Young Street Plaza in Neutral Bay divides North Sydney council

Warring North Sydney councillors are locked in a vicious tussle over the Young Street Plaza with the current and former mayor at loggerheads.

North Sydney councillors have narrowly voted to reject furthering the Young Street Plaza sparking a battle royale between the current and former mayors.

The project, which has been in the works since 2018, involves pedestrianising a section of Young St to provide a public space for the Neutral Bay community.

The section of the street between Military Rd and Grosvenor Lane has been closed on a trial basis.

The project is funded by a $1.9 million grant from Transport for NSW to compensate the community for the disruption of the B Line bus stop construction.

Construction costs to implement the trial plaza and road closure were $488,000 but this included new footpath paving on both sides of the closed section of Young Street, new drainage and lighting works which are all permanent works.

The most recent public consultation from mid last year showed 56 per cent of residents surveyed supported the plaza, 34 per cent were opposed and the remaining 10 per cent were neutral.

In a fiery council meeting last week Mayor Zoe Baker was among six councillors who voted to reject the tender for the plaza’s construction and instead resolve the mayor go back to meet with TfNSW to discuss other options.

Speaking in the wake of the meeting, Mayor Baker said the busy access route was not the right place for a pedestrianised space and she had received an overwhelming amount of feedback from residents and businesses to that effect.

An aerial view of the plaza plans.

“If it’s a genuine trial it shouldn’t just be rubber stamped because a previous council spent an extraordinary amount of funds on a temporary closure,” Mayor Baker said.

“I think knowing TfNSW are very committed to place making, they will be able to be persuaded to commit the funds for permanent works for a better planned, more highly community accepted location and design either within Young St or within the nearby catchment of Military Rd.”

Mayor Baker said residents were also concerned about the use of Grosvenor Lane by Woolworths delivery trucks and businesses worried by the impact on patronage due to the closure of Young St.

North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker. Picture: John Appleyard

“I think when we’re using public funds we have to be very careful in the way we expend them and make sure we are using them in the best way possible,” Mayor Baker said.

“There was a lot of debate and discussion about the level of community concern. It’s been my very strong experience as ward councillor that there’s been a great deal of concern – if not outright hostility – that a very compromised, traffic polluted road is to be provisioned as open space.”

The rejection of the tender outraged former mayor Jilly Gibson and her supporters who have swiftly filed a rescission motion and are planning a petition and community rally to fight the decision.

Jilly Gibson is not happy. Picture: John Appleyard

“I’m shocked that a group of self-described progressive councillors voted for less open public space and more cars in the centre of Neutral Bay village,” Cr Gibson said.

“Our community consultation process and its favourable results have been ignored. This is a slap in the face for democracy and does not sit well with me and other residents who bothered to participate in the consultation.”

The rescission motion is set to come before the May 23 North Sydney council meeting.