Crown and Baptist
Streets Village
Summary Report
2012
City of Sydney Floor Space and Employment Survey
City of Sydney
Town Hall House
456 Kent Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Crown and Baptist Streets Village
Introduction
The City of Sydney undertakes its comprehensive Floor Space and Employment Survey (FES) every
five years to coincide with the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Census of Population and Housing.
The latest FES is the second to encompass those areas amalgamated into the City of Sydney from
the former South Sydney and Leichhardt Councils in 2004, and allows the City of Sydney to
investigate and report on changes in workforce, businesses and floor space across Surveys.
The FES collects data on all businesses, floor space uses and employment numbers for every
building or property within the City of Sydney local government area (LGA). It provides a snapshot
of the built form, land uses and economic activity of the City of Sydney every five years. The field
data captured for the current Survey was undertaken during 2012.
The data collection phase of the FES involves field surveyors visiting every business in the City of
Sydney to determine what industry the business is in, how many workers are in each business, and
the floor space use of each business through visual inspection and the use of existing floor space.
Information for various capacity measures such as quantity of seating, parking, rooms and units are
also collected. Residential uses are only surveyed from the street and validated by checking
existing floor plans. The data is entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS) database to
allow 2- and 3-dimensional mapping, analysis and reporting.
The data is used by both internal and external stakeholders as a basis for strategic planning, policy
formulation, business development and forecasting.
The Crown and Baptist Streets Village is located in
the central part of the LGA. The area includes the
majority of the suburb of Surry Hills and parts of
Redfern and Moore Park. It is bounded by Campbell
Street in the north, Phillip Street in the south, Anzac
Parade to the east and Chalmers Street to the west
(see Figure 1).
The Crown and Baptist Streets Village contains a
mixture of low rise residential terrace housing, with
high rise developments occurring in the north, and
high rise public housing in the south. The business
community is dominated by small to medium
enterprises. The Village contains significant green
space and parklands in the east.
The 2012 FES collected data from 4,524 sites in the
Village, including 2,097 business premises. The total
internal floor space surveyed was 2,606,286m², an
increase of 1.8% from the previous Survey. Data on
1,425,552m² of external area (including parks,
backyards, balconies, pools etc.) was also collected.
Figure 1: Crown and Baptist Streets
Village Location Map
Figure 1: Crown and Baptist Streets Village
Figure 2 (following) shows the extent of the Crown and
Location Map
Baptist Streets Village, looking north. Residential uses
are shown in dark red, and are predominantly multi-storey apartment buildings and terrace housing
located throughout the Village, whilst business uses are shown in light brown and are largely located
in the north and western sections of the Village. The eastern half of the Village is dominated by
Moore Park golf course.
1 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Figure 2. The Crown and Baptist Streets Village looking north.
In 2006, the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Estimated Resident population (ERP) stated that
there were 21,165 residents living in Crown and Baptist Streets Village. By 2011, the ERP for
Crown and Baptist Streets Village had risen to 22,085, an increase of 4.3% over five years.
However, the proportion of the City of Sydney’s residents in Crown and Baptist Streets Village fell
from 12.8% in 2006 to 12.0% in 2011 as the population of other areas grew at a greater rate. As of
2011, the Crown and Baptist Streets Village remains the most populous of the City of Sydney’s ten
villages It is estimated that Crown and Baptist Streets Village will accommodate approximately
10.8% of the City of Sydney’s residents by 2016, and 9.2% by 2031. This downwards trend is
forecast despite an overall increase in the future population of Crown and Baptist Streets Village of
24,870 by 2031, and is due to proportionally higher growth in other Villages.1
The Crown and Baptist Streets Village contained 13,136 dwellings at the time of the Survey. The
dwelling stock of the Village is dominated by multi-storey apartment blocks (with 65.0% of dwellings)
and terrace houses (26.9%). There was a 1.4% increase in the number of dwellings between the
two Surveys. Over the next few years, residential development will predominantly occur in small
infill developments, with a few medium density projects, due to the lack of large sites available for
major residential developments.2 This constraint is also responsible for the diminishing percentage
share of total population living in the Crown and Baptist Streets Village, coupled with the large
number of high-density residential developments set to take place in other parts of the LGA.
Employment in the Crown and Baptist Streets Village increased by 19.6% between the Surveys,
from 19,028 in 2007 to 22,760 in 2012. The proportion of full-time employment decreased slightly
from 80.8% in 2007 down to 79.0% in 2012. There were an additional 234 businesses counted in
2012 compared to 2007, an increase of 12.6%. Over the same period, the average number of
workers per business increased marginally from 10.2 to 10.85.
1
City of Sydney Population Forecasts, Research performed by .id Consulting Pty Ltd. Available at:
http://forecast2.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=148&pg=5000
2 City of Sydney, Residential Monitor December 2012. Available at:
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/142514/Issue-no.-49-December2012.pdf
2 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
When looking at Visitor Accommodation in the Village, there had been a 12.4% increase in the
number of hotel rooms, and a 38.7% increase in the number of backpacker beds between the two
Surveys.
The number of parking spaces in the Village increased by 171 or 1.6% between 2007 and 2012.
