A $149 million COVID recovery plan
Over the term, the City has largely recovered from the pandemic which devastated our businesses, particularly those in hospitality, retail, tourism and entertainment. And while there is still work to be done, our $149 million Community Recovery Plan helped local businesses and communities stay afloat.
Increasing Affordable Housing
We continue to use every lever available to maximise affordable and diverse housing in our local area. We have collected developer levies, sold land at a discounted rate, and approved grants – in total providing $73.4 million towards affordable housing.
We have contributed to 3,323 affordable homes either built or anticipated in the future. The City’s Affordable Housing levy scheme is projected to deliver a further 1,950 affordable homes.
I have continued to advocate to retain boarding houses which are an important part of our diverse and diverse housing stock.
Australian-first Climate Action
The City has continued to be an environmental leader, and our partnerships focusing on reducing emissions, water use and waste in existing buildings are delivering impressive results and contributing to meeting our target of net zero emissions by 2035.
In an Australian first, Council endorsed net zero performance standards that require applications for new office buildings, hotels, shopping centres and major redevelopments to comply with minimum energy ratings and to achieve net zero by 2026. This policy won a Planning Institute award and led to a similar Statewide policy.
In 2023 we completed more than a decade’s work to upgrade all our 17,000 street lights to energy efficient LEDs. This is our biggest carbon reduction project and saves the City and Ausgrid almost $2 million a year.
Also in a Council first for NSW, we will recycle food scraps by feeding them to maggots and converting their manure into protein-rich animal feed and fertiliser.
New and upgraded parks plus increased greenery
Our new Urban Forest Strategy and award-winning Street Tree Master Plan guides our work to create a more cool, calm, and resilient city.
This term we planted 1,949 street trees, installed 26,455 square metres of landscaping, installed 6 raingardens, and added 185,000 new plants in our open spaces. Because of our extensive planting, we're the only city in the country to increase our canopy cover over the past decade.
In the past 20 years, we’ve invested $474 million creating 36 new parks and open spaces, adding over 30.8 hectares of open space. We created 4 new sports fields and upgraded 143 parks.
After years of our campaigning, the Premier committed to converting 20 hectares of the Moore Park Golf Course to publicly accessible parkland for the growing communities of Green Square, Waterloo, Zetland and Redfern.
We developed a masterplan for a united Wentworth Park for when the Greyhound racing lease expires in 2027 so the park can be returned to the community. We will continue to fight for this area to be returned to the public, after the Government indicated it might extend the greyhound racing lease on the site.
Increased Community Centre budget
We increased the budget for our community centres by 20%, adding 9 additional staff and more than 70 new programs and activities across our centres.
The $11 million upgrade of Pyrmont Community Centre – pictured above during my recent site visit – will open this year along with a refreshed Darlington Activity Centre.
Award-winning public domain upgrades
We have started work on a $7.9 million upgrade of the Redfern Community Centre Open Space, Yellomundee Park and Hugo Street Reserve.
And the $44 million plan to rejuvenate Chinatown has started with the heritage restoration of the ceremonial gates on Dixon Street.
The $34 million upgrade of Crown Street is creating even more space for outdoor dining with landscaping, new smart poles, bubblers and seating.
And last year we celebrated the restoration of the 90-year old, heritage-listed Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park.
Light rail has transformed George Street and the city. By the time the George Street pedestrianisation is complete, we will have reclaimed over 26,000 square meters of former roadway for people, and we’ve invested about $300 million for new footpaths, trees, street furniture, and outdoor dining, with more upgrades to come.
We were awarded the 2024 Australian Urban Design Awards: Winner of Built Projects – City and Regional Scale for our transformation of George Street. The Jury said the project reinvigorated the city and is testament to the collaboration of multiple levels of government.
Continuing our long term vision
Our achievements are a result of a long-term plan as well as strong financial management and governance. We have consistently delivered debt-free budgets allowing us to deliver on priorities while keeping residential rates among the lowest in the metropolitan area, with free rates for pensioners.
This term we updated our long-term strategic plan: Sustainable Sydney 2030–2050 Continuing the Vision. The plan reinforces the community’s priorities, extends targets and pushes us harder to ensure Sydney’s liveability, sustainability and diversity now and into the future.
We began campaigning for the extension of the light rail line from Parramatta Road and Broadway to Green Square via Central Station because of its enormous economic potential.
Connecting the City
Other strategies developed this term include the Electrification of Transport in the City, the City Access Strategy and Action Plan, and A City for Walking Strategy and Action Plan – will underpin our future work on creating a city for walking, cycling and public transport.
