Knox Street Mall: Woollahra Council signs off on plans to radically transform Double Bay, with construction set to begin this year

Woollahra Council is pushing ahead with plans to transform Knox Street into a mall, with construction set to begin later this year.

Woollahra Council overwhelmingly voted to push ahead with its controversial plans to transform a key street in Double Bay into a pedestrian space, despite what it accepted was “strong” community resistance.

At a council meeting held on Monday night the full council of 13 members voted nine to four to progress with the project, which will use a $4.75 million state government grant to transform the street into a pedestrian plaza.

Councillor Lucinda Regan, who did not support moving forward with the project, raised the fierce community campaign fighting to oppose the development.

“The community seems to be very strong…against this,” Ms Regan said.

She said the rushed process to get construction up and running before the end of 2021 caused her concern because members of the community had not felt included in the planning process.

“We’re telling the community, just trust us on this,” she said.

Artist’s impression of the Knox Street plaza in Double Bay.

Councillor and former Woollahra Mayor Toni Zeltzer, who voted in favour of moving forward with the project, said large-scale revitalisation projects always brought a level of uncertainty.

The council committed during the meeting to direct collaboration with businesses to manage the impact of construction.

Ms Zeltzer pointed to the Kiaora development on New South Head Road, which houses a Woolworths, Dan Murphys and an array of cafes, restaurants and other businesses, that had been embraced by the community.

“When you do have a prosperous community hub, that flows to the rest of the community,” Ms Zeltzer said.

“If you’re doing a big public project, it’s always going to cause discontent.

“But sometimes you’ve just got to keep the faith.”

Development funding was awarded by the NSW Government in mid-2021 through its legacy program which grants money to develop high-quality public spaces to revitalise commercial centres impacted by the pandemic.

The grant scheme requires the project to be completed by the end of the year with construction expected to begin in coming months.

The scheme has faced outrage from residents who claim the development will cause traffic chaos, hurt business and make it harder for elderly residents to get around Double Bay village.

Residents of the Cosmo Centre and Knox Street business owners joined forces early this year, forming the Double Bay Community Alliance to rally against council's plans for Knox Street

Liberal MP for Vaucluse Gabrielle Upton told the Wentworth Courier she had previously raised concerns about how the mall would impact traffic congestion, but was now in support of the project.

“Knox Street, Double Bay is at the heart of our Double Bay village and its planned pedestrianisation has the real potential to improve it. This includes through better pedestrian safety and lighting and the creation of an open space for the whole community to enjoy,” Ms Upton said.

Mayor Susan Wynne previously told the Wentworth Courier the project was part of a well-publicised long-term vision to reimagine Double Bay as a more inclusive area with business diversity.

“When people come together in those kinds of areas they stay longer, they spend more money, or dine more, or shop more,” she said.

At the meeting Mayor Wynne said the recent election of teal independent MP Allegra Spender signalled people wanted urban centres that focused on climate and sustainability.

“It’s time to actually put pedestrians first and cycleways, and all of that aspect, we need to consider it,” Mayor Wynne said at the meeting.

“As far as I am concerned, anything that we can do to actually get people out of their cars is a positive, so that is absolutely why I support this,” she said.

The final step required prior to tender for construction is a Traffic Management Plan. This will be presented directly to Transport for NSW for consideration and approval.