The key totals for the 2007 and 2012 Surveys are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Key Totals for Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2007-2012
Category
2007
2012
Change
%
Change
General
Sites Surveyed
Buildings Surveyed
Businesses Surveyed
4,527
4,448
1,863
4,524
4,443
2,097
-3
-5
234
-0.1%
-0.1%
12.6%
2,560,471
1,428,600
3,989,071
2,606,286
1,425,552
4,031,838
45,815
-3,048
42,767
1.8%
-0.2%
1.1%
Employment
Full-time Employment
Part-time Employment
Total Employment
15,374
3,654
19,028
17,982
4,778
22,760
2,608
1,124
3,732
17.0%
30.8%
19.6%
Residential
Number of Dwellings
Buildings with Dwellings
Population
Occupancy Rate
12,961
3,840
21,165
1.63
13,136
3,805
22,085
1.68
175
-35
920
-
1.4%
-0.9%
4.3%
-
Tenant Parking
Internal Parking Spaces
External Parking Spaces
Total Parking Spaces
8,098
2,505
10,603
8,194
2,580
10,774
96
75
171
1.2%
3.0%
1.6%
603
85
341
678
92
473
75
7
132
12.4%
8.2%
38.7%
Areas
Internal Floor Area (m²)
External Area (m²)
Total Surveyed Area (m²)
Visitor Accommodation
Hotel Accommodation (Rooms)
Serviced Apartments (Units)
Backpacker Accommodation (Beds)
3 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Industry Classification
The FES codes each business establishment based on a modified Australian and New Zealand
Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) – 2006. ANZSIC classifies the primary activity of a
business into 16 ‘Divisions’ and then into 506 4-digit ‘Industries’. The Survey has further subdivided
these into 644 unique business uses. This allows for more detailed analysis of business,
employment and floor space uses.
The 644 business uses have been re-categorised into a ‘City-Based Industry Sector’ Classification
based on the method used by the City of Greater London. This classification better reflects the mix
of uses within the business community of city centres such as the City of Sydney. There are
nineteen ‘business’ related industry divisions, and a further five ‘non-business’ related industry
divisions within the City-Based Industry Sector Classification. This allows the analysis of industry
groups such as Creative Industries, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Tourist,
Cultural and Leisure.
Table 2 (following) shows the breakdown by City-Based Industry of employment, businesses and
(business) floor space for the Crown and Baptist Streets Village in 2012. During the Survey, data
was collected on 2,097 businesses; there were 22,760 workers counted; and businesses occupied
877,019m² of internal floor space.
The predominant Industry Sector in the Crown and Baptist Streets Village is the Creative Industries,
with the highest proportions of businesses, employment and floor area. A number of Industry
Sectors employ more than 1,000 workers within the Crown and Baptist Streets Village, including
Creative Industries, Professional and Business Services, Food and Drink, Government, Social
Capital, Retail and Personal Services, Health, ICT and Community. The Village has a diversified
industry mix interspersed with the highest residential population in the City of Sydney LGA. Tables
3, 5 and 6 (following) show the changes in the number of businesses, employment and business
floor space use by each of the City-Based Industry Sectors between 2007 and 2012.
Business Establishments
Between 2007 and 2012 the number of businesses in the Crown and Baptist Streets Village
increased by 12.6%, from 1,863 to 2,097 businesses. The largest sectoral increase occurred in the
Professional and Business Services Industry, with an additional 78 business establishments
compared to 2007. There were an additional 48 Food and Drink premises compared to 2007. There
was an increase in the number of business establishments in nine of the nineteen sectors.
Of the 1,863 business located in the Village in 2007, 1,202 were still operating in the same location
in 2012. More than 35% of businesses surveyed in 2007 were no longer operating in the same
location in 2012. There was a large influx of new businesses in a number of industry sectors,
including Creative Industries, Retail and Personal Services, Professional and Business Services and
Food and Drink.
Each of these four industry sectors allied their relatively high turnover with
significant growth in the number of establishments. The area’s predominant sector, Creative
Industries, had the largest new business commencement number (188 ceasing or moving operation,
with 196 commencing), whilst at the same time showing very little growth in absolute numbers (8
establishments).
4 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Table 2. Overview of City-Based Industry Sectors, Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2012
City-Based Industry Sector
Community
Creative Industries
Finance and Financial Services
Food and Drink
Government
Health
Higher Education and Research
ICT
Life Science (Bio-tech)
Manufacturing
Motor Vehicle
Natural Resource-Based Industries
Other*
Professional and Business Services
Property Development and Operation
Retail and Personal Services
Social Capital
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure
Transport and Logistics
Utilities**
Total
Businesses
% of Total
Businesses
Employment
% of Total
Employment
Business
Floor Area
%
Business
Floor Area
21
417
39
311
25
88
44
107
13
27
13
0
0
296
45
286
122
110
133
0
2,097
1.0%
19.9%
1.9%
14.8%
1.2%
4.2%
2.1%
5.1%
0.6%
1.3%
0.6%
0.0%
0.0%
14.1%
2.1%
13.6%
5.8%
5.2%
6.3%
0.0%
100.0%
1,056
5,364
432
2,310
1,748
1,114
884
1,064
49
112
78
0
30
4,027
322
1,173
1,256
903
838
0
22,760
4.6%
23.6%
1.9%
10.1%
7.7%
4.9%
3.9%
4.7%
0.2%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
0.1%
17.7%
1.4%
5.2%
5.5%
4.0%
3.7%
0.0%
100.0%
69,113
147,985
9,585
53,582
41,371
28,533
40,379
21,505
1,289
5,066
4,249
0
0
73,966
7,751
80,943
106,751
115,228
43,921
25,799
877,019
7.9%
16.9%
1.1%
6.1%
4.7%
3.3%
4.6%
2.5%
0.1%
0.6%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
8.4%
0.9%
9.2%
12.2%
13.1%
5.0%
2.9%
100.0%
*’Other’ industry sector data may include nil businesses, nil employment and/or nil business floor area. This is explained by: the inclusion of nonprivate households which employ staff, such as student accommodation and aged care facilities; and, workers counted in common areas of multitenanted buildings who are not directly linked to a business establishment.
