‘Mind-boggling’: Inner Sydney kiosk vanishes five months after being installed

The City of Sydney says it is yet to work out how much ratepayer money was spent ripping up a city street kiosk that was installed just five months earlier.

A rotund, Tardis-like object covered in plastic was installed on the western end of Circular Quay’s pedestrianised street in September last year, as one of 18 kiosks being rolled out for the city’s rumoured $100 million street furniture deal with advertising giant QMS.

The kiosk sat in black cement that cut into the granite pavement, just next to the light rail track before it turns onto George Street. It was connected to utilities – but sat dormant and never had a tenant.

Last week, it mysteriously disappeared, with workers removing the booth and fencing the area around it, before eventually replacing the tiles they had removed just five months before.

The ill-fated booth’s destruction came after light rail operator Transdev wrote to the City of Sydney in November last year, complaining about how close it came to the tracks.

A City of Sydney spokesperson said that “concerns were raised by [Transdev] about the circulation space and proximity of the kiosk to the light rail tracks” after the kiosk was installed, despite the development application for the kiosk being placed on public exhibition in 2021.

Fencing around the area where the kiosk was removed. Credit: Max Mason-Hubers

“There were no objects and the development application was approved,” they said.

The stall sits less than two metres away from the light rail tracks, but the kiosk’s doors opened parallel to the tracks.

While QMS is responsible for the installation of the actual kiosks, the council will be forced to pay for the removal.

“There was no cost to the city for the installation of the kiosk,” a City of Sydney spokesperson said. “Removal costs are still being determined.”

The CBD used to be home to 55 stalls, each serving a variety of food, coffee, flowers and newspapers. Before the revitalisation of the area with the light rail and the new QMS contract, the area had three kiosks within about 50 metres: an information kiosk, a flower kiosk, and a newsstand.

But only nine of the 18 promised stalls have been rolled out so far, with QMS focusing its work on the highly profitable digital advertising screens – known as “communication pylons” – that now line the streets.

Labor councillor Linda Scott, who had previously campaigned for kiosk tenants, said she was concerned about the impact the kiosk removal would have on the terms of the city’s contract.

Liberal councillor Lyndon Gannon, a vocal critic of the street furniture, said the entire roll-out was “mind-boggling”.

“We’ve had bus stops installed the wrong way around, billboards put in the middle of footpaths, and kiosks put on light rail platforms. This is peak Sydney. Council takes away outdoor dining because the footpath isn’t wide enough, then they come and plonk a billboard in the middle of it.”

A Transdev spokesperson said the company supported the council’s action and QMS declined to answer specific questions about the kiosk.

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