North Sydney Council reveals $2.7m plan to reinstate cars after spending $480k closing off road for contentious ‘street plaza’

A council that spent almost $500,000 closing off a road to make way for a temporary “street plaza” is now set to spend more than five times that amount ripping up the “windswept canyon”.

Opponents of the plaza say the space is disused and potentially dangerous.

A council that spent almost $500,000 closing off a town centre road to make way for a temporary “street plaza” is set to spend more than five times that amount ripping up the green space, after critics labelled it an “ugly disused” space that resembles a “windswept canyon”.

North Sydney Council has revealed $2.7m plans to reintroduce cars to Young St in Neutral Bay after spending $480,000 closing the road to create a public plaza.

The plaza, which includes seating areas and a “waved” artificial grass kids play area, has been subject to staunch community debate, with those in favour of the space saying it has created a family-friendly outdoor area.

But those opposed say the park is an “eyesore” that is rarely used by locals.
One resident stated, in a submission to the council, the waved mounds were “not suitable for children” due to the risk of injury.

Young St was closed to traffic to make way for the plaza.

Some business owners have also expressed opposition after 10 parking spaces were jettisoned to make way for the pedestrianisation, meaning fewer customers were able to park outside shops.

Concept plans released this week have revealed North Sydney Council plans to spend up to $2.75m removing the plaza and reintroducing cars on the street.

A concept image of the redesigned space.

As well as funding a traffic lane, the cost would also pay for a narrower pedestrian zone featuring seating, paving upgrades and other pedestrian works.

North Sydney councillor MaryAnn Beregi, who voted to remove the green space, has been critical of the current plaza, which she said was rarely used by locals and resembled a “windswept canyon”.

But Neutral Bay resident Glen Curyer, who chairs the local Neutral Bay Community Precinct group, believes the council is spending an inordinate amount of money on the project at a time when it is facing escalating budget challenges, largely due to the cost blowout of the North Sydney Olympic Pool redevelopment. 

He said the removal of the plaza was also incongruous with the views of residents after a previous council survey of 353 locals found a majority of 56 per cent had supported the project.

The new upgrade plans will include reinstating access for vehicles.

“It’s a large sum of money to spend when a majority of residents have been against reinstating the road,” he said.

“It’s not what the majority of the community have asked for and it will be far less of a community space if it has an access road running through it.”

The redesign of the plaza is set to be bankrolled by grant funding from Transport for NSW, compensating the community for the disruption of the B-Line bus stop construction.

North Sydney councillors will vote on adopting the designs at a meeting next week.