**‘Utilities’ industry sector data may include nil businesses, nil employment and /or nil business floor area. This is explained by the presence of
substations or pumping stations (business floor area data that has not been directly linked to a business establishment).
5 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Table 3. Business Mix By City-Based Industry Sectors, Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2007-2012
City-Based Industry Sector
2007
% of 2007
Businesses
2012
% of 2012
Businesses
Change
2007-2012
% Change
2007-2012
Community
Creative Industries
Finance and Financial Services
Food and Drink
Government
Health
Higher Education and Research
ICT
Life Science (Bio-tech)
Manufacturing
Motor Vehicle
Natural Resource-Based Industries
Other
Professional and Business Services
Property Development and Operation
Retail and Personal Services
Social Capital
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure
Transport and Logistics
Utilities
Total
21
409
50
263
25
70
44
84
14
20
15
0
0
218
45
261
99
97
125
3
1,863
1.1%
22.0%
2.7%
14.1%
1.3%
3.8%
2.4%
4.5%
0.8%
1.1%
0.8%
0.0%
0.0%
11.7%
2.4%
14.0%
5.3%
5.2%
6.7%
0.2%
100.0%
21
417
39
311
25
88
44
107
13
27
13
0
0
296
45
286
122
110
133
0
2,097
1.0%
19.9%
1.9%
14.8%
1.2%
4.2%
2.1%
5.1%
0.6%
1.3%
0.6%
0.0%
0.0%
14.1%
2.1%
13.6%
5.8%
5.2%
6.3%
0.0%
100.0%
0
8
-11
48
0
18
0
23
-1
7
-2
0
0
78
0
25
23
13
8
-3
234
0.0%
2.0%
-22.0%
18.3%
0.0%
25.7%
0.0%
27.4%
-7.1%
35.0%
-13.3%
NA
NA
35.8%
0.0%
9.6%
23.2%
13.4%
6.4%
-100.0%
12.6%
6 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Table 4. Recent and Established Businesses By City-Based Industry Sectors,
Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2012
City-Based Industry Sector
Community
Creative Industries
Finance and Financial Services
Food and Drink
Government
Health
Higher Education and Research
ICT
Life Science (Bio-tech)
Manufacturing
Motor Vehicle
Natural Resource-Based Industries
Other
Professional and Business Services
Property Development and Operation
Retail and Personal Services
Social Capital
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure
Transport and Logistics
Utilities
Total
Established
(Pre-2008)
Commenced
2008-2012
%
Established
20
221
30
178
19
62
31
48
11
14
12
0
0
117
29
156
88
76
90
0
1,202
1
196
9
133
6
26
13
59
2
13
1
0
0
179
16
130
34
34
43
0
895
95.2%
53.0%
76.9%
57.2%
76.0%
70.5%
70.5%
44.9%
84.6%
51.9%
92.3%
NA
NA
39.5%
64.4%
54.5%
72.1%
69.1%
67.7%
NA
57.3%
Figures 3a and 3b show the percentage share of the top six City-Based Industry Sectors in 2007 and
2012. Creative Industries remains the predominant sector in terms of the number of businesses;
however its percentage share has dropped from 22.0% down to 19.9% between the Surveys. Food
and Drink maintained second place, increasing in establishment share from 14.1% up to 14.8%.
The only change in position between the top six industry sectors occurred between the Professional
and Business Services, which rose into third place with a 2.4% increase in the share of firm
numbers, displacing Retail and Personal Services to fourth place.
Overall, the top six industry sectors in 2007 remained the top six in 2012, and have slightly
increased their combined share of all businesses between them. Even though four of the top six
industry sectors declined in their percentage share of businesses, all six experienced net growth in
establishments between the Surveys. The industry mix of Crown and Baptist Streets Village has
remained relatively stable over the past five years, with the top six industries accounting for a slightly
higher percentage of overall business numbers.
7 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
% of Total Businesses, 2007
Creative Industries
22.0%
Food and Drink
26.2%
Retail and Personal
Services
Professional and
Business Services
5.3%
14.1%
6.7%
Transport and Logistics
Social Capital
11.7%
14.0%
Other Industries
Figure 3a. Percentage Share of Top Six Industry Sectors, 2007
% of Total Businesses, 2012
Creative Industries
19.9%
Food and Drink
25.4%
Professional and
Business Services
14.8%
5.8%
Retail and Personal
Services
Transport and Logistics
6.3%
Social Capital
13.6%
14.1%
Other Industries
Crown Street Village
Figure 3b. Percentage Share of Top Six Industry Sectors, 2012
8 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Employment
In the period between the Surveys, employment in the Crown and Baptist Streets Village increased
by 19.6%. There were 22,760 workers counted in 2012 across eighteen different industry sectors.
