By Megan Gorrey
The surrounds of the old brick kilns and chimneys that tower above Sydney Park will be transformed with grassed lawns and outdoor plazas, under a City of Sydney plan to restore the dilapidated structures and attract visitors.
Necessary works to stabilise the 1800s kilns prompted the council to rethink the site of the former St Peters brickyard – once an industrial powerhouse – on the corner of Sydney Park Road and the Princes Highway.
The four chimney stacks are a familiar site near the south end of King Street, Newtown, in Sydney’s inner west.Credit: City of Sydney/Paul Patterson
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the upgrades were aimed at “marrying historical structures and green space”, and could create a community space similar to the Paddington Reservoir Gardens on Oxford Street.
“The kilns and chimneys at Sydney Park are culturally important, and we want to embed the site’s history into the landscape,” Moore said.
The council released designs, prepared by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects and JMD Design, for public feedback on Tuesday. The planned works include stabilising the kilns, reinstating roof structures, and removing fences.
Landscaping works would provide better access to the brickwork precinct, and Sydney Park, from the Princes Highway. They would include a raised lawn area and plaza spaces for events and small outdoor gatherings.
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects and JMD Design prepared the designs in response to earlier public feedback. Credit: City of Sydney
The City of Sydney said the designs were in response to earlier public feedback, which indicated residents wanted improved access to the site and a more welcoming space.
“Our communities expressed interest in using the inside of the kilns as places for business, culture and events,” the council said.
“The constraints of these spaces, including structural and safety issues, mean we are unable to explore adaptive reuse of the brick kilns as part of this project.”
The concept designs incorporate heritage features through paved outlines of kilns, rail tracks and brick pits that once existed in the park.
The St Peters brickyard manufactured bricks for many Sydney building projects from the late 1800s onwards.Credit: City of Sydney archives/ Peter Murphy
The council restored two of the four chimneys at the site, near the south end of Newtown’s King Street, in 2017.
The precinct is beside a shale belt from which brick-making clay was extracted in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Brick making became a major industry on the Sydney Park site until the 1970s. The former brick pits were used as a waste depot until the St Peters tip closed in the late 1970s. It was covered in soil and turned into a large park.
The plan to upgrade the kilns and adapt the space around them for public use extends a Sydney-wide trend to restore older structures and adapt them, with a nod to their heritage.
Sub Base Platypus at North Sydney has been turned into a waterfront park, while controversial plans are on foot to transform Cockatoo Island into a creative precinct with eateries and waterfront parkland. The historic Coal Loader at Waverton now incorporates parklands and a community garden.
The public can provide feedback on the proposed designs for the brickwork precinct until July 29.
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