The Daily Telegraph heard about this intervention before we did, which is telling in itself. As we have only just received the Government’s directions, we will need time to consider them and understand what they mean for the project and its delivery timeline.
But the City owns the buildings, has responsibly saved the money over a 40 year period to deliver the project debt-free, and has some of the world’s leading designers and architects working on the plans. We remain confident in the merits of the proposal and see no planning reason why it should not ultimately be supported.
We had already committed to having the project assessed by an independent planner and determined by the Central Sydney Planning Committee, which has a majority of members appointed by the NSW Government. Any suggestion that Council had a conflict of interest or isn’t managing approval appropriately is incorrect.
For decades, under councils of different political leadership, the City has painstakingly acquired the properties needed to realise the long-held vision for a major public square at Town Hall.
That vision has been endorsed by our community through two of the largest consultation processes the City has ever undertaken to guide Sydney’s long-term future.
In 2025, we briefed the Planning Minister on the project in detail and no concerns were raised. The NSW Government also approved the City’s acquisition of the final property needed to deliver the square.
Against that history, the timing and nature of today’s intervention inevitably raises questions, particularly as political attention begins to turn towards the next State Election.
Already hundreds of thousands of people commute through this busy hub each day, on train, bus, light rail and the new metro. We have also rezoned central Sydney to accommodate more space for more jobs. As our city continues to grow and we increase commercial density in the CBD, more public space for people is not a “nice to have”, it is essential infrastructure that we are committed to delivering.
People are excited by the opportunity to transform one of the busiest and most cluttered parts of our city into a beautiful and generous public space, shaded by an arch of native trees – somewhere to move through, meet friends, linger, or gather for major civic events.
Of course, a project of this scale and ambition will generate questions and concerns. Some of the most vocal opposition has come from The Daily Telegraph, powerful corporate interest groups and Woolworths.
The Woolworths supermarket is undoubtedly a valued and well-located local service. But there are other supermarkets nearby, and a retailer of Woolworths’ scale and commercial reach is well placed to secure another location in or around the city centre. This is a $50 billion company, whose annual profit exceeds the entire City budget.
The site is significantly smaller and will involve substantially less disruption and tenant displacement than major State Government infrastructure projects undertaken elsewhere in central Sydney, like the Metro site at Wynyard.
If the Government ultimately uses its powers to stop this project rather than simply scrutinise it, that would be a deeply concerning and regressive intervention in the delivery of important public infrastructure.
City building takes time. Visionary, transformative projects attract opposition. We have been here before.
When the transformation of George Street through light rail and pedestrianisation was proposed, there was a chorus of opposition and concern. Today, George Street is one of Sydney’s great public spaces and has fundamentally changed not only how we move around our city, but how we experience it.
Just yesterday I stood alongside the Planning Minister to announce the final stage of the George Street project. Together we told the media more space for people is crucial in our growing city.
There is more work to do, and we welcome the conversation and scrutiny that comes with a project of this significance.
But we will persist. We remain enormously excited about the opportunity to deliver a generous, green and distinctly Sydney civic space in the heart of our city – a place that will belong to everyone and serve generations to come.
