What a transformation: Minto One hailed a big success

In the year 2000 a big part of Minto – east of Pembroke Road – was a rundown housing commission estate with intractable social problems.

It was one of several major housing commission enclaves built within Campbelltown in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

And while many of the people who lived in those estates were hard working, law abiding citizens, they were overshadowed by the drug pushers and other petty criminals.

Campbelltown came to be characterised by outsiders as a housing commission town beset by massive social problems.

Indeed property prices across the town were stagnant for almost two decades as this poor reputation – justified or not – gained traction.

Something had to give and fortunately the powers to be listened to the experts who advised in a feasibility study that the ratio of housing commission stock to private housing had to be scaled back dramatically.

In 2002, the $120 million Minto Renewal Project – also known as One Minto – was born.

The plan was to knock down – in stages – the dilapidated housing commission homes and replace them with a 70-30 ratio.

That’s 70 percent private and 30 percent retained for affordable housing.

The Minto project is now almost complete, 11 years after work actually started, in 2006.

And as far as the “mayor of Minto’’ Cr Darcy Lound is concerned the best part of the whole deal was that the good residents of the old Minto estate have now returned to live in the 30 per cent of affordable housing stock.

Cr Lound, 44, who has lived in Minto for 37 years, says he’s “over the moon’’ with the outcome.

“I am so pleased that this was part of the arrangement and they looked after those good people who lived here before the renewal and now they too can enjoy the wonderful new Minto,’’ Cr Darcy said.

“It’s an incredible transformation what’s happened here at Minto,’’ he says.

A report to be tabled at Campbelltown Council’s public meeting on Tuesday night says the project delivered a $10.46 million windfall for the council, which provided around 21 hectares of land – or one fifth of the total area to be redeveloped.

The project also delivered an estimated $40 million in new public assets to replace the existing infrastructure, which was near the end of its economic life, says the report.

“It’s great that council has made a nice profit but for me the most important benefit has been the social dividend from Minto being revitalised and all the good facilities such as great parks and community centres that were built,’’ says Cr Darcy.

“That’s the most pleasing thing.’’

A councillor who was around when the renewal project was being put together – and backed it – was Bob Thompson.

He agrees with Cr Darcy that the outcome has been entirely positive.

“Oh yes, a great result in Minto, it has lifted up the whole place,’’ Cr Thompson said.

“What it has done is made Minto a better place altogether and everyone has benefitted.’’

The report to council says the project delivered 1,248 dwellings including 875 private lots and 373 public dwellings (including 120 Seniors Living Units).

♦ Minto One boasts:

• an attractive residential community, with a mixture of housing types, tenures and affordability, while integrating the estate with surrounding neighbourhoods;

• improved accessibility by removing private access-ways and walkways;

• new local road and storm water networks and a public cycleway;

• new $2.6m multi-purpose community facility building (Ron Moore Community Centre);

• provision of new parks, such as the relocation and reconstruction of Townson Oval (Benham Reserve), Redfern Park, Valley Vista Reserve, Kyngmount Reserve;

• reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour;

• greater social integration of the community.

The word on the street is that Minto residents also enjoy reduced insurance premiums because of the decline in crime.

In 2010 the One Minto project was a winner of the Urban Taskforce Award and the Affordable Development Category at the NSW UDIA Awards.

But long before that it had become the way forward for all of the housing commission estates in Campbelltown.

That is why Airds and Claymore are currently undergoing a renewal process similar to Minto.