Newtown Tram Depot Slated For Restoration, Councillor Wants Public’s Input

Newtown’s heritage-listed tram depot was closed in 1957, and now City of Sydney councillor Zann Maxwell wants it put to good use.

Erected in 1899, the derelict building sits on the southern side of Newtown station, with much of its roof missing and extensive vegetation having grown inside. Transport for NSW is undertaking remediation works at the site, due for completion in late 2027. Before then, the New South Wales Government will consult relevant parties, including the City of Sydney, as it develops a masterplan. Its release is also slated for the second half of next year.

Asked about potential uses for the sheds, Maxwell, a Labor councillor, said that “the community should answer that question, not me.”

“What I will say is that the building itself is extraordinary — high ceilings, industrial scale, Federation brickwork, right next to a major train station on King Street. People walk past it, sail past it on the train every day, and after 60 years they’ve almost stopped seeing it. But stop and look and you wonder how we’ve let it go on this long.”

“The City’s own Sustainable Sydney 2030 vision identified this exact site as a potential Newtown Activity Hub fifteen years ago, flagging food markets, studio spaces, childcare, libraries and community services. That vision was never acted on. And inner-city Sydney has lost nearly 30 per cent of its creative work areas since 2012; publicly owned heritage buildings like this one are exactly what’s been disappearing.”

Action on the horizon?

There has indeed been recurring discussion over the years on how the depot might be repurposed. In 2022, Greens Newtown MLA Jenny Leong sought community opinion on the matter, and a public meeting was held. While nothing has happened yet, other heritage sites have been transformed.

“Sydney has already run this experiment twice with comparable buildings,” noted Maxwell. “Carriageworks became a publicly owned arts and community institution. The Glebe Tramsheds became a food and dining precinct under private development. Both have merits. Which model Newtown gets should be guided by what Newtown residents want.” True to the former’s heritage, tram carriage no. 1995, which ran the last service in Sydney, is on display inside.

A community garden is nestled between the depot and the station concourse, though the entire site is Transport for NSW property. Maxwell said that its existence “tells you everything about the appetite for this space.”

The City of Sydney voted unanimously to file a submission for the masterplan. However, said Maxwell, “the non-Labor councillors stripped out the community consultation part of my motion.”

Asked if he had consulted the Newtown-Enmore Business Community, a local chamber of commerce, he said that he had them in mind.

“I’ll be letterboxing the neighbourhood, hosting a community town hall and running an online survey shortly. I’ll make sure they’re across it.”

Councillors disagree on method

Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Miller, who is aligned with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, recently told the Sydney Morning Herald that Maxwell’s idea lacked detail, because guidance had not yet been provided by the Government.  “It’s about sequencing,” the latter responded.

“The state government has told us a decision on a strategy for the site will be made before remediation works finish in mid 2027, and they’ll consult stakeholders including the City before then. We should walk into that consultation with a community-backed position already in hand, not scramble to form one after the fact.”

Project K-Shift is a local group seeking to improve the amenity of King Street. Its “chief hassler and pusher” Nic Lowe said that they “welcome any investment and attention to King Street and surrounds.”