Sydney’s Lord Mayor criticised for delaying action on Town Hall Square

by GRACE JOHNSON

The City of Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore AO has been criticised for delaying action on Town Hall Square, a large public square set to be constructed opposite Sydney Town Hall.

The project was first proposed by former Labor Lord Mayor Doug Sutherland in 1982.

Since then, Council has planned on knocking down the block between George and Pitt Streets to build a large civic square.

Plans for the Town Hall Square, which would be similar to public squares in Melbourne and Brisbane opposite their town halls, as well as international American and European cities, have been in limbo for decades, as previously documented by City Hub. 

In 2004, it was suggested that the project would take “10 years at most.” But once the decade was over, there were still no plans nor funding in place to actualise the plan for a Sydney Square. Businesses were operating as usual and in fact, in 2015, the Woolworths building actually renewed their lease.

In the last council meeting of the year on December 11, Labor Councillor Linda Scott brought forward a motion urging Council to develop a concrete plan for the civic square.

In 2021, the Lord Mayor said in City News, “We’ll prioritise plans for a new Town Hall Square opposite Sydney Town Hall.”

But action has now been delayed to 2035.

Cr Scott’s call for action 

Cr Scott told City Hub, “We have announcements, we have promises, but what we do not have from the Lord Mayor is a costed, public domain plan to deliver on those announcements and promises.” 

“It’s often said that failing to plan is planning to fail, and it certainly has been in the case of the new Town Hall Square under this Lord Mayor,” she continued. 

“We don’t have a costed, public plan, and a timetable, for the new square, and as a result the timeframe has been pushed out again and again with ad hoc decisions like the one taken by the Lord Mayor and her team last May, to extend the leases for the properties on the land needed for the Square out to 2035.”

The extended timeframe, and consequently, extended leases for commercial and retail spaces, will reportedly give Council more time to buy the required properties, accrue bank savings, and secure funding from the state or federal governments.

Cr Scott reiterated, “Those promises the Lord Mayor has made time and time again over the years must be matched by action, if the transformative vision of a public square at the heart of Sydney is to be anything other than a mirage.”

Motion for action blocked 

Cr Scott’s motion was voted a tie, but the Lord Mayor declared it lost.

Councillor Adam Worling spoke against the motion, saying “I cannot support this notice of motion. It does not tell the full story. It’s important for the public to understand the evolution of Town Hall Square. And your motion doesn’t capture that.”

“In May this year, the Council voted unanimously to support the next stage of the transformation of central Sydney. This included the stage delivery of Sydney Square in 2027, which has already begun. Staff are currently developing the concept design,” he continued.

Speaking to City Hub, Cr Worling said, “Look, cities evolve, demands evolve. But we’re not going back on what we’ve promised.”

A spokesperson for Clover Moore echoed this sentiment, saying to City Hub, “In 2019 the Lord Mayor advocated for state and federal support to deliver Town Hall Square over the following ten years. Then the pandemic hit Sydney and the City prioritised spending on support for residents and businesses, and the further extension of George Street pedestrianisation to ensure there is more outdoor space for people to get around and linger outside in the city centre.”

“Responsible government requires leaders to adapt to changed circumstances, such as an unforeseen global health crisis, and prioritise what’s best for their communities.”

Need for funding 

As part of the Lord Mayor’s address to Council regarding her foreshadowed alternate motion, which was carried, she reiterated that the council would need funding from federal and/or state governments.

The Lord Mayor said, “The pedestrianisation of George Street adjacent streets is providing more than four times the people space, that is, 26,000 square meters of proposed Town Hall Square of 5600 square meters.”

“They’re serving not just one area, but the length of the city, benefiting people and businesses. Council must be financially responsible, and the high cost of the George Street pedestrianisation, which is of such enormous benefit to our global city, including extended associated works, has meant that other projects such as the square opposite Town Hall had to be put on hold and vital sources of revenue, such as commercial leases have had to be renewed,” the Lord Mayor continued.

“So that’s my alternative recommendation and that tells the story of the humanising of the city. I think it’s probably the best way of describing it.”

The creation of Town Hall Square is now likely to commence more than 50 years after it was first proposed, but promises to be “Sydney’s living room, a place for people to gather, pause, participate, or protest,” as described by Paddock Landscape Architects.

Funding from state and federal governments will be crucial. The Lord Mayor has reportedly advocated to Premiers and Prime Ministers requesting support for the project.

A spokesperson told City Hub, “The Lord Mayor wrote to the Premier before the May Council meeting asking whether the new Government would consider investing in Town Hall Square in the next three years. He has not yet responded.”

As Cr Worling said of the square, “It’s not just a major local asset, it’s a major state asset, and it’ll be a major national asset. State and federal should absolutely come to the party and help finance this.”