Fifteen of the eighteen sectors experienced employment growth, with Creative Industries,
Professional and Business Services and Food and Drink recording the highest increases, with 1,322,
980 and 900 additional workers respectively. These three industry sectors also had complementary
growth in the net number of businesses. Over the period between the Surveys, the average number
of workers per business in the Creative Industries sector rose from 9.88 to 12.86, adding nearly
three workers per establishment, and this sector remains the predominant employer in the area with
almost one quarter of workers employed.
Table 5 (following) shows the breakdown of employment by City-Based Industry Sector for 2007 and
2012, with the percentage share of each sector and the change between Surveys. The Higher
Education and Research sector had the highest percentage employment growth in the Village at
71.3%, with Food and Drink and ICT also adding at least half their worker numbers again over a five
year period.
The only sector in the Crown and Baptist Streets Village to experience significant decline in
employment was the Government sector. More than two-fifths of the employment in this sector was
lost, despite the fact that the number of establishments remained steady at 25. There were six
Government establishments that ceased operations in the Village, whilst these were replaced by the
same number of commencing businesses. The average size of the Government establishments in
terms of workers per business almost halved between 2007 and 2012, from 121.16 down to 69.92.
Despite this, the average size of Government businesses remained larger than any other industry
sector in both 2007 and 2012.
In 2012, businesses in Crown and Baptist Streets Village employed 10.85 workers on average
across all sectors. The number of workers per business ranged from a high of 69.92 in the
Government sector, down to a low of 4.10 for businesses in the Retail and Personal Services sector.
The average number of workers per establishment in 2007 was 10.21. The rise in average number
of workers across all establishments is due primarily to the employment growth in Food and Drink
and Creative Industries being much greater than their growth in business numbers, leading to much
higher workforce densities. Overall, the employment growth rate of 19.6% outpaced the business
establishment growth rate of 12.6%.
The following figures (4a and 4b) illustrate the proportion of employment across the top six industry
sectors in 2007 and 2012 respectively. The Creative Industries sector had the highest proportion of
employment in both 2007 and 2012, increasing its percentage share over the period, from 21.2% in
2007 up to 23.6% in 2012.
The Professional and Business Services sector was the second highest employer in both Surveys,
also increasing its percentage share, from 16.0% up to 17.7%.
The Food and Drink industry sector had the highest growth in percentage share, up 2.7% to 10.1%
in 2012. The Government sector had the greatest decline in percentage share, down 8.2% to 7.7%.
This combination resulted in the Food and Drink sector overtaking the Government to be the third
most dominant sector in employment in 2012. In the top six industry sectors, the Community sector
was replaced by Retail and Personal Services between 2007 and 2012.
In 2012 the top six industries were less dominant in terms of employment share compared to the
remaining industries. Although the top two industry sectors became more dominant with the Creative
Industries extending its lead – employing nearly one in four workers in the Crown and Baptist Streets
Village in 2012.
9 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Table 5. Employment By City-Based Industry Sectors, Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2007-2012
City-Based Industry Sector
Community
Creative Industries
Finance and Financial Services
Food and Drink
Government
Health
Higher Education and Research
ICT
Life Science (Bio-tech)
Manufacturing
Motor Vehicle
Natural Resource-Based Industries
Other
Professional and Business Services
Property Development and Operation
Retail and Personal Services
Social Capital
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure
Transport and Logistics
Utilities
Total
10 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
2007
% of 2007
Employment
2012
% of 2012
Employment
Change
2007-2012
% Change
2007-2012
1,041
4,042
317
1,410
3,029
880
516
691
54
146
63
0
21
3,047
285
913
1,119
829
622
3
19,028
5.5%
21.2%
1.7%
7.4%
15.9%
4.6%
2.7%
3.6%
0.3%
0.8%
0.3%
0.0%
0.1%
16.0%
1.5%
4.8%
5.9%
4.4%
3.3%
0.0%
100.0%
1,056
5,364
432
2,310
1,748
1,114
884
1,064
49
112
78
0
30
4,027
322
1,173
1,256
903
838
0
22,760
4.6%
23.6%
1.9%
10.1%
7.7%
4.9%
3.9%
4.7%
0.2%
0.5%
0.3%
0.0%
0.1%
17.7%
1.4%
5.2%
5.5%
4.0%
3.7%
0.0%
100.0%
15
1,322
115
900
-1,281
234
368
373
-5
-34
15
0
9
980
37
260
137
74
216
-3
3,732
1.4%
32.7%
36.3%
63.8%
-42.3%
26.6%
71.3%
54.0%
-9.3%
-23.3%
23.8%
NA
42.9%
32.2%
13.0%
28.5%
12.2%
8.9%
34.7%
-100.0%
19.6%
% of Total Employment, 2007
Creative Industries
21.2%
Professional and
Business Services
28.1%
Government
Food and Drink
16.0%
Social Capital
5.5%
Community
5.9%
7.4%
Other Industries
15.9%
Figure 4a. Percentage Share of Top Six Industry Sectors, 2007
% of Total Employment, 2012
Creative Industries
23.6%
30.2%
Professional and
Business Services
Food and Drink
Government
Social Capital
17.7%
5.2%
Retail and Personal
Services
5.5%
7.7%
10.1%
Other Industries
Figure 4b. Percentage Share of Top Six Industry Sectors, 2012
11 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
The following figures (5 and 6) show the distribution of employment by block in 2012 and the change
in employment numbers by block between 2007 and 2012 respectively. As can be seen in the
Figure 5 below, the majority of employment occurs in the north-western portion of the Village, with
small pockets of employment in various blocks in the southern half.
