Overview
- New designs released this week show a 4,200–4,500 square metre plaza by JPW and ASPECT Studios featuring about 30 native trees, water features, seating and flexible event space.
- The council has allocated $150 million for design, demolition and construction, plans to lodge a development application for public feedback in the coming months, and expects demolition to begin in 2028 with completion by 2031.
- The project requires tearing down seven buildings opposite Town Hall, including the busy Woolworths outlet that the company says draws about 6.5 million visits a year, and the council is negotiating to compulsorily acquire the final Foot Locker site on George Street.
- Opponents including Labor councillor Yvonne Weldon and Business Sydney warn the cost and loss of active commercial floorspace will strain council finances, while the Lord Mayor argues upgrading the existing buildings would cost more than $200 million and that most tenants can be relocated.
- The square builds on decades of planning dating back to the 1980s, will be given a First Nations name and is pitched as a way to boost visitation, host markets and events, and reduce urban heat, with the Central Sydney Planning Committee to decide the development application.