We will continue delivering the bike network and have so far delivered 25 kilometres of separated cycleways, over 66 kilometres of shared paths and 45 kilometres of other cycling infrastructure – more than doubling the number of bike trips across the City since 2010 when counts began.
Securing Oxford Street's future
We introduced new planning controls that protect heritage, and encourage investment for more creative and cultural spaces; and the major redevelopment of City-owned properties.
The controls are complemented by the Oxford Street LGBTIQA+ Social and Cultural Place Strategy, a first in Australia for an LGBTIQA+ precinct, which recognises, preserves, and promotes Oxford Street’s connection to the LGBTIQA+ community.
As part of the strategy, we launched the Oxford Street Pride Business Charter and supported the PrideVis initiative.
The City provided seed funding to QTOPIA and we are funding free entry on Sundays.
Sydney’s Mardi Gras Parade returned to Oxford Street and the famous route was included on the State’s heritage register. We allocated more than $1.7 million to WorldPride which attracted half a million people and pumped more than $110 million into the economy.
Celebrating First Nations peoples
This term, we unveiled one of the City's most significant public artworks: bara, our Monument to the Eora, and we began planning for Yananurala, a 9-kilometre walk that will highlight Aboriginal history and culture along the Harbour foreshore.
We launched the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce strategy, which includes increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees at the City, and investing with Indigenous businesses. And we set up a $500,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collaboration Fund for projects that connect people with community, Country and culture.
We opened the new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and cultural centre at 119 Redfern Street.
We also supported the history, culture and experiences of Australian South Sea Islanders within our community by flying the Australian South Sea Islander flag at Sydney Town Hall on South Sea Islander Recognition Day, which has become an annual event.
Supporting a Creative City
Our draft Cultural Strategy 2025–2035, proposes solutions to the challenges facing our cultural and creative sector, and is backed by $20 million of new funding.
One proposal is a collaboration with the State Government to deliver a Creative Land Trust to secure affordable rehearsal and studio spaces in perpetuity and help to address the critical shortage of creative spaces.
We opened our five-storey Creative Studios in Bathurst Street, leased from the developer for a peppercorn rent for 99 years. This state-of-the-art facility provides affordable spaces for artists, musicians, podcasters, performers and other creatives.
The historic Sydney Park brick kilns will be another space for cultural and community use and events.
Design Excellence and Density Done Well
The City has achieved greener, more humane, innovative and beautifully designed buildings and public domain areas through our Design Excellence Policy and the competitive design process. We’ve had more than 160 design competitions since its inception over 24 years ago, many winning design and development industry awards.
We negotiated with developers to deliver not just impressive, but sustainable office towers as well as a network of retail lanes, public art and community facilities at the Quay Quarter Precinct, including Quay Quarter Tower, the world’s largest upcycled tower building; and Salesforce Tower at 180 George Street which includes a public plaza – the first plaza in the CBD to be dedicated to the public in decades.
In Salesforce Tower, we negotiated the lease of 3 floors for 20 years for a peppercorn rent which is let to Greenhouse, the biggest climate technology hub in Australasia.
And as an example of density done well, we continue to deliver the Green Square Urban renewal areas along with our $1.8 billion infrastructure plan which includes 40 parks, places and facilities.
A City for People
A city is a place for people to live, work, meet each other and to have fun. We should all take pride in the success of the many annual multicultural and world-class events we continue to host including the New Year’s Eve fireworks, the Sydney Lunar Festival, NAIDOC in the City, Christmas in the City, and Sydney Streets that now runs all year round.
Thank you
I would like to thank the many members of our advisory panels and reference groups who have worked with us on these remarkable achievements.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel
- Audit Rick and Compliance Committee
- Better Building Partnership
- Business, Economic Development and Covid Recovery Advisory Panel
- Central Sydney Planning Committee
- City Switch National Steering Group
- Curatorial Advisory Panel
- Cycling Advisory Committee
- Cultural and Creative Sector Advisory Panel
- Design Advisory Panel
- Design Advisory Panel Residential Sub-committee
- Food Operations Working Group
- Housing for All Working Group
- Inclusion (Disability) Advisory Panel
- Local Pedestrian, Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee
- Multicultural Advisory Panel
- Local Planning Panel
- Night Time City Transport Working Group
- Public Art Advisory Panel
- Residential Apartment Sustainability Reference Group
Importantly, I want to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of our inspiring CEO Monica Barone PSM, our committed and talented team of Directors, and all City staff. We have benefitted from your expertise and dedication.