Figure 5. Total Employment by Block, 2012
12 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Figure 6. Total Employment Change by Block, 2007 to 2012
Figure 6 shows that high levels of employment growth have occurred in the western half, towards
Central Station. There have been low levels of employment growth across most of the Village, with
a few pockets of employment loss. The predominant employment loss has occurred in the block
containing Centennial Plaza (near Central Station), due mainly to Government Departments
relocating their offices out of the Village.
13 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Floor Area
The 2012 FES measured over 2.6 million square metres of internal floor space in the Crown and
Baptist Streets Village. Additionally, data was collected on 1.43 million square metres of external
space, including parks, car parks, terraces and balconies. The measurements for the floor space
uses were collected by creating spatial entities for each non-contiguous space, and attributing
relevant attribute data such as employment numbers, capacity and vacancy to each. Every
individual space is held in a Geographic Information System (GIS) database, and is related to the
business that uses it. The GIS calculates the areas automatically, and allows 2-D and 3-D rendering
of the data.
In terms of internal business floor area, the Creative Industries sector occupies the largest amount of
floor space in the Village, with nearly 150,000m². This is approximately 33,000m² more than the
next largest floor area user, Tourist, Culture and Leisure, which uses just over 115,000m². Other
industries with significant floor space uses include Social Capital (106,766m²) and Retail and
Personal Services (80,943m²) sectors.
The Social Capital sector had the highest increase in floor area used, with an additional 18,541m²
(an increase of 21.0%), whilst the Government sector had the greatest decline in floor area, with 17,002m² (29.1% decline). Between the two Surveys, there was 61,816m² of net additional business
floor space across all sectors, compared to an additional 3,732 workers. The other industry sector
with significant floor area loss was Manufacturing (down 48.5%).
The amount of residential floor area decreased by 0.7% between 2007 and 2012, although this is a
temporary trend as some of the space is currently being redeveloped for higher density residential
use. There was a net increase of 175 dwellings completed in this period. As of 2012, there is
approximately 1.29 million square metres of floor area in the Residential sector.
14 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Table 6. Internal Floor Area By City-Based Industry Sectors, Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2007-2012
City-Based Industry Sector
Community
Creative Industries
Finance and Financial Services
Food and Drink
Government
Health
Higher Education and Research
ICT
Life Science (Bio-tech)
Manufacturing
Motor Vehicle
Natural Resource-Based Industries
Professional and Business Services
Property Development and Operation
Retail and Personal Services
Social Capital
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure
Transport and Logistics
Utilities
Total Business Floor Area
Private Households
Non-Private Households
Other
Redevelopment
Vacant
Total Businesses Floor Area
Total Floor Area
15 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
2007
m²
% of 2007
Floor Space
2012
m²
% of 2012
Floor Space
Change
2007-2012
% Change
2007-2012
70,760
147,674
10,639
39,347
58,373
26,446
31,545
16,279
1,783
9,844
4,983
0
59,709
8,117
69,523
88,210
101,536
42,802
27,634
815,203
8.7%
18.1%
1.3%
4.8%
7.2%
3.2%
3.9%
2.0%
0.2%
1.2%
0.6%
0.0%
7.3%
1.0%
8.5%
10.8%
12.5%
5.3%
3.4%
100.0%
69,113
147,985
9,585
53,582
41,371
28,533
40,379
21,505
1,289
5,066
4,249
0
73,966
7,751
80,943
106,751
115,228
43,921
25,799
877,019
7.9%
16.9%
1.1%
6.1%
4.7%
3.3%
4.6%
2.5%
0.1%
0.6%
0.5%
0.0%
8.4%
0.9%
9.2%
12.2%
13.1%
5.0%
2.9%
100.0%
-1,647
311
-1,054
14,235
-17,002
2,087
8,834
5,226
-494
-4,778
-733
0
14,257
-365
11,420
18,541
13,693
1,119
-1,834
61,816
-2.3%
0.2%
-9.9%
36.2%
-29.1%
7.9%
28.0%
32.1%
-27.7%
-48.5%
-14.7%
NA
23.9%
-4.5%
16.4%
21.0%
13.5%
2.6%
-6.6%
7.6%
1,302,172
8,553
287,615
39,602
107,324
815,203
2,560,471
50.9%
0.3%
11.2%
1.5%
4.2%
31.8%
100.0%
1,292,642
5,912
321,610
16,242
92,861
877,019
2,606,286
49.6%
0.2%
12.3%
0.6%
3.6%
33.7%
100.0%
-9,530
-2,641
33,995
-23,360
-14,463
61,816
45,815
-0.7%
-30.9%
11.8%
-59.0%
-13.5%
7.6%
1.8%
% of Business Floor Area, 2007
Creative Industries
18.1%
Tourist, Cultural and
Leisure
Social Capital
34.1%
12.5%
10.8%
7.3%
8.5%
Community
Retail and Personal
Services
Professional and
Business Services
Other Industries
8.7%
Figure 7a. Percentage Share of Top Six Industry Sectors by Floor Area, 2007
% of Business Floor Area, 2012
Creative Industries
16.9%
Tourist, Cultural and
Leisure
32.3%
Social Capital
13.1%
Retail and Personal
Services
Professional and
Business Services
Community
12.2%
7.9%
Other Industries
8.4%
9.2%
Figure 7b. Percentage Share of Top Six Industry Sectors by Floor Area, 2012
16 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Figures 7a and 7b show the percentage share of business floor area for the top six industries in
2007 and 2012 respectively. Creative Industries had the highest share of floor space usage,
although it decreased from 18.1% in 2007 to 16.9% in 2012.
