Bradfield Oration: Sydney CBD set for rebirth, says Gladys Berejiklian
The launch of Sydney’s light rail plus the removal of archaic lockout laws will spark more than Sydney’s night-life, it will lead to a complete rebirth of the city centre, Premier Gladys Berejiklian predicts.
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Sydney’s city is on the cusp of a renaissance and a new era in which people can “enjoy the CBD rather than dread it”, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has declared.
The combination of the launch of the light rail and the removal of archaic lockout laws will spark a rebirth of the city centre, driving not only fresh night-life but a whole new weekend recreational atmosphere, the Premier believes.
Ms Berejiklian conceded the CBD had previously been a “hassle to negotiate” and agreed the looming changes meant it was on the verge of a new boom of rooftop-style bars and fresh new eateries.
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“There’ll be more opportunities to enjoy the CBD rather than dread it,” she said.
“You want people to regard the experience as a positive one, not a hassle.”
She said the changes, upon completion of light rail construction, had already made people more free to walk around and enjoy the city, adding that she hoped Sydney — once the light rail services began operating — would be “used as an example of how you can revitalise cities”.
Swathes of Sydney’s CBD and the Surry Hills construction area for the light rail have long been considered dead zones by small businesses and tourists, particularly on the weekends.
As The Daily Telegraph today launches its Bradfield campaign, the Premier spoke in an interview about her vision for a revitalised CBD which would be enjoyed by people from all over NSW as well as tourists from interstate and overseas.
Asked if Sydney’s heart was about to enjoy a renaissance, the Premier replied: “No doubt about it”.
“It doesn’t matter where you live in NSW, whether you live in the regions, you live in Western Sydney — people come through the CBD — tourists but also our residents,” she said. “Demonstrating what is possible and what the city will look like and feel like to move around in — I think people will be very inspired.”
She said the light rail had also brought Newcastle a “huge renaissance” and the same would be true for Parramatta.
“I feel that infrastructure has a real role in liveability, in aesthetics, but also inspiring us for what’s possible,” she said.
This will be further boosted by the development of a new Silicon Valley-style tech precinct in the aerial space above Central Station in the CBD’s southern region, she said.
The light rail project, which is due to open in December, will ferry people in and out of the CBD along a 12km route from Circular Quay along George St to Central Station, through Surry Hills to Moore Park then onwards to Kensington and Randwick.
Labor leader Jodi McKay this week called for lockout laws to be lifted by the end of the year, and there is a strong desire within government to take this approach as well.
Ms Berejiklian’s vision is for the CBD to take on a weekend style role in people’s hearts, where they would go to restaurants and bars to relax in the daytime in addition to neighbourhood suburban hubs.
“You can get a train or a bus from virtually anywhere to the CBD. And once you’re here you can take a light rail ride and stop off anywhere on the route and expose yourself to eateries you’ve never experienced before,” she said.
“I think it will really increase the potential for us.”
Ms Berejiklian said transport options had the same effect in Sydney’s suburbs, with people going to Cabramatta for lunch or dinner “which they never would have done 20 years ago”.
The Premier said she was committed to projects that would be enduring legacies for the next generation, in the spirit of John Bradfield himself.
She said it was important that development was aesthetically pleasing as well as functional, saying and “a lot of that is protecting natural beauty we have in Sydney”.
This included protecting or highlighting older, iconic buildings and natural features in and around developments.
For example, Ms Berejiklian said the new light rail would expose people to noticing “beautiful 1940s retro buildings which people never noticed before because the boulevard was chockers with buses”.
The Premier said NSW must continue to aspire to build beautiful architecture like the Harbour Bridge or the Opera House, and equally must take steps to conserve the beauty already in current architecture.
“I think its important to highlight our natural attributes because that’s what makes NSW unique,” she said.
The Premier said NSW must continue to aspire to build beautiful architecture like the Harbour Bridge or the Opera House, and equally must take steps to conserve the beauty already in current architecture.
“I think its important to highlight our natural attributes because that’s what makes NSW unique,” she said.
The Premier said she believed Bradfield — the man who oversaw the design and building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge — “would be proud” of the work she was doing. “I think Bradfield would be very proud if he was around today because we’ve got more than 1500 projects across the state and a lot of them are highlighting the aesthetics of our beautiful city and state.
“We pay really close attention to everything we’re building to make sure that in a century’s time people look back and think it’s designed well and it’s pleasing to look at.”
Even the design of schools and hospitals across the state “can be inspiring”, she said.