The suburb of Kensington is the northern gateway to Randwick City along Anzac Parade. Key land uses include the University of New South Wales, the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and the large open space area of the Australian Golf Course. The West Kensington Heritage Conservation Area is located in the north western corner of the suburb and is an excellent example of federation and interwar housing. Close to 60 per cent of all dwellings in Kensington are apartments ranging from 1930s to the present (with many three storey walk-ups constructed during the 1970s). These apartments are primarily located in and around the town centre and in the Raleigh Park development, located in the northern part of Kensington, which is an example of a modern (1980s) residential complex with a mixture of high-rise residential and townhouses.
Public transport is a significant presence in the Kensington Street network with major bus services operating along Anzac Parade and cross-regional services operating along Todman Avenue.
The main town centre of Kensington is in a strip of primarily one- and two-storey shops along Anzac Parade. Peters of Kensington is a key attractor. Council has undertaken a town centre urban improvement program for the area and has introduced a Development Control Plan (Kensington Town Centre DCP) to establish planning and design objectives and performance criteria for future development.
Kensington is adjacent to major open spaces of Centennial Park and the Royal Randwick Racecourse.
The University of New South Wales strongly influences the demographic features of Kensington and Kingsford. When compared with all other suburbs in Randwick City, these two suburbs have the highest proportions of young people aged 15 to 24 years; high proportion of people attending university; the highest proportions of persons speaking a language other than English; very high proportions of renters and high proportions of the population on a weekly income of $200 or less and more single and group households. These features may reflect the student population (including overseas students) living in the area and suggests that students may continue to live in the suburb upon completing their studies.
History of Kensington
The Kensington area started to develop in the late 1800s when the former Lachlan Mill estate was no longer required as a water reserve for Sydney and the ban on development of the water supply area was lifted. In 1889 a town planning competition was held for a model design for the new suburb. The first area to be released for sale was the triangle now bounded by Doncaster Avenue, Anzac Parade and Alison Road. Lots west of Anzac Parade became available from 1895.
In 1900 the tram was extended to the new (1893) Kensington racecourse and by 1911 there were approximately 249 dwellings at Kensington. By the 1920s Kensington was spreading further south, to what is now Kingsford. The town centre experienced a growth phase in the 1920s, with the Doncaster Hotel, a theatre (now gone) and two storey shops.