Plans to bring Kings Cross nightlife back with new public square

It’s the most comprehensive vision for Kings Cross since lockouts killed its nightlife. Australia’s most famous suburb is set to be reignited — take a look at the bold new plan.

Less traffic, more music and neon lights and a new public square underneath the Coca-Cola sign are all part of an ambitious plan to put the sizzle back into Sydney’s sexiest suburb.

The most comprehensive Kings Cross study since its night-life was killed by lockout laws, Netflix and the pandemic, has found it is being stifled by sluggish foot traffic, empty shops and locals so entitled they complain about noise coming from cafes during lunchtime.

The Committee for Sydney’s Vision For Kings Cross report, commissioned by the City of Sydney, is calling for the suburb to be declared a “night-time hub” as part of its comprehensive vision for the future.

Plans include revamping Kings Cross Station, which is described as a “dark, brutalist bunker”.

The move would ensure live music and theatre, small bars, restaurants and office space thrive alongside the established brothels, strip clubs and larger venues.

But the report highlighted the need to ensure Kings Cross didn’t return to the bad old days when the riot squad was routinely called and 20,000 visitors flooded the streets at the weekend.

“The old Cross is not coming back — but it’s still there and its future is going to be a place that is not just for young people, but it’s for everybody,” Committee for Sydney CEO Gabriel Metcalfe told The Saturday Telegraph during a tour this week.

“It’s not just for staying up all night, but it’s going to be a place to go in the day and in the evening.

“It’s still going to be a centre of fun and night-life but it’s going to be more than that.”

The report is based on comprehensive interviews with 357 residents and major stakeholders, including Business Sydney, NSW Treasury, the Potts Point Partnership and NSW Police.

The report proposes neon lights throughout the suburb.

At the centre of the Committee for Sydney’s vision is creating a new public square underneath the Coca-Cola sign near Darlinghurst Rd and Roslyn St.

The proposal would reduce six lanes of traffic to a single lane in each direction, creating greater space for a pedestrian plaza and reuniting north and south Darlinghurst Rd.

“Fixing this intersection, the actual cross from which the Cross gets its name, is a must,” Mr Metcalfe said.

“In the ‘50s, the Cross was famous for its neon signs, which lit the main streets and laneways — the famous Coca-Cola sign is just a small remnant of what was once a glistening neon boulevard.

“Just imagine a thread of neon lights in shopfronts and side streets winding through the Cross, even a neon version of Arthur Stace’s iconic Eternity signature.”

Kings Cross/Potts Point still has 10 brothels (Surry Hills still has the most with 18) but DollHouse and BadaBing are the only strip clubs still open.

Earl St at night.

Plans include repurposing closed strip clubs as live music/performance venues.

The Riverside Theatre at Parramatta was cited as a good example of a live venue creating a thriving restaurant and cafe culture nearby.

There are at least seven empty properties between the Coca-Cola sign and the fountain near the police station, with many landlords “waiting to see what happens” before committing to new ventures.

Katherine O’Regan, executive director of Business Sydney, said the suburb shouldn’t be “dominated only by strip clubs and alcohol”.

“It should be a place where you can push your pram just as much as go to the pub,” she said.

“It can become somewhere for those who work at night in Sydney to dine or shop, a place that is safe, inclusive and alive with spontaneous entertainment and activities, generating significant business growth.”

Pedestrians would be given greater access in the suburb at the expense of cars.

Many residents complain about noise variously to NSW Police, the council and the Environmental Protection Authority.

One of the 23 “key moves” includes centralising noise complaints to one government agency.

Josh Cook and Nina Purton run Silly Tart Kitchen on Kellet St and said the new plans would be a gamechanger for the area.

Mr Cook would like to see cleaner streets, signage about the suburb’s rich history and the introduction of neon lights.

He also said there is “way too much power that is given to residents”.

Nina Purton (right) and Josh Cook from The Silly Tart Kitchen in Kings Cross. Picture: Sam Ruttyn.

“The Sunday just gone we got three or four noise complaints from the same woman, who has lived here nine months,” Mr Cook, whose business has been there for four years, said.

“She was very vocal and very nasty towards us. The complaints started at about 5pm and they went until about 9.30pm.

“There are businesses on this street that have had to change their whole sound system because somebody is complaining.”

Since 2014, when lockout laws restricted late night alcohol sales and movement between venues, delivery drivers have replaced bikies and gyms have replaced bars.

The report also calls for the area’s scruffy palm trees to be cut down to stop ibis birds from nesting.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said Kings Cross has been “a bohemian heartland, an underworld stronghold and a lively late-night destination” but it’s time to start a new chapter.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“We’re confident the next chapter in that history will be safe and lively, with a thriving residential community and a diverse economy that includes fabulous nightclubs and bars, restaurants, theatres, shops and cultural institutions open late — a Kings Cross we can be proud of and our global city deserves,” she said.

“I welcome the Committee for Sydney’s recommendations, many of which the City has been progressing for some time, including pedestrian-friendly improvements, increased tree canopies and a more diverse night-time economy.”

City of Sydney Liberal councillor Craig Chung said any reinvention of Kings Cross has to include more pedestrian areas and more outdoor dining opportunities.

“Pedestrianising Darlinghurst Rd, including over the top of William St, would a bold statement about returning Kings Cross to the people,” he said.

“Imagine the outdoor theatre and outdoor dining experiences people could have in a reimagined Kings Cross Civic Square.”

Potts Point Partnership chair Brandon Martignago called on all parties to adopt the recommendations quickly.