Maroubra: Randwick Council release pedestrian-friendly masterplan

A suburb in Sydney’s southeast is set to undergo a major 20-year transformation, with plans to shift away from a “dirty” and traffic-dominated area to a centre which prioritises pedestrians. See the pictures.

The proposed cycleway on Maroubra Rd. Photo: Randwick Council

A suburb in Sydney’s southeast is set to undergo a major 20-year transformation, with plans to shift away from a “dirty” and traffic-dominated area to a centre which prioritises pedestrians and values community space.

Randwick Council has released its ‘Maroubra Junction Public Domain Masterplan’, described as a “practical and inspirational” approach to transforming the suburb’s heart into a lively, pedestrian-oriented destination.

The plans include two plazas, including ‘Wild Street Plaza’ and ‘Robey Street Plaza’, which will feature more outdoor dining opportunities, more trees, street seating and public art. It will also improve pedestrian safety by “reducing traffic movements and speed”.

The masterplan also features a new green boulevard along Anzac Parade, with plans to activate the street with wide footpaths, trees, a two-way cycleway and potentially underground parking.

In carrying out the plan, council would replace central median parking.

Wild Street Plaza.

Robey Street Plaza.

The design is set to make Maroubra more vibrant, comfortable, memorable, inclusive, connected, accessible, bio diverse and resilient, according to the masterplan documents.

Despite council’s vision, Maroubra Rd business owners have raised concerns about the introduction of a two-way cycleway to the northern side.

Pagewood Pharmacy owner Linda To.

Pagewood Pharmacy owner Linda To has been fighting for almost two years with council to allocate two disability parking spots out the front of her business, and “to hear now they’re thinking of putting a cycleway, it’s even worse”.

“We’ve been fighting for almost two years just to get those spots … [and] there’s nothing, so I’m a little disappointed if it is going to happen,” Ms To said.

“I think it will affect a lot of small businesses, because we are in competition with the larger pharmacies … we look after our local clientele, so if [council] gets rid of [the parking] then you don’t have a sense of community anymore.”

While the southern side of Maroubra Rd will keep its parking, Ms To said it still won’t be good enough for her customers.

Mie Kocok Bandung owner Margalena Zakaria.

“It’s not as easy [crossing the road], there’s so many accidents … because so many people are doing illegal U-turns, we wouldn’t want that on our patients,” she said.

Indonesian restaurant Mie Kocok Bandung owner Margalena Zakaria shared similar concerns and said she wanted to understand “the purpose” of the cycleway.

“Is it because they want to encourage more people to cycle to the tram station … I don’t know,” she said.

“Are they actually encouraging, for example, a resident who lives in Maroubra to go to work in the city using the bike? So why would they have to build the tram then?”

The cycleway on Maroubra Rd would only impact the northern side. Photo: Randwick Council

Ms Zakaria said the cycleway would have a “devastating” impact on her business, given customers are already faced with 30-minute parking out the front of her restaurant.

“People are [already] worried [about] eating here with just half an hour parking, imagine now if they take away the whole thing … How about food delivery? How are they going to deliver the food? Where are the food trucks going to stop and deliver the goods to us,” she said.

With a large number of her customers coming from outside the eastern suburbs, Ms Zakaria said the limited parking options would discourage people from visiting.

When asked about the impact the plans would have on street parking, a Randwick Council spokesman said “specific details … will be looked into as part of detailed design work in the future”.

“As this is a masterplan, it’s more high level setting a direction for the next 10 years and beyond,” he said.