Over the same period, Tourist, Cultural and Leisure increased its percentage share of floor space
from 12.5% to 13.1%, whilst Social Capital increased its floor space from 10.8% to 12.2%.
Over the five years between the Surveys the share of the top six industry sectors increased by 1.8%.
The average business is approximately 418m² in size (for all space uses) across all sectors. This
ranges from an average low space use of 99m² per establishment for Life Sciences (Bio-tech), up to
an average of 1,655m² of floor space use per establishment for the Government sector and 3,291m²
for the Community sector. The average floor area per business has decreased by approximately
19m² per establishment since 2007.
Figure 8 below maps the distribution of internal floor area by block for the Crown and Baptist Streets
Village in 2012. The village is predominantly medium density development with a number of pockets
of higher density development (including commercial, private housing and public housing).
Figure 8. Total Internal Floor Space by Block, 2012
At the time of the Survey, approximately 109,000m² of internal floor area was vacant or under
redevelopment, comprising 4.2% of all internal floor space. This is down from 5.7% of floor space in
the same category in 2007. There are a smaller number of residential and employment generating
redevelopments currently occurring in the Village.
17 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Space Use
The City of Sydney Floor Space and Employment Survey collects data in three levels, from
individual ‘Space Units’ (space uses), which belong to ‘Establishments’, which are located in
‘Buildings’. The FES data classifies all floor area within the LGA according to the way in which the
space is used. Each space use is assigned a code, which is categorised according to fourteen
different space use divisions. Space use codes are also used to record employment, seating
capacities, dwelling and room numbers and parking spaces. These space uses can then be related
to the industry use of each establishment, and the location of each building. For the Crown and
Baptist Streets Village, there were 44,052 internal and 11,589 external individual space units
recorded in 2012. This represents a 6.6% increase in the number of records collected compared to
the 2007 Survey.
Table 7 (following) indicates the internal floor area by Space Use Division within the Crown and
Baptist Streets Village in 2007 and 2012. The most common floor space use in the Village is
Residential, with 43.0% in 2012. This has decreased slightly over the past five years, due to a
number of redevelopments proposed or completed that have removed housing above
commercial/retail premises, as well as the redevelopment of some public housing in the southern
half of the Village. The largest increase in space use type was in the Office division, which grew by
10.1%, with 38,906m² added. The Restaurant/Eating Space Use Division had the highest
percentage increase in floor area, adding an extra 21.9% to its total. A further 7,090m² of
Shop/Showroom space was created between 2007 and 2012.
In terms of space uses which are employment generating, the Industrial Space Use Division had the
greatest loss of space between 2007 and 2012, with 9,311m² lost. The amount of employment in
these spaces also decreased over the same period (Table 8) although at a slower rate, suggesting a
greater intensification of the remaining uses of this space by 2012. There was also a significant
decrease in the amount of Other space uses (those under renovation), as the amount of
development occurring in 2012 was less than at the same time in 2007. Overall, there was a 1.8%
increase in the total amount of internal floor area in the Crown and Baptist Streets Village between
2007 and 2012.
Table 8 shows the total employment by Space Use Division for the Crown and Baptist Streets
Village in both 2007 and 2012. Those Space Uses with no employment (or minor employment) have
been aggregated into the Other category.
The majority of employment in Crown and Baptist Streets Village is located in Office space uses,
comprising 75.6% of all employment. The Restaurant/Eating Space Use Division holds the second
highest number of workers with 1,887, or 8.3% of the total employment. Employment numbers have
risen in all but one of the Space Use Divisions; with an additional 2,356 workers in Office spaces and
485 in Restaurant/Eating spaces.
The FES collects a number of capacity measures that are related to different types of space uses.
The capacities are recorded for each individual space record. Table 9 following shows the capacity
of restaurant seating, café seating, and meeting room / boardroom seating aggregated across the
Village for 2007 and 2012.
In the five year period from 2007 to 2012, there was a 25.5% increase in the number of restaurant
seats, with the number of restaurant establishments rising from 83 to 113. There was a 64.0%
increase in café seating, with the number of café establishments rising from 79 in 2007 to 91 in
2012. In terms of the number of seats in meeting rooms (or boardrooms), this rose by 24.6% in the
same period.
