially women.

Various levels of government, both in Australia and overseas, are increasingly designing policies with the aim of developing mixed communities.

SGS’s report contains a number of recommendations for an alternative approach to social housing in the inner city:

• Maintaining some, rather than all, social housing in the area. The most appropriate properties to retain will be those with low maintenance costs that are purpose-built as social housing.
• Replace all lost social housing stock within the inner city area, rather than relocating it to areas with poor services and accessibility.
• Invest in a purpose-built facility to house elderly long-term residents of the area to allow these residents to age in place and maintain their links to the community.
• Increase the amount of affordable housing in the area to cater for lower-income workers essential to the city’s function.
• Offer long term leases to the market, rather than selling properties outright. This will allow the NSW government to keep their options open about how to use the properties in the future.

Read the full report here.
For more information contact Patrick Fensham, National Leader for Urban and Regional Planning.


SEE FULL REPORTS:  http://www.sgsep.com.au/assets/Millers-Point-Final-Report.pdf


RESOURCED: http://www.sgsep.com.au/news/an-alternative-way-forward-for-social-housing-in-millers-point-and-the-rocks-/

Millers Point Spring Picnic

Event:  SUNDAY 14/09/2014

Join the celebration at Millers Point Spring Picnic

"Trodden but not down, battered but not beaten, shunned but not forgotten."

Millers Point history and its community began on 1788 where it was first occupied for thousands of years by the Cadigal Aboriginal tribe. 

Initially white settlers were deterred by its muddy and rugged shores but the place proved to be ideal for windmills. Three wooden mills were run by an ex-convict named John Leighton. The area was originally called Jack the Millers Point then later Millers Point.

Coves and Wharves were built around Millers Point circa 1800 when space around Sydney had become scarce. It brought merchants, wharf owners, ship captains, and labourers. The commercial activities and the gold rush brought prosperities to Millers Point.

 

 

Workers were mainly male and came from different countries. The centre of activities were mostly around the wharves but work was seasonal and irregular.

In the early 1900's bubonic plague hit Sydney. It was carried by rats from ships that docked the area. Arthur Payne was the first known infected person. He was a van driver from Millers Point.

The state government took control of the waterfront including Millers Point and has since owned and administered the suburb.

It was the year 1914 when World War 1 broke out, disrupting the growth of Millers Point. A hundred of Millers Point workers were unemployed. Hickson road became known as the "The Hungry Mile". Families shared whatever food, clothing and money they had.

But the economy improved and development from the post-war era meant work at the wharves became regular.

By then The Maritime Services Board oversaw the management of the housing estate. Tenancies were passed down from one family to another hence cementing the spirit among the community throughout the generations to come.

Neighbour's became someone else's Aunty or Uncle. Brotherhood and sisterhood among peers are common.

Children were free to roam the streets and everyone looked out for each other.

In the 60's and 70's the construction boom hit Sydney. The Rocks re-development threatened to force out the public housing estate. Darling Harbour and The rocks became a tourist destination putting great pressure on Millers Point.

Housing NSW took control from The Maritime Services Board.
The Carr government in 2003 announced that work around the Port would end and the historic wharves adjacent to Millers Point would be turned into a precinct now called Barangaroo.

By 2006 the Iemma labour government announced the 99 year lease of 16 Millers Point properties, then was sold two years later saying the revenue will contribute to the housing budget.

Supposedly a one-off, but in 2010 a further 20 properties were sold off for more than $1 million each.

On March 2014, The O'Farrell government announced that 300 public housing will be sold off at Millers Point, The Rocks and Gloucester Street - hence the re-location of the tenants.

So where does that leave the generations of families that made up this close knit community?

It could have easily become a scene from a movie called Road to Perdition or The People's Power Revolution.

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Instead hundreds of Millers Point residents took to the streets and crammed a community hall to discuss the eviction to no avail. It's a case of David and Goliath.

The anger that seethes in the heart at being told to leave your home is unfathomable. How can you explain to your grandma or grandpa that they have no homes and will be shifted to some unfamiliar territory. For some it could mean a death sentence.

