how Redfern will be reborn?

It will be good to keep a close eye on this as there are a number of different possible opportunites.

Allthough, I heard Frank Sartor on the radio this morning greatly downplaying the proposal that was written about in the papers. He seems to be very politically aware of the possibility of a huge fuss from the residents of The Block which may utlimately temper the extent of any development, if it gets up at all.

Clint

PropertyGuRu,
Now’s your chance to be brave,grab you’re deposits and charge off to Redfern on a buying splurge.
Would you be interested? Now that “the plan” has been announced.It could be the time to buy.
There are parts of Redfern I wanted to snap up two years ago, but nothing came of it.
I still like the idea of owning Redfern property.
But not near the BLOCK. Plus away from GREEN SQ.
That is an ugly sight.
There are some top streets hidden in that suburb.

bruham. [withstupid]

Lucifer_au,
Private developers should be wary of public housing close to where they’re out to make a killing. Remember years ago,when you first thought of buying a investment property.Dad would caution you about buying near “housing Commission suburbs”. Well,it still goes,so developers will be examining exactly how much will be public housing.
I drive through Green Square every week.And I can tell you that,that place is a disaster.And it’s only quarter finished.And it’s all private development,no public housing near it.
Just my thought.

bruham. [withstupid]

I don’t think you guys know much about these areas.

Redfern might have a lot going for it but it has one huge problem – CRIME!

The locals will never go, the shops will never remove their steel bars and roller shutters and you will never be able to walk down the street at night and feel safe. Walking around the shops in the day time is bad enough.

Redfern (and Glebe as I saw it mentioned) are designated ‘crime spots’ by the NSW Police. We all saw the Redfern riots. I was even caught up in a huge riot in 1998 when the locals went nuts over the 200 year Aussie celebrations. It was not a pretty sight.

Designated ‘crime spots’ mean that you can’t even park on the side of a street if the police tell you to leave.

One experience of mine…

I stopped on Glebe Point Road once at the 7/11, dodged the kiddie criminals that congregate there and harrass and mug a lot of people passing by, refused giving cigarettes to two kids who looked about 10 years old (mind you, it was 2am on a Wednesday), bought a coke and went back to my car to have a coke, a smoke and a smile while reading a criminal law book that I was studying.

The genius policeman pulled up alongside me and asked me to leave. I told him I would leave when I was ready. He told me that if I didn’t leave, I would be fined $200 for not following police direction. I responded by saying you don’t have the power. He said we have power under the ‘move along direction’ regulations and the fact that the area was a designated ‘crime spot’.

Many here know that I love a good debate so I responded with “I don’t see any signs telling me this is a ‘crime spot’ and if you want to fine me under your weak ‘move along direction’ powers (and I use the term loosely), I said go for it. I also told him that I was going nowhere until I finished my coke and my smoke and I smiled at him.

Anyway, he got out of his car getting all aggressive at me so I told him to go and tell the ten year olds to go home and disburse the gang that was hanging outside the 7/11 not 20 metres away. When I said do some real police work, he became furious. I then got out of my car and he saw what I was reading. It is amazing how quick his tone changed.

Anyway, the end result was that I did not leave until I was ready and the police never sent me a fine. I later looked at the powers he tried to use on me and it only applied to drug dealers and the like. I would have got off in any case.

My point…

These areas are so bad and the police are so frustrated that there is no longer any freedom except for the bad element. They get charged and then put back on the street to cause further havoc. The police approach honest citizens with contempt and out of frustration and not being able to get anything done without fear of reprimand or prosecution.

If the laws are changed to provide the police and the courts with stronger powers, then these areas will change for the better. Until such time as this happens, Redfern, Glebe, etc will always be a designated ‘crime spot’!

Robert Bou-Hamdan
Mortgage Adviser

0414 347 771
[email protected]
http://www.mortgagepackaging.com.au

FREE Finance-Related Newsletter – Click Here

Comments made are of a general nature and should not be construed as individual advice.
© 2004 Mortgage Packaging Pty Ltd

Robert, Glebe is not a crime spot anymore. Or if it is it doesn’t matter. You cannot get a 2br terrace there for less than 600k. It is now a mega yuppie zone.

I used to live in Redfern, on Abercrombie street, in the 80’s. Crime was MUCH worse then, but even then it was over-rated. I enjoyed living there and had no major problems (ok, my car got broken into once). I had a look there recently and it has been significantly gentirfied with new appartment blocks and the bad zone is now considered to be just around the train station and some areas of waterloo. Whereas before it was considered the whole suburb. Young professionals are moving in and you are hard pressed to find a 2br terrace for less than 500k anywhere except within a few streets of the block.

It is obvious that it will be gentrified further. It is true that residences near housing commission areas are marked down. But you can get supranormal returns if you procur the propery before the housing commission flats go as the area gets re-rated. Of course if the HC places stay for longer than you expected then this is the risk you take. In the case of Redfern I don’t think anyone really expects the block to be around in a decade or two.

Even if the block stays it doesn’t matter all that much, the area will probably become like kings cross/darlinghurst – inner city, cool and a bit of crimey. I used to live in darlinghurst also and felt less safe there than in redfern as there were a lot of homeless people and druggies. That hasn’t stopped it from becoming a yuppie suburb with gentrification move spreading from paddington.

Eveleigh Street!!!

Just kidding…

fjficm, just touching on what you said, standing up for ourselves is our right and I often chose to exercise it. Don’t get me wrong, walking away is always better. The story was about an area, not a risk though. I have never been approached in Coogee and asked to leave and there are quite a few gangs hanging around the area these days. One guy got stabbed and died last year outside McDonalds.

There are problems everywhere! They just seem to be more concentrated in Redfern and Glebe. Take out Eveleigh Street and things will get better quickly. Eveleigh Street is the portal between the two areas.

Regarding helping someone in trouble, instead of just calling the police for them, how about yelling out somethng like the police are coming so the criminal might stop hurting the person instead of letting them get beaten until the police show up 2 hours later? Just an idea.

Robert Bou-Hamdan
Mortgage Adviser

0414 347 771
[email protected]
http://www.mortgagepackaging.com.au

FREE Finance-Related Newsletter – Click Here

Comments made are of a general nature and should not be construed as individual advice.
© 2004 Mortgage Packaging Pty Ltd

I know people in Perth will sit up and laugh when I say EAST PERTH! (A bloody goldmine had you known what you know now, then!)

East Perth was an area rampant with crime, drugs and seriously bad houses. It was ear marked for gentrification early 90’s and since then it is now the “IN” place to live. TO drive through East Perth now, you wouldn’t think it could have been that bad, but 15 years ago I reckon it would have been close to what Redfern was like.

I’ve never been through Redfern but my cousin lives in Sydney and that’s what he’s told me.

Steph.

Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.