18 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Table 7. Internal Floor Area by Space Use Division, Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2007-2012
Space Use Division
Office
Shop/Showroom
Residential
Storage
Industrial
Visitor Accommodation
Entertainment/Leisure
Restaurant/Eating
Community
Utilities
Parking
Transport
Common Area
Other
Total
19 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
2007
m²
% Floor
Area 2007
2012
m²
% Floor
Area 2012
Change
2007-2012
% Change
2007-2012
386,004
108,856
1,126,795
76,514
30,735
42,434
46,210
38,155
42,182
29,046
296,644
6,440
262,219
68,236
2,560,471
15.1%
4.3%
44.0%
3.0%
1.2%
1.7%
1.8%
1.5%
1.6%
1.1%
11.6%
0.3%
10.2%
2.7%
100.0%
424,910
115,946
1,120,128
74,757
21,424
44,658
49,090
46,498
43,153
34,134
305,427
6,454
269,216
50,491
2,606,286
16.3%
4.4%
43.0%
2.9%
0.8%
1.7%
1.9%
1.8%
1.7%
1.3%
11.7%
0.2%
10.3%
1.9%
100.0%
38,906
7,090
-6,667
-1,757
-9,311
2,224
2,880
8,343
971
5,089
8,783
14
6,998
-17,746
45,815
10.1%
6.5%
-0.6%
-2.3%
-30.3%
5.2%
6.2%
21.9%
2.3%
17.5%
3.0%
0.2%
2.7%
-26.0%
1.8%
Table 8. Employment Mix by Space Use Division, Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2007-2012
Space Use Division
2007
% Employment
2007
2012
% Employment
2012
Change
2007-2012
% Change
2007-2012
Office
Shop/Showroom
Storage
Industrial
Entertainment/Leisure
Restaurant/Eating
Community
Utilities
Transport
Other
Total
14,841
1,373
55
568
188
1,402
546
12
7
36
19,028
78.0%
7.2%
0.3%
3.0%
1.0%
7.4%
2.9%
0.1%
0.0%
0.2%
100.0%
17,197
1,739
84
457
234
1,887
991
19
27
125
22,760
75.6%
7.6%
0.4%
2.0%
1.0%
8.3%
4.4%
0.1%
0.1%
0.5%
100.0%
2,356
366
29
-111
46
485
445
7
20
89
3,732
15.9%
26.7%
52.7%
-19.5%
24.5%
34.6%
81.5%
58.3%
285.7%
247.2%
19.6%
Table 9. Selected Capacity Measures, Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2007-2012
Capacity Measure
2007
2012
Change
2007-2012
% Change
2007-2012
Restaurant Seating
Cafe/Coffee Lounge Seating
Meeting Room/Board Room Seating
4,601
1,342
5,787
5,773
2,201
7,213
1,172
859
1,426
25.5%
64.0%
24.6%
20 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Work Space Ratios
Work space ratios (WSR) are an indication of the average number of square metres within which
employees work for a particular industry. The ratio is determined by dividing the internal floor area
(in square metres) of a categorised space grouping by the total number of employees recorded for
that grouping. Ratios can be determined using the Industry Divisions, Space Use Divisions, Office
space uses and Occupied Office space uses, where the floor area is divided by total employees.
The ratios for each category can be used for projecting the anticipated population of new
developments, and to determine how space uses are managed over time.
Table 10 (following) shows the industry-wide WSRs for Crown and Baptist Streets Village in 2007
and 2012. In any given industry division, where the WSR for 2012 is less than that of 2007, there
has been an intensification of employment to space use for that industry. This means that a
percentage of the growth of employment of any given area or industry may come from more
intensive use of space, rather than solely from the take-up of new development space. This has
been the case in fourteen of the eighteen industries present in the Village.
Overall, the average WSR for the Village fell from 42.9 in 2007 to 38.6 in 2012. By comparison, the
overall WSR for the LGA was 41.5 in 2007 and 37.9 in 2012. The most intensive use of work space
occurs in the Professional and Business Services, with 18.4m² for every worker. This is a slight
decrease in space per employee when compared to 2007, when there was 19.6m² per worker. The
industries with the lower WSRs tend to have higher concentrations of office spaces, such as Finance
and Financial Services, ICT and Property Development and Operation. Those industries with higher
WSRs tend to have very large areas with little or no employment, such as showrooms (Retail and
Personal Services or Motor Vehicle) or public spaces (Community or Tourist, Culture and Leisure).
The intensification of workspace (the lowering of WSR) indicates that employment growth is
occurring in existing spaces and that they are being better utilised, rather than in employment growth
from new developments on their own. The average WSR across all industry sectors for Crown and
Baptist Streets Village was 1.4m² greater than the LGA average in 2007 (42.9 compared to 41.5).
By 2012 the WSR had moved closer to the LGA average and was only 0.7m² greater than it (38.6
compared to 37.9).
The following table (Table 11) shows the WSRs for the nine main employment generating Space
Use Divisions. Space Use Divisions with minor employment levels have not been included; hence
the totals for the table do not match the corresponding Village totals (for floor space and employment
in Tables 7 and 8).
Interestingly, the Restaurant/Eating Space Use Division has the lowest WSR (24.6), closely followed
by the Office division (24.7). This is a reversal of the 2007 results, and is due to the small average
floor space size of the new restaurants and cafes within the Village. All of the other Space Use
Divisions are less intensive in their use of floor area for employment, generally using space for
ancillary business purposes.