On July 2014, the government had announced the sale of the first six heritage properties. Similar free-hold properties are said to be sold for at least $3 million each. Millers Point is deemed to become one of the most exclusive suburbs in Sydney.

For this formidable close-knit community, the battle to keep their heritage is not yet over. To show their solidarity, express their renewed strength and to celebrate the people that carved an important part to this historic nation, a picnic event will be held at the Community Centre & Argyle Place Millers Point and everyone is invited.

The expansive greenery will be littered with market stalls, mural art and art displays. There will be live music, motivational speakers, garden games, stories, dancing, face painting and more.

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It will be a celebration of survival, resilience and being a strong and proud Australian. That in spite of adversities they will rise and will never be forgotten.

Let's mark the 14th of September 2014 on our calendar and with our loved ones in tow, let's head to Millers Point, and give our support, join the celebration of life and heritage with the community of Miller's Point.

The event starts from 10AM till 4PM.

RESOURCED: http://www.weekendnotes.com/millers-point-spring-picnic/81996/ 

The five reasons why Millers Point prices are red hot, as terrace record hits $3.95 million

Jonathan Chancellor | 12 September 2014




A Millers Point property at 11 Lower Fort Street set a new suburb terrace record, selling for $3.95 million at auction last night.

The five bedroom home had been listed at more than $2.6 million, then $2.7 million in published marketing ahead of the auction.

The sale price was at the higher end of the onthehouse moderate guess range: $3,525,000 - $3,975,000.

The second Millers Point offering at 23 Lower Fort Street sold for $2,685,000.

The smaller four bedroom home was tipped to fetch more than $1.7 million.

The two Millers Point terraces were sold off by the NSW state government.

The 11 Lower Fort Street, Ballara (pictured above), was a five bedroom, four level offering.

The other property at 23 Lower Fort Street (pictured below) was the 1830 Georgian town home, Tarra which boasts an impressive frontage and captures views of the Opera House.

A Government Property NSW spokesperson advised Property Observer that prior to being listed on the market the properties in Millers Point were individually valued by an independent qualified valuer who has no involvement with the sales process. 

Valuations were done on the basis of a freehold sale and current condition.  

The sales agents were not provided with the valuations. 

"The price guides are set by agents based on market feedback," the spokesperson said.  




There had been just the two prior freehold sales, topping out at $2.56 million, with both sales causing headlines as the sale prices were also well above the privately offered price guidance.  

A survey of agents by Property Observer suggests the initial four sales to date - that will assist in setting the market - were a result of the the combined circumstances, including:

• The somewhat dramatic recent overall market price improvement;
• The massive media exposure arising from the state government's decision to sell;
• The emerging Barangaroo effect;
• The big price difference between the prior 2009-2011 leasehold offerings (see published prices below) and the current freehold offerings;
• Australia's aversion to leasehold.

The first state-owned property at Millers Point at 119 Kent Street was the first of the pinpointed 293 public housing properties to be sold off at Millers Point and The Rocks.

Leasehold prices achieved during Labor state government sell off between 2009-2011 included:

MILLERS POINT	44 Argyle Place	$1,255,000
MILLERS POINT	56 Argyle Place	$1,100,000
MILLERS POINT	119 Kent Street	$1,070,000
MILLERS POINT	121 Kent Street	$980,000
MILLERS POINT	71 Kent Street	$950,000
MILLERS POINT	94 Kent Street	$2,365,000
MILLERS POINT	22 Lower Fort Street	$1,400,000
MILLERS POINT	88 Windmill Street	$1,100,000

Fairfax Media recently suggested the previous record price for a house in Millers Point was set in 2009 when a freehold home on Lower Fort Street sold for $3.05 million.

It now carries an onthehouse estimate of $4,758,800 - $5,366,800 were it to return to the market by its private vendor.

RESORCED: http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/forward-planning/advice-and-hot-topics/title-tattle/35575-the-five-reasons-why-millers-point-prices-are-red-hot-as-terrace-record-hits-3-95-million.html