Kirribilli makeover slammed by residents as gaudy and kitsch

It was supposed to entice visitors, but an eye-catching makeover of historic Kirribilli has spectacularly backfired with residents claiming it has cheapened the look of their suburb.

A brightly coloured streetscape upgrade aimed at reviving the Kirribilli town centre is dividing opinions among residents with critics labelling it disrespectful to history and the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.

North Sydney Council is pushing ahead with a range of “pop-up” upgrades in the suburb including painting Blight St blue and purple and turning Burton St into a pedestrian zone with vivid paving along with striking street furniture.

The works are part of a six-month trial aimed at enticing residents and tourists into the area with a colour palette partly inspired by the suburb’s famous Jacaranda trees.

A photo of the works in progress.

But not everyone is on board with the paint job with critics slamming the “kitsch” colour choices as incongruous with the historic streetscape which fronts on to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

One objector described it as “like the 1980s heaved up its dinner on the ground”.

Robin Low, who started a petition opposing the works, has called for the council to head back to the drawing board and follow its own heritage guidelines.

“Gaudy colours and fairy lights might fit in with Luna Park, but Kirribilli is not Luna Park and the Harbour Bridge is definitely not Luna Park,” she said.

The works include brightly coloured street painting.

A concept plan of what Burton St could look like when the works are finished.

“Everyone I’ve spoken to about it has been quite surprised and shocked by it – we all support the road closure and pedestrian friendly areas but the design and colour choice just dominates the whole area.

“The council works hard to preserve the streetscape through the heritage review of all development applications, however the same discipline hasn’t been applied here. Kirribilli deserves better.”

Elaine Wziontek, who co-chairs the local precinct committee, is a supporter of the works, saying it “brightens up the neighbourhood”.

“You always get a variety of opinions and people resistant to change but it brings a bit of colour and fun into Kirribilli,” she said.

“The colour may be a little bit bright but I think it adds to the village atmosphere.”

North Sydney Mayor Jilly Gibson also backed the colour palette, saying the works were aimed at supporting local businesses.

“It’s a pop up space and the whole idea of a pop-up space is that it is cheap and cheerful,” she said.

“The project is still rolling out and people should wait until it’s finished before criticising it – when we bring in plants and lights and when it’s full of people it will look fabulous.

“Kirribilli is a vibrant and diverse community and it’s about bringing the community together, creating a pedestrian friendly area and supporting our local businesses.

“Without our small businesses we don’t have a village, and without a village we don’t have a community.”

Critics want the heritage of Kirribilli to be protected.

A council spokeswoman said the works were in line with the Kirribilli Village Centre Public Domain Masterplan which also aims to create more public space in Kirribilli.

She said the current works will only remain in place for six months and community feedback will be sought over the period.

“Works on the trial Burton St pedestrian space have just begun and will take about two more weeks to complete. As the concept comes to life with the installation of planter boxes and street furniture over the next couple of weeks, it will transform the space into a fun and vibrant streetscape which will brighten up the area,” she said.

“With spring now blooming, summer around the corner and we move into a lockdown recovery stage following the current stay-at-home orders, this new space will inspire and support the local businesses who have been doing it tough over this last period.”

The petition was launched on Tuesday and had reached 130 signatures as of Thursday.

It calls for the council to redesign the works and choose a “relevant colour palette, no fairy lights and with reference to the existing streetscape”.

The pop-up project was fully funded by the Department of Planning under its ‘streets as shared spaces program’.