City scraps Fitzroy Gardens plans

The City of Sydney has cancelled its original plans for a major redevelopment of the Fitzroy Gardens and the Lawrence Hargrave reserve in the heart of the Kings Cross area.

The reassessment of the plans came in response to substantial opposition and mixed feedback from the local community.

As City News had reported last week, there were major community concerns for both the Fitzroy Gardens as well as the Lawrence Hargrave Reserve in terms the nature and the extent of the proposed remodelling.

Concerning the Fitzroy Gardens, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said: “The local community is divided on what should happen. Half do not want any changes to the park, while the other half either support only minimal changes or all changes proposed in the 2010 draft concept plans.”

“I believe the best way forward is to preserve the park – to keep it just the way it is with only some vital heritage and maintenance work undertaken.”

In the final stages of the consultation phase only 19 per cent of local citizens fully supported the City’s plans for the Fitzroy Gardens and the Lawrence Hargrave Reserve.

The new course of action has a less extensive scope then previous plans and includes a restoration of the El Alamein Fountain, improved lighting and seating, improvements on the children’s playground, as well as a repainting of the local police station.

New shrubs and floral displays are also to be planted in both the Fitzroy Gardens and the Lawrence Hargrave Reserve to make the public areas more attractive.

Andrew Woodhouse, president of the Potts Point and Kings Cross Heritage Conservation Society said: “We will now make sure that all changes will be launched with the development application.”

“The area should be refreshed and we are pleased that the El Alamein Fountain conservation will go on as originally planned.”

Mr Woodhouse stressed how important these new developments would be for the Kings Cross area.

With the original plans, “people in this densely populated area would have lived on a construction site for years and surrounding business would have gone bankrupt.”

According to the City, the new heritage and maintenance program for the park will start later this year.

By Alexander Meyer-Thoene