In general, the Office Space Use Division is the most intensive of the space uses, and is usually a
good indicator of future employment projections for a known quantum of floor space. The two main
types of Office space defined are Partitioned Offices (predominantly walled offices with single
occupants) and Open Plan Offices (with workstations and multiple workers). Table 12 shows that
the average WSR for Partitioned and Open Plan Office spaces is 14.2 square metres per worker (as
compared to 24.7 for all Office space uses combined, which also includes other spaces such as
meeting rooms, reception areas, photocopy areas and breakout spaces). The 2012 Survey also
collected the capacity of partitioned and open-plan offices and vacant office space to determine the
maximum intensity of uses for these two office types. If all Office space was fully occupied at the
current average work space ratio, there could be an additional 5,779 workers in Crown and Baptist
Streets Village (Table 13).
21 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Table 10. Work Space Ratios by City-Based Industry Division, Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2007-2012
2007
City Based Industry Sector
Community
Creative Industries
Finance and Financial Services
Food and Drink
Government
Health
Higher Education and Research
ICT
Life Science (Bio-tech)
Manufacturing
Motor Vehicle
Natural Resource-Based Industries
Professional and Business Services
Property Development and Operation
Retail and Personal Services
Social Capital
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure
Transport and Logistics
Utilities*
Total
Internal
Area
70,760
147,674
10,639
39,347
58,373
26,446
31,545
16,279
1,783
9,844
4,983
0
59,709
8,117
69,523
88,210
101,536
42,802
27,634
815,203
2012
Employment
WSR
1,041
4,042
317
1,410
3,029
880
516
691
54
146
63
0
3,047
285
913
1,119
829
622
3
19,007
68.0
36.5
33.6
27.9
19.3
30.1
61.1
23.6
33.0
67.4
79.1
NA
19.6
28.5
76.1
78.8
122.5
68.8
9,211.3
42.9
Internal
Area
69,113
147,985
9,585
53,582
41,371
28,533
40,379
21,505
1,289
5,066
4,249
0
73,966
7,751
80,943
106,751
115,228
43,921
25,799
877,019
Employment
WSR
1,056
5,364
432
2,310
1,748
1,114
884
1,064
49
112
78
0
4,027
322
1,173
1,256
903
838
0
22,730
65.4
27.6
22.2
23.2
23.7
25.6
45.7
20.2
26.3
45.2
54.5
NA
18.4
24.1
69.0
85.0
127.6
52.4
NA
38.6
*’Utilities’ industry sector data may include nil businesses, nil employment and /or nil business floor area. This is explained by the presence of substations or
pumping stations (business floor area data that has not been directly linked to a business establishment).
22 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Table 11. Work Space Ratios by Space Use Division, Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2007-2012
2007
Space Use Division
Office
Shop/Showroom
Storage
Industrial
Entertainment/Leisure
Restaurant/Eating
Community
Utilities
Transport
Total
Internal
Area
386,004
108,856
76,514
30,735
46,210
38,155
42,182
29,046
6,440
764,142
2012
Employment
WSR
14,841
1,373
55
568
188
1,402
546
12
7
18,992
26.0
79.3
1,391.2
54.1
245.8
27.2
77.3
2,420.5
920.1
40.2
Internal
Area
424,910
115,946
74,757
21,424
49,090
46,498
43,153
34,134
6,454
816,366
Employment
WSR
17,197
1,739
84
457
234
1,887
991
19
27
22,635
24.7
66.7
890.0
46.9
209.8
24.6
43.5
1,796.5
239.0
36.1
Table 12. Work Space Ratios by Office Space Use, Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2007-2012
2007
Office Type
Partitioned Office
Open Plan Office
Total
23 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report
Internal
Area
53,107
146,632
199,739
2012
Employment
WSR
3,049
9,446
12,495
17.4
15.5
16.0
Internal
Area
45,897
169,614
215,510
Employment
WSR
2,863
12,268
15,131
16.0
13.8
14.2
Table 13. Potential Maximum Capacity Work Space Ratios by Office Space Use,
Crown and Baptist Streets Village, 2012
2012
Office Type
Partitioned Office
Open Plan Office
Vacant Office
Total
Internal Area
Employment
Capacity
WSR
45,897
169,614
55,930
271,440
3,236
15,331
2,343
20,910
14.2
11.1
23.9
13.0
Occupied Office Employment (Actual)
Additional Office Employment Capacity
15,131
5,779
Conclusion
The Crown and Baptist Streets Village contains a well-established Residential component
characterised by newer multi-story apartment buildings, a large stock of traditional terrace housing,
and a number of public housing developments, creating a vibrant resident mix. Interspersed is a
significant and expanding business community, which is home to one of the City of Sydney’s
prominent Creative Industries clusters. Over the past five years (2007 to 2012) the average
business in the Village has increased its workforce and at the same time decreased its floor space
use, leading to tighter WSRs.
The Crown and Baptist Streets Village has experienced strong job growth since 2007, with an
additional 3,732 people gaining employment in the area, bringing the total workforce to 22,760 in
2012. Business numbers have also grown by 12.6% (234 firms) with the Professional and Business
Services industry expanding by 78 firms.
There has been minimal growth in the Residential sector in recent years, which, according to current
approved developments, is set to continue into the near future, leading to a fairly stable residential
population. If current trends continue, there may be continued expansion within a number of
industry sectors, including Creative Industries, Professional and Business Services, Retail and
Personal Services, and Food and Drink sectors; which would act to reinforce Crown and Baptist
Streets Village as a vibrant place to live and work.
24 / Crown and Baptist Streets Village FES Report