Bid to buy street has Shore upset residents, cash-strapped council considers sell-off

North Sydney Council will consider selling part of a public street to prestigious private school Shore, sparking fierce backlash from residents.

North Sydney resident Danielle Walters says closing Edward St would create traffic and parking issues for residents. Picture: Dylan Coker

Cash-strapped North ­Sydney Council will deliberate on Monday on whether or not to sell a street to one of the Harbour City’s oldest and wealthiest private schools, with residents in fierce opposition to the ­proposal – just like the last time the school tried to expand its footprint.

Sydney Church of England Grammar School, better known as Shore, has approached North Sydney Council to buy part of Edward St north of Lord St, which would essentially extend the driveway to its years 3-6 campus.

In a report tabled for ­discussion at tonight’s council meeting, Open Space & ­Infrastructure director Gary Parsons has recommended the council’s chief executive be authorised “to enter into discussions regarding the potential closure and sale” of the street section, including undertaking community consultation.

Under the proposal, the ­independent boys’ school would be required to lodge a minimum $20,000 bond with the council to cover the cost of its “investigations”.

Sydney Church of England Grammar School, better known as Shore, has approached North Sydney Council to buy part of Edward St north of Lord St. Picture: Dylan Coker

Established in the 19th century, Shore is among the richest schools in the nation, declaring revenue close to $100m in its most recent annual report and charging tuition fees of up to $46,000 a year.

North Sydney Council, meanwhile, recently lost its bid to raise rates by nearly 90 per cent to more than $1500 over the next two years, a move which sparked outrage from ratepayers.

The council is struggling to pay for its problem-plagued North Sydney Olympic Pool redevelopment, with the costs associated with it rising to an estimated $122m, which does not include the $28m which the builder, ICON, is suing the council over.

Danielle Walters, who has lived in Sydney’s north for 20 years, said closing the street would create traffic and parking issues for residents, and said it only added to her discontent with the council.

“It is an education district but it is a residential district too,” Ms Walters said.

“How much are we doing to allow a school to dominate a whole area and what does it mean for us? If this is all going to be (a) school should we just be selling our properties to Shore now?”

Shore has previously attracted the ire of North Sydney residents over its redevelopment plans which include plans to increase its capacity by 450 students, with the proposal rubber-stamped by the NSW Planning Minister in January.

Extending its ownership of Edward St would allow the school to remedy some of the issues flagged in public submissions over that proposal, including that “current drop-off and pick-up conditions in Edward St already cause significant congestion, delays, safety hazards, frequently blocking resident access”.

Originally published as Bid to buy street has Shore upset residents, cash-strapped council considers sell-off