Is Martin Place A Better Location For Sydney’s Proposed Town Hall Square?

Along the busy Town Hall to Haymarket corridor, most pedestrian collisions with light rail occurred amid 220 near misses recorded across the network in the 12 months to August 2026, with pedestrians accounting for almost half of all incidents.

Councillor Yvonne Weldon cited Transport for NSW’s report as she questioned the safety of Sydney’s proposed Town Hall Square, continuing her call for Martin Place to be the cheaper and safer alternative for expanding public space in the CBD.

“There’s no light rail running through the middle of Martin Place. With Transport for NSW’s recent report of 220 near misses in the past year, I am concerned about pedestrian and cyclist safety at the proposed Town Hall Square,” she said.

Councillor Weldon’s community and economic concerns

Weldon said the $150 million budget allocated to developing Town Hall Square was putting the City under “serious financial stress” and coming at the expense of other projects and services.

The proposal would create more than 4,500 square metres of public space opposing Sydney Town Hall, with more than 30 native trees, seating, lighting and a water feature – that would involve demolishing buildings on the site.

“We’re at risk of losing dozens of businesses and a thousand jobs, including the only full-line supermarket in the CBD,” said Weldon.

Weldon said she supported improving and expanding public spaces but argued Martin Place could accommodate similar features for a fraction of the cost.

“An upgrade could include elements that were scrapped from the original Town Hall Square plans, like retail and hospitality spaces and public toilets – which are notably absent from the current plans,” she said.

“If we’re going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a public space, it shouldn’t be a watered-down version of the original plan.”

Lord Mayor Clover Moore defends Town Hall Square plans

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City had been acquiring properties opposite Town Hall for more than three decades to create a civic square.

She said that increasing commercial density and the number of people travelling through central Sydney made additional public space “essential infrastructure”.

“The scope of the project prioritises open, uncluttered, flexible public space,” Moore said.

“There are few places big groups of people can gather in our city centre and we don’t have enough venues for outdoor events.”

Moore also disputed Weldon’s proposal to upgrade Martin Place, describing it as narrow, sloping and divided by heavily used traffic lanes.

“Upgrading Martin Place would not provide the benefit of an open square, nor would it provide additional space for the thousands of people commuting through the busy Town Hall precinct,” she said.

Moore said the buildings planned for demolition were ageing and degraded, and that the cost of bringing them up to current standards exceeded the budget allocated to deliver the square.

She added that the City had saved for the project over 40 years and intended to deliver it debt-free.

State planning assessment

The Minister for Planning and Public Spaces declared Town Hall Square a State Significant Development on October 9, with the proposal to be determined by the Independent Planning Commission.

Moore said the City remained confident in the project and referred to the Independent Planning Commission’s advice that it could deliver major public benefits, improve access to transport, support civic events